Microbial sulfate reduction and organic sulfur formation in sinking marine particles

Raven, M. R.; Keil, R. G.; Webb, S. M.

doi:10.1126/science.abc6035

Title: Microbial sulfate reduction and organic sulfur formation in sinking marine particles

Journal Article · Thu Dec 17 00:00:00 EST 2020 · Science

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abc6035· OSTI ID:1768243

^[1];

^[2];

^[3]

Univ. of California, Santa Barbara, CA (United States)
Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States)
SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States). Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL)

Climate change is driving an expansion of marine oxygen-deficient zones, which may alter the global cycles of carbon, sulfur, nitrogen, and trace metals. Currently, however, we lack a full mechanistic understanding of how oxygen deficiency affects organic carbon cycling and burial. In this work, we show that cryptic microbial sulfate reduction occurs in sinking particles from the eastern tropical North Pacific oxygen-deficient zone and that some microbially produced sulfide reacts rapidly to form organic sulfur that is resistant to acid hydrolysis. Particle-hosted sulfurization could enhance carbon preservation in sediments underlying oxygen-deficient water columns and serve as a stabilizing feedback between expanding anoxic zones and atmospheric carbon dioxide. A similar mechanism may help explain more-extreme instances of organic carbon preservation associated with marine anoxia in Earth history.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Cite

Export

Save

Research Organization:: SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); National Science Foundation (NSF); National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-76SF00515; 1542240; P30GM133894

OSTI ID:: 1768243

Journal Information:: Science, Vol. 371, Issue 6525; ISSN 0036-8075

Publisher:: AAASCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

References (41)

Paired organic matter and pyrite δ34S records reveal mechanisms of carbon, sulfur, and iron cycle disruption during Ocean Anoxic Event 2 Raven, Morgan Reed; Fike, David A.; Bradley, Alexander S. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 512 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2019.01.048	journal	April 2019
Experimental Evidence for Abiotic Sulfurization of Marine Dissolved Organic Matter Pohlabeln, Anika M.; Gomez-Saez, Gonzalo V.; Noriega-Ortega, Beatriz E. Frontiers in Marine Science, Vol. 4 https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2017.00364	journal	November 2017
Small-scale oxygen fluxes and remineralization in sinking aggregates Ploug, Helle Limnology and Oceanography, Vol. 46, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.2001.46.7.1624	journal	November 2001
Mechanisms of sulfur introduction chemically controlled: δ34S imprint Amrani, Alon; Aizenshtat, Zeev Organic Geochemistry, Vol. 35, Issue 11-12 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2004.06.019	journal	November 2004
Electron microscopy and pyrolysis of kerogens from the Kimmeridge Clay Formation, UK: Source organisms, preservation processes, and origin of microcycles Boussafir, M.; Gelin, F.; Lallier-Vergès, E. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 59, Issue 18 https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-7037(95)00273-3	journal	September 1995
Rapid organic matter sulfurization in sinking particles from the Cariaco Basin water column Raven, Morgan Reed; Sessions, Alex L.; Adkins, Jess F. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 190 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2016.06.030	journal	October 2016
Contrasting genomic properties of free-living and particle-attached microbial assemblages within a coastal ecosystem Smith, Maria W.; Zeigler Allen, Lisa; Allen, Andrew E. Frontiers in Microbiology, Vol. 4 https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2013.00120	journal	January 2013
Empirical links between trace metal cycling and marine microbial ecology during a large perturbation to Earth's carbon cycle Owens, Jeremy D.; Reinhard, Christopher T.; Rohrssen, Megan Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 449 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2016.05.046	journal	September 2016
The sulfur cycle of a coastal marine sediment (Limfjorden, Denmark)1: Sulfur cycle of marine sediment Jørgensen, Bo Barker Limnology and Oceanography, Vol. 22, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.1977.22.5.0814	journal	September 1977
Isotopic composition and speciation of sulfur in the Miocene Monterey Formation: Reevaluation of sulfur reactions during early diagenesis in marine environments Zaback, Doreen A.; Pratt, Lisa M. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 56, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-7037(92)90096-2	journal	February 1992
Sulfated Polysaccharides in Red and Brown Algae McCandless, E. L.; Craigie, J. S. Annual Review of Plant Physiology, Vol. 30, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.pp.30.060179.000353	journal	June 1979
Oxygen minimum zones in the eastern tropical Atlantic and Pacific oceans Karstensen, Johannes; Stramma, Lothar; Visbeck, Martin Progress in Oceanography, Vol. 77, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2007.05.009	journal	June 2008
Molecular identification of picoplankton populations in contrasting waters of the Arabian Sea Fuchs, Bm; Woebken, D.; Zubkov, Mv Aquatic Microbial Ecology, Vol. 39 https://doi.org/10.3354/ame039145	journal	January 2005
The MicroAnalysis Toolkit: X-ray Fluorescence Image Processing Software Webb, S. M.; McNulty, Ian; Eyberger, Catherine THE 10TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON X-RAY MICROSCOPY, AIP Conference Proceedings https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3625338	conference	January 2011
Isoprenoid thiophenes: novel products of sediment diagenesis? Brassell, S. C.; Lewis, C. A.; de Leeuw, J. W. Nature, Vol. 320, Issue 6058 https://doi.org/10.1038/320160a0	journal	March 1986
The role of particulate carbohydrate exudates in the flocculation of diatom blooms Passow, Uta; Alldredge, Alice L.; Logan, Bruce E. Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers, Vol. 41, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1016/0967-0637(94)90007-8	journal	February 1994
Expansion of oxygen minimum zones may reduce available habitat for tropical pelagic fishes Stramma, Lothar; Prince, Eric D.; Schmidtko, Sunke Nature Climate Change, Vol. 2, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1304	journal	December 2011
Global niche of marine anaerobic metabolisms expanded by particle microenvironments Bianchi, Daniele; Weber, Thomas S.; Kiko, Rainer Nature Geoscience, Vol. 11, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-018-0081-0	journal	March 2018
Can Microscale Chemical Patches Persist in the Sea? Microelectrode Study of Marine Snow, Fecal Pellets Alldredge, A. L.; Cohen, Y. Science, Vol. 235, Issue 4789 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.235.4789.689	journal	February 1987
Microbial oceanography of anoxic oxygen minimum zones Ulloa, O.; Canfield, D. E.; DeLong, E. F. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 109, Issue 40 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1205009109	journal	September 2012
SIXPack a Graphical User Interface for XAS Analysis Using IFEFFIT Webb, S. M. Physica Scripta https://doi.org/10.1238/Physica.Topical.115a01011	journal	January 2005
The distribution and isotopic composition of sulfur in organic-rich sedimentary rocks Dinur, D.; Spiro, B.; Aizenshtat, Z. Chemical Geology, Vol. 31 https://doi.org/10.1016/0009-2541(80)90066-2	journal	January 1980
Characteristics, dynamics and significance of marine snow Alldredge, Alice L.; Silver, Mary W. Progress in Oceanography, Vol. 20, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/0079-6611(88)90053-5	journal	January 1988
Projected Centennial Oxygen Trends and Their Attribution to Distinct Ocean Climate Forcings Takano, Yohei; Ito, Takamitsu; Deutsch, Curtis Global Biogeochemical Cycles, Vol. 32, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GB005939	journal	September 2018
Transcriptomic evidence for microbial sulfur cycling in the eastern tropical North Pacific oxygen minimum zone Carolan, Molly T.; Smith, Jason M.; Beman, J. M. Frontiers in Microbiology, Vol. 06 https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2015.00334	journal	May 2015
Undocumented water column sink for cadmium in open ocean oxygen-deficient zones Janssen, D. J.; Conway, T. M.; John, S. G. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 111, Issue 19 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1402388111	journal	April 2014
Temperature effects on carbon-specific respiration rate and sinking velocity of diatom aggregates – potential implications for deep ocean export processes Iversen, M. H.; Ploug, H. Biogeosciences, Vol. 10, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-4073-2013	journal	January 2013
Remineralization of particulate organic carbon in an ocean oxygen minimum zone Cavan, E. L.; Trimmer, M.; Shelley, F. Nature Communications, Vol. 8, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms14847	journal	March 2017
Quantifying the missing sink for global organic carbon burial during a Cretaceous oceanic anoxic event Owens, Jeremy D.; Lyons, Timothy W.; Lowery, Christopher M. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 499 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2018.07.021	journal	October 2018
Chemical and Isotopic Evidence for Organic Matter Sulfurization in Redox Gradients Around Mangrove Roots Raven, M. R.; Fike, D. A.; Gomes, M. L. Frontiers in Earth Science, Vol. 7 https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2019.00098	journal	May 2019
Determination of ultra-low oxygen concentrations in oxygen minimum zones by the STOX sensor: STOX oxygen sensor Revsbech, Niels Peter; Larsen, Lars Hauer; Gundersen, Jens Limnology and Oceanography: Methods, Vol. 7, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.4319/lom.2009.7.371	journal	May 2009
Influence of oxygen exposure time on organic carbon preservation in continental margin sediments Hartnett, Hilairy E.; Keil, Richard G.; Hedges, John I. Nature, Vol. 391, Issue 6667 https://doi.org/10.1038/35351	journal	February 1998
Sulfonates: A novel class of organic sulfur compounds in marine sediments Vairavamurthy, Appathurai; Zhou, Weiqing; Eglinton, Timothy Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 58, Issue 21 https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-7037(94)90200-3	journal	November 1994
Decline in global oceanic oxygen content during the past five decades Schmidtko, Sunke; Stramma, Lothar; Visbeck, Martin Nature, Vol. 542, Issue 7641 https://doi.org/10.1038/nature21399	journal	February 2017
Climate-Forced Variability of Ocean Hypoxia Deutsch, Curtis; Brix, Holger; Ito, Taka Science, Vol. 333, Issue 6040 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1202422	journal	June 2011
A Cryptic Sulfur Cycle in Oxygen-Minimum-Zone Waters off the Chilean Coast Canfield, D. E.; Stewart, F. J.; Thamdrup, B. Science, Vol. 330, Issue 6009 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1196889	journal	November 2010
Reducing microzones and sulfide production in marine snow Shanks, Al; Reeder, Ml Marine Ecology Progress Series, Vol. 96 https://doi.org/10.3354/meps096043	journal	January 1993
Early oxidation of organic matter in pelagic sediments of the eastern equatorial Atlantic: suboxic diagenesis Froelich, P. N.; Klinkhammer, G. P.; Bender, M. L. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 43, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-7037(79)90095-4	journal	July 1979
The cycling of iron, zinc and cadmium in the North East Pacific Ocean – Insights from stable isotopes Conway, Tim M.; John, Seth G. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 164 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2015.05.023	journal	September 2015
Formation of insoluble, nonhydrolyzable, sulfur-rich macromolecules via incorporation of inorganic sulfur species into algal carbohydrates Kok, Marika D.; Schouten, Stefan; Sinninghe Damsté, Jaap S. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 64, Issue 15 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0016-7037(00)00382-3	journal	August 2000
Lack of enhanced preservation of organic matter in sediments under the oxygen minimum on the Oman Margin Pedersen, T. F.; Shimmield, G. B.; N. B., Price Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 56, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-7037(92)90152-9	journal	January 1992

Similar Records

Chemical and Isotopic Evidence for Organic Matter Sulfurization in Redox Gradients Around Mangrove Roots

Journal Article · Wed May 08 00:00:00 EDT 2019 · Frontiers in Earth Science · OSTI ID:1768243

Raven, M. R.; Fike, D. A.; Gomes, M. L.; +1 more

Organic matter sulfurization and organic carbon burial in the Mesoproterozoic

Journal Article · Mon Feb 27 00:00:00 EST 2023 · Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta · OSTI ID:1768243

Raven, Morgan Reed; Crockford, Peter W.; Hodgskiss, Malcolm S.W.; +3 more

Organic carbon burial during OAE2 driven by changes in the locus of organic matter sulfurization

Journal Article · Fri Aug 24 00:00:00 EDT 2018 · Nature Communications · OSTI ID:1768243

Raven, Morgan Reed; Fike, David A.; Gomes, Maya L.; +3 more

Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

Title: Microbial sulfate reduction and organic sulfur formation in sinking marine particles

Citation Formats

References (41)

Similar Records

Related Subjects