Bacterial carbon content and the living and detrital bacterial contributions to suspended particulate organic carbon in the North Pacific Ocean

Abstract

Carbon-normalized yields of amino acids in size-fractionated seawater samples and bacterial cultures were used in a novel application to estimate the carbon content of heterotrophic marine bacteria. The estimated carbon content (6.3 ± 1.6 fg C cell-1) of open ocean bacteria derived using this approach was lower than most values estimated in previous studies. Based on these values, living heterotrophic bacteria accounted for 6.8 ± 1.1% of suspended particulate organic carbon (POC) in surface waters at Stn ALOHA in the North Pacific gyre. Living cyanobacteria accounted for 13.3 ± 2.2% of suspended POC in surface waters. Carbon-normalized yields of muramic acid, D-alanine and D-glutamic acid, unique biomarkers of bacteria, were used to estimate that bacterial detritus accounted for 4.3 ± 2.9% of suspended POC in surface waters. The relative contribution of bacterial detritus to suspended POC increased dramatically with increasing depth, indicating that some components of bacterial detritus are resistant to decomposition in the deep ocean. The total living and detrital bacterial contribution to suspended POC in surface waters was ∼25%. © Inter-Research 2011.