IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v12y2021i1d10.1038_s41467-021-21009-6.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Diatom fucan polysaccharide precipitates carbon during algal blooms

Author

Listed:
  • Silvia Vidal-Melgosa

    (Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology
    University of Bremen, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, MARUM)

  • Andreas Sichert

    (Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology
    University of Bremen, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, MARUM)

  • T. Ben Francis

    (Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology)

  • Daniel Bartosik

    (University of Greifswald
    Institute of Marine Biotechnology)

  • Jutta Niggemann

    (University of Oldenburg, Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment)

  • Antje Wichels

    (Biologische Anstalt Helgoland)

  • William G. T. Willats

    (Newcastle University, School of Natural and Environmental Sciences)

  • Bernhard M. Fuchs

    (Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology)

  • Hanno Teeling

    (Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology)

  • Dörte Becher

    (University of Greifswald)

  • Thomas Schweder

    (University of Greifswald
    Institute of Marine Biotechnology)

  • Rudolf Amann

    (Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology)

  • Jan-Hendrik Hehemann

    (Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology
    University of Bremen, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, MARUM)

Abstract

The formation of sinking particles in the ocean, which promote carbon sequestration into deeper water and sediments, involves algal polysaccharides acting as an adhesive, binding together molecules, cells and minerals. These as yet unidentified adhesive polysaccharides must resist degradation by bacterial enzymes or else they dissolve and particles disassemble before exporting carbon. Here, using monoclonal antibodies as analytical tools, we trace the abundance of 27 polysaccharide epitopes in dissolved and particulate organic matter during a series of diatom blooms in the North Sea, and discover a fucose-containing sulphated polysaccharide (FCSP) that resists enzymatic degradation, accumulates and aggregates. Previously only known as a macroalgal polysaccharide, we find FCSP to be secreted by several globally abundant diatom species including the genera Chaetoceros and Thalassiosira. These findings provide evidence for a novel polysaccharide candidate to contribute to carbon sequestration in the ocean.

Suggested Citation

  • Silvia Vidal-Melgosa & Andreas Sichert & T. Ben Francis & Daniel Bartosik & Jutta Niggemann & Antje Wichels & William G. T. Willats & Bernhard M. Fuchs & Hanno Teeling & Dörte Becher & Thomas Schweder, 2021. "Diatom fucan polysaccharide precipitates carbon during algal blooms," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-13, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:12:y:2021:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-021-21009-6
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21009-6
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-21009-6
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-021-21009-6?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Flora Vincent & Matti Gralka & Guy Schleyer & Daniella Schatz & Miguel Cabrera-Brufau & Constanze Kuhlisch & Andreas Sichert & Silvia Vidal-Melgosa & Kyle Mayers & Noa Barak-Gavish & J. Michel Flores , 2023. "Viral infection switches the balance between bacterial and eukaryotic recyclers of organic matter during coccolithophore blooms," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-17, December.
    2. Carla Pérez-Cruz & Alicia Moraleda-Montoya & Raquel Liébana & Oihana Terrones & Uxue Arrizabalaga & Mikel García-Alija & Maier Lorizate & Ana Martínez Gascueña & Isabel García-Álvarez & Jon Ander Niet, 2024. "Mechanisms of recalcitrant fucoidan breakdown in marine Planctomycetota," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-24, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:12:y:2021:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-021-21009-6. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.