The formation of calcareous skeletons by marine planktonic organisms and their subsequent sinking to depth generates a continuous rain of calcium carbonate to the deep ocean and underlying sediments. This is important in regulating marine carbon cycling and ocean-atmosphere CO2 exchange. The present rise in atmospheric CO2 levels causes significant changes in surface ocean pH and carbonate chemistry. Such changes have been shown to slow down calcification in corals and coralline macroalgae, but the majority of marine calcification occurs in planktonic organisms. Here we report reduced calcite production at increased CO2 concentrations in monospecific cultures of two dominant marine calcifying phytoplankton species, the coccolithophorids Emiliania huxleyi and Gephyrocapsa oceanica. This was accompanied by an increased proportion of malformed coccoliths and incomplete coccospheres. Diminished calcification led to a reduction in the ratio of calcite precipitation to organic matter production. Similar results were obtained in incubations of natural plankton assemblages from the north Pacific ocean when exposed to experimentally elevated CO2 levels. We suggest that the progressive increase in atmospheric CO2 concentrations may therefore slow down the production of calcium carbonate in the surface ocean. As the process of calcification releases CO2 to the atmosphere, the response observed here could potentially act as a negative feedback on atmospheric CO2 levels.

We report the first measurements of coupled nitrogen (N) and oxygen (O) isotope fractionation of nitrate by laboratory cultures of denitrifying bacteria. Two seawater strains (Pseudomonas stutzeri, Ochrobactrum sp.) and three freshwater strains (Paracoccus denitrificans, Pseudomonas chlororaphis, Rhodobacter sphaeroides) were examined. Among four strains of facultative anaerobic denitrifiers, N and O isotope effects were variable, ranging from 5% to 25%, with evidence for a drop in the isotope effects as nitrate concentrations approached the halfsaturation constant for nitrate transport. O isotope effects were similar to their corresponding N isotope effect, such that the progressive increase in 1] 3 1000), yielded slopes of 0.86 to 1.02, with a mean value of 0.96. R. sphaeroides, a photo-heterotroph that possesses only a periplasmic (nonrespiring) dissimilatory nitrate reductase, showed less variability in nitrate N isotope effects, between 13% and 20%, with a modal value of ,15%. In contrast to the respiratory denitrifiers, R. sphaeroides consistently showed a distinct ratio of d 18 O to d 15 N change of ,0.62. We hypothesize that heavy N and O isotope discrimination during respiratory denitrification occurs during the intracellular reduction of nitrate by the respiratory nitrate reductase, and the observed magnitude of fractionation is likely regulated by the ratio of cellular nitrate efflux relative to uptake. The data for R. sphaeroides are consistent with isotope discrimination directly reflecting the N and O isotope effects of the periplasmic nitrate reductase NAP, without modification by nitrate uptake and efflux.

Metagenome of a versatile chemolithoautotroph from expanding oceanic dead zones Summary: Time-resolved metagenomic approaches are used to describe carbon and energy metabolism of an ecologically relevant microbe from expanding oceanic dead zones mediating carbon sequestration, sulfur-detoxification and biological nitrogen loss.

The Southern Ocean exerts a strong impact on marine biogeochemical cycles and global air‐sea CO2 fluxes. Over the coming century, large increases in surface ocean CO2 levels, combined with increased upper water column temperatures and stratification, are expected to diminish Southern Ocean CO2 uptake. These effects could be significantly modulated by concomitant CO2‐dependent changes in the region's biological carbon pump. Here we show that CO2 concentrations affect the physiology, growth and species composition of phytoplankton assemblages in the Ross Sea, Antarctica. Field results from in situ sampling and ship‐board incubation experiments demonstrate that inorganic carbon uptake, steady‐state productivity and diatom species composition are sensitive to CO2 concentrations ranging from 100 to 800 ppm. Elevated CO2 led to a measurable increase in phytoplankton productivity, promoting the growth of larger chain‐forming diatoms. Our results suggest that CO2 concentrations can influence biological carbon cycling in the Southern Ocean, thereby creating potential climate feedbacks.

We report the results of a field incubation experiment demonstrating a substantial shift in the taxonomic composition of Equatorial Pacific phytoplankton assemblages exposed to CO 2 levels of 150 and 750 ppm (dissolved CO 2~3 to 25 µM). By the end of the experiment, the phytoplankton community in all samples was dominated by diatoms and Phaeocystis sp. However, the relative abundance of these phytoplankton taxa differed significantly between CO 2 treatments. Taxonomic pigment analysis and direct microscopic examination of samples revealed that the abundance of diatoms decreased by ~50% at low CO 2 relative to high CO 2 , while the abundance of Phaeocystis increased by ~60% at low CO 2 . This CO 2 -dependent shift was associated with a significant change in nutrient utilization, with higher ratios of nitrate:silicate (N:Si) and nitrate:phosphate (N:P) consumption by phytoplankton in the low CO 2 treatment. Despite the significant changes in taxonomic composition and nutrient consumption ratios, total biomass and primary productivity did not differ significantly between the CO 2 treatments. Our results suggest that CO 2 concentrations could potentially influence competition among marine phytoplankton taxa and affect oceanic nutrient cycling.