Large deep-sea zooplankton biomass mirrors primary production in the global ocean

S. Hernández-León; R. Koppelmann; E. Fraile-Nuez; Antonio Bode; C. Mompeán; X. Irigoien; M. P. Olivar; Fidel Echevarría; M. L. Fernández de Puelles; J. Ignacio González-Gordillo; A. Cózar; J. L. Acuña; Susana Agusti; Carlos M. Duarte

doi:10.1038/s41467-020-19875-7

Large deep-sea zooplankton biomass mirrors primary production in the global ocean

S. Hernández-León, R. Koppelmann, E. Fraile-Nuez, Antonio Bode, C. Mompeán, X. Irigoien, M. P. Olivar, Fidel Echevarría, M. L. Fernández de Puelles, J. Ignacio González-Gordillo, A. Cózar, J. L. Acuña, Susana Agusti, Carlos M. Duarte

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

62 Scopus citations

Abstract

AbstractThe biological pump transports organic carbon produced by photosynthesis to the meso- and bathypelagic zones, the latter removing carbon from exchanging with the atmosphere over centennial time scales. Organisms living in both zones are supported by a passive flux of particles, and carbon transported to the deep-sea through vertical zooplankton migrations. Here we report globally-coherent positive relationships between zooplankton biomass in the epi-, meso-, and bathypelagic layers and average net primary production (NPP). We do so based on a global assessment of available deep-sea zooplankton biomass data and large-scale estimates of average NPP. The relationships obtained imply that increased NPP leads to enhanced transference of organic carbon to the deep ocean. Estimated remineralization from respiration rates by deep-sea zooplankton requires a minimum supply of 0.44 Pg C y$^{−1}$ transported into the bathypelagic ocean, comparable to the passive carbon sequestration. We suggest that the global coupling between NPP and bathypelagic zooplankton biomass must be also supported by an active transport mechanism associated to vertical zooplankton migration.

Original language	English (US)
Journal	Nature Communications
Volume	11
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-19875-7
State	Published - Nov 27 2020

Bibliographical note

KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-11-30
Acknowledgements: This study was funded by projects Malaspina (CSD2008-00077), Bathypelagic (CTM2016-78853-R) from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, and to projects SUMMER (Grant Agreement 817806) and TRIATLAS (Grant Agreement 817578) from the European Union (Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme). We acknowledge J.C. Garijo for his contribution to the Malaspina zooplankton analysis and A. Santana Del Pino for his advice in statistical procedures. Thanks are also due to all those who contributed to the cruise and sampling during the Malaspina 2010 Expedition, especially the crew of R.V. “Hespérides” and the UTM technical staff.

Access to Document

10.1038/s41467-020-19875-7

https://repository.kaust.edu.sa/bitstream/10754/666141/1/Large%20deep%20sea.pdf

Cite this

Hernández-León, S., Koppelmann, R., Fraile-Nuez, E., Bode, A., Mompeán, C., Irigoien, X., Olivar, M. P., Echevarría, F., Fernández de Puelles, M. L., González-Gordillo, J. I., Cózar, A., Acuña, J. L., Agusti, S., & Duarte, C. M. (2020). Large deep-sea zooplankton biomass mirrors primary production in the global ocean. Nature Communications, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-19875-7

@article{a1b001e6296e4eb5b4b1bbf81c7259de,

title = "Large deep-sea zooplankton biomass mirrors primary production in the global ocean",

abstract = "AbstractThe biological pump transports organic carbon produced by photosynthesis to the meso- and bathypelagic zones, the latter removing carbon from exchanging with the atmosphere over centennial time scales. Organisms living in both zones are supported by a passive flux of particles, and carbon transported to the deep-sea through vertical zooplankton migrations. Here we report globally-coherent positive relationships between zooplankton biomass in the epi-, meso-, and bathypelagic layers and average net primary production (NPP). We do so based on a global assessment of available deep-sea zooplankton biomass data and large-scale estimates of average NPP. The relationships obtained imply that increased NPP leads to enhanced transference of organic carbon to the deep ocean. Estimated remineralization from respiration rates by deep-sea zooplankton requires a minimum supply of 0.44 Pg C y$^{−1}$ transported into the bathypelagic ocean, comparable to the passive carbon sequestration. We suggest that the global coupling between NPP and bathypelagic zooplankton biomass must be also supported by an active transport mechanism associated to vertical zooplankton migration.",

author = "S. Hern{\'a}ndez-Le{\'o}n and R. Koppelmann and E. Fraile-Nuez and Antonio Bode and C. Mompe{\'a}n and X. Irigoien and Olivar, {M. P.} and Fidel Echevarr{\'i}a and {Fern{\'a}ndez de Puelles}, {M. L.} and Gonz{\'a}lez-Gordillo, {J. Ignacio} and A. C{\'o}zar and Acu{\~n}a, {J. L.} and Susana Agusti and Duarte, {Carlos M.}",

note = "KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-11-30 Acknowledgements: This study was funded by projects Malaspina (CSD2008-00077), Bathypelagic (CTM2016-78853-R) from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, and to projects SUMMER (Grant Agreement 817806) and TRIATLAS (Grant Agreement 817578) from the European Union (Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme). We acknowledge J.C. Garijo for his contribution to the Malaspina zooplankton analysis and A. Santana Del Pino for his advice in statistical procedures. Thanks are also due to all those who contributed to the cruise and sampling during the Malaspina 2010 Expedition, especially the crew of R.V. “Hesp{\'e}rides” and the UTM technical staff.",

year = "2020",

month = nov,

day = "27",

doi = "10.1038/s41467-020-19875-7",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "11",

journal = "Nature Communications",

issn = "2041-1723",

publisher = "Nature Research",

number = "1",

}

Hernández-León, S, Koppelmann, R, Fraile-Nuez, E, Bode, A, Mompeán, C, Irigoien, X, Olivar, MP, Echevarría, F, Fernández de Puelles, ML, González-Gordillo, JI, Cózar, A, Acuña, JL, Agusti, S & Duarte, CM 2020, 'Large deep-sea zooplankton biomass mirrors primary production in the global ocean', Nature Communications, vol. 11, no. 1. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-19875-7

TY - JOUR

T1 - Large deep-sea zooplankton biomass mirrors primary production in the global ocean

AU - Hernández-León, S.

AU - Koppelmann, R.

AU - Fraile-Nuez, E.

AU - Bode, Antonio

AU - Mompeán, C.

AU - Irigoien, X.

AU - Olivar, M. P.

AU - Echevarría, Fidel

AU - Fernández de Puelles, M. L.

AU - González-Gordillo, J. Ignacio

AU - Cózar, A.

AU - Acuña, J. L.

AU - Agusti, Susana

AU - Duarte, Carlos M.

N1 - KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-11-30 Acknowledgements: This study was funded by projects Malaspina (CSD2008-00077), Bathypelagic (CTM2016-78853-R) from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, and to projects SUMMER (Grant Agreement 817806) and TRIATLAS (Grant Agreement 817578) from the European Union (Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme). We acknowledge J.C. Garijo for his contribution to the Malaspina zooplankton analysis and A. Santana Del Pino for his advice in statistical procedures. Thanks are also due to all those who contributed to the cruise and sampling during the Malaspina 2010 Expedition, especially the crew of R.V. “Hespérides” and the UTM technical staff.

PY - 2020/11/27

Y1 - 2020/11/27

N2 - AbstractThe biological pump transports organic carbon produced by photosynthesis to the meso- and bathypelagic zones, the latter removing carbon from exchanging with the atmosphere over centennial time scales. Organisms living in both zones are supported by a passive flux of particles, and carbon transported to the deep-sea through vertical zooplankton migrations. Here we report globally-coherent positive relationships between zooplankton biomass in the epi-, meso-, and bathypelagic layers and average net primary production (NPP). We do so based on a global assessment of available deep-sea zooplankton biomass data and large-scale estimates of average NPP. The relationships obtained imply that increased NPP leads to enhanced transference of organic carbon to the deep ocean. Estimated remineralization from respiration rates by deep-sea zooplankton requires a minimum supply of 0.44 Pg C y$^{−1}$ transported into the bathypelagic ocean, comparable to the passive carbon sequestration. We suggest that the global coupling between NPP and bathypelagic zooplankton biomass must be also supported by an active transport mechanism associated to vertical zooplankton migration.

AB - AbstractThe biological pump transports organic carbon produced by photosynthesis to the meso- and bathypelagic zones, the latter removing carbon from exchanging with the atmosphere over centennial time scales. Organisms living in both zones are supported by a passive flux of particles, and carbon transported to the deep-sea through vertical zooplankton migrations. Here we report globally-coherent positive relationships between zooplankton biomass in the epi-, meso-, and bathypelagic layers and average net primary production (NPP). We do so based on a global assessment of available deep-sea zooplankton biomass data and large-scale estimates of average NPP. The relationships obtained imply that increased NPP leads to enhanced transference of organic carbon to the deep ocean. Estimated remineralization from respiration rates by deep-sea zooplankton requires a minimum supply of 0.44 Pg C y$^{−1}$ transported into the bathypelagic ocean, comparable to the passive carbon sequestration. We suggest that the global coupling between NPP and bathypelagic zooplankton biomass must be also supported by an active transport mechanism associated to vertical zooplankton migration.

UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10754/666141

UR - http://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-19875-7

U2 - 10.1038/s41467-020-19875-7

DO - 10.1038/s41467-020-19875-7

M3 - Article

C2 - 33247160

SN - 2041-1723

VL - 11

JO - Nature Communications

JF - Nature Communications

IS - 1

ER -

Large deep-sea zooplankton biomass mirrors primary production in the global ocean

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Review of global zooplankton biomass in the bathypelagic zone

Zooplankton biomass during the Malaspina Cruise

Carbon export and sequestration in the ocean

Cite this

Large deep-sea zooplankton biomass mirrors primary production in the global ocean

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Datasets

Review of global zooplankton biomass in the bathypelagic zone

Zooplankton biomass during the Malaspina Cruise

Carbon export and sequestration in the ocean

Cite this