Benthic carbon mineralization in hadal trenches:assessment by in situ O₂ microprofile measurements

Hadal trenches are considered to act as depo-centers for organic material at the trench axis and host unique and elevated biomasses of living organisms as compared to adjacent abyssal plains. To explore the diagenetic activity in hadal trench environments we quantified in situ benthic O2 consumption rates and sediment characteristics from the trench axis of two contrasting trench systems in the Pacific Ocean; the Izu-Bonin Trench underlying mesotrophic waters and the Tonga Trench underlying oligotrophic waters. In situ oxygen consumption at the Izu-Bonin Trench axis site (9200 m; 746±103 µmol m−2 d−1; n=27) was 3-times higher than at the Tonga Trench axis site (10800 m; 225±50 µmol m−2 d−1; n=7) presumably reflecting the higher surface water productivity in the Northern Pacific. Comparing benthic O2 consumption rates measured in the central hadal Tonga Trench to that of nearby (60 km distance) abyssal settings (6250 m; 92±44 µmol m−2 d−1; n=16) revealed a 2.5 higher activity at the trench bottom. Onboard investigations on recovered sediment furthermore revealed that the prokaryotic abundance and concentrations of phytopigments followed this overall trend (i.e minimum values at the abyssal site followed by higher values from the Tonga and Izu-Bonin Trenches axis, respectively). Excess 210Pb profiles suggested that mass-wasting events contributed to the deposition of material enhancing the concentration of organic matter in the central trench as compared to the abyssal settings. Our results complement recent findings from the Challenger deep in the Mariana Trench area, which also revealed elevated diagenetic activity in the central trench underpinning the importance of hadal ecosystems for the deep sea carbon cycling

Estimating respiration rates and secondary production of macrobenthic communities across coastal habitats with contrasting structural biodiversity

A central goal of benthic ecology is to describe the pathways and quantities of energy and material flow in seafloor communities over different spatial and temporal scales. We examined the relative macrobenthic contribution to the seafloor metabolism by estimating respiration and secondary production based on seasonal measurements of macrofauna biomass across key coastal habitats of the Baltic Sea archipelago. Then, we compared the macrofauna estimates with estimates of overall seafloor gross primary production and respiration obtained from the same habitats using the aquatic eddy covariance technique. Estimates of macrobenthic respiration rates suggest habitat-specific macrofauna contribution (%) to the overall seafloor respiration ranked as follows: blue mussel reef (44.5) > seagrass meadow (25.6) > mixed meadow (24.1) > bare sand (17.8) > Fucus-bed (11.1). In terms of secondary production (g C m−2 y−1), our estimates suggest ranking of habitat value as follows: blue mussel reef (493.4) > seagrass meadow (278.5) > Fucus-bed (102.2) > mixed meadow (94.2) > bare sand (52.1). Our results suggest that approximately 12 and 10% of the overall soft-sediment metabolism translated into macrofauna respiration and secondary production, respectively. The hard-bottoms exemplified two end-points of the coastal metabolism, with the Fucus-bed as a high producer and active exporter of organic C (that is, net autotrophy), and the mussel reef as a high consumer and active recycler of organic C (that is, net heterotrophy). Using a combination of metrics of ecosystem functioning, such as respiration rates and secondary production, in combination with direct habitat-scale measurements of O2 fluxes, our study provides a quantitative assessment of the role of macrofauna for ecosystem functioning across heterogeneous coastal seascapes.Peer reviewe

Aquatic Eddy Correlation: Quantifying the Artificial Flux Caused by Stirring-Sensitive O2 Sensors

In the last decade, the aquatic eddy correlation (EC) technique has proven to be a powerful approach for non-invasive measurements of oxygen fluxes across the sediment water interface. Fundamental to the EC approach is the correlation of turbulent velocity and oxygen concentration fluctuations measured with high frequencies in the same sampling volume. Oxygen concentrations are commonly measured with fast responding electrochemical microsensors. However, due to their own oxygen consumption, electrochemical microsensors are sensitive to changes of the diffusive boundary layer surrounding the probe and thus to changes in the ambient flow velocity. The so-called stirring sensitivity of microsensors constitutes an inherent correlation of flow velocity and oxygen sensing and thus an artificial flux which can confound the benthic flux determination. To assess the artificial flux we measured the correlation between the turbulent flow velocity and the signal of oxygen microsensors in a sealed annular flume without any oxygen sinks and sources. Experiments revealed significant correlations, even for sensors designed to have low stirring sensitivities of ~0.7%. The artificial fluxes depended on ambient flow conditions and, counter intuitively, increased at higher velocities because of the nonlinear contribution of turbulent velocity fluctuations. The measured artificial fluxes ranged from 2-70 mmol m(-2) d(-1) for weak and very strong turbulent flow, respectively. Further, the stirring sensitivity depended on the sensor orientation towards the flow. For a sensor orientation typically used in field studies, the artificial flux could be predicted using a simplified mathematical model. Optical microsensors (optodes) that should not exhibit a stirring sensitivity were tested in parallel and did not show any significant correlation between O2 signals and turbulent flow. In conclusion, EC data obtained with electrochemical sensors can be affected by artificial flux and we recommend using optical microsensors in future EC-studies

Oxygen exchange and ice melt measured at the ice-water interface by eddy correlation

This study examined fluxes across the ice-water interface utilizing the eddy correlation technique. Temperature eddy correlation systems were used to determine rates of ice melting and freezing, and O<sub>2</sub> eddy correlation systems were used to examine O<sub>2</sub> exchange rates driven by biological and physical processes. The study was conducted below 0.7 m thick sea-ice in mid-March 2010 in a southwest Greenland fjord and revealed low rates of ice melt at a maximum of 0.80 mm d<sup>−1</sup>. The O<sub>2</sub> flux associated with release of O<sub>2</sub> depleted melt water was less than 13 % of the average daily O<sub>2</sub> respiration rate. Ice melt and insufficient vertical turbulent mixing due to low current velocities caused periodic stratification immediately below the ice. This prevented the determination of fluxes 61 % of the deployment time. These time intervals were identified by examining the velocity and the linearity and stability of the cumulative flux. The examination of unstratified conditions through vertical velocity and O<sub>2</sub> spectra and their cospectra revealed characteristic fingerprints of well-developed turbulence. From the measured O<sub>2</sub> fluxes a photosynthesis/irradiance curve was established by least-squares fitting. This relation showed that light limitation of net photosynthesis began at 4.2 μmol photons m<sup>−2</sup> s<sup>−1</sup>, and that algal communities were well-adapted to low-light conditions as they were light saturated for 75 % of the day during this early spring period. However, the sea-ice associated microbial and algal community was net heterotrophic with a daily gross primary production of 0.69 mmol O<sub>2</sub> m<sup>−2</sup> d<sup>−1</sup> and a respiration rate of −2.13 mmol O<sub>2</sub> m<sup>−2</sup> d<sup>−1</sup> leading to a net ecosystem metabolism of −1.45 mmol O<sub>2</sub> m<sup>−2</sup> d<sup>−1</sup>. This application of the eddy correlation technique produced high temporal resolution O<sub>2</sub> fluxes and ice melt rates that were measured without disturbing the in situ environmental conditions while integrating over an area of approximately 50 m<sup>2</sup> which incorporated the highly variable activity and spatial distributions of sea-ice communities

Basic Surgical Techniques in the Göttingen Minipig: Intubation, Bladder Catheterization, Femoral Vessel Catheterization, and Transcardial Perfusion

The emergence of the Göttingen minipig in research of topics such as neuroscience, toxicology, diabetes, obesity, and experimental surgery reflects the close resemblance of these animals to human anatomy and physiology 1-6.The size of the Göttingen minipig permits the use of surgical equipment and advanced imaging modalities similar to those used in humans 6-8. The aim of this instructional video is to increase the awareness on the value of minipigs in biomedical research, by demonstrating how to perform tracheal intubation, transurethral bladder catheterization, femoral artery and vein catheterization, as well as transcardial perfusion

Comparison between infaunal communities of the deep floor and edge of the Tonga Trench: Possible effects of differences in organic matter supply

Hadal trenches are characterised by environmental conditions not found in any other environment, thereby providing new opportunities to understand the processes that shape deep-sea benthic cornmunities. Technological advances have led to an increase in the number of investigations in hadal trenches over the last two decades. However, more quantitative samples including the deepest parts of trenches is needed to better understand trends in benthic diversity, abundance, biomass and community structure in these extreme habitats, and how these may be shaped by environmental and/or evolutionary factors. In this study, we describe and compare the abundance, biomass, vertical distribution in the sediment, diversity, and community structure of nematodes and other infauna in sediments from the Horizon Deep (similar to 10 800 m) in the Tonga Trench and a site on the edge of the trench (similar to 6250 m). Mean nematode abundance was six times greater at the Horizon Deep site (387 ind. 10 cm(-2)) than at the trench edge site (65 ind. 10 cm(-2)). A similar pattern was observed for biomass (15 vs 2 mu gDW 10 cm(-2), respectively), which likely resulted from elevated organic matter supply at the Horizon Deep site. There was no significant difference in nematode species richness between the two sites, but diversity measured using rarefaction was significantly greater at the trench edge site than at the Horizon Deep site [ES(20); 13.8 vs 7.8]. Dominance was much more pronounced in the Horizon Deep, which may be due to competitive exclusion by a small number of opportunistic species. Nematode community structure differed significantly both between sites and among sediment depth layers. The presence of subsurface peaks in pigment concentrations, bacteria abundance, and nematode abundance at the Horizon Deep site is consistent with a recent turbidite event, and may also reflect high rates of bioturbation by larger fauna resulting from high food availability. Determining the relative influences of different environmental factors on hadal trench benthic communities will require further investigation based on quantitative samples encompassing the trench axis as well as the oceanic and continental slopes. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

The hadal zone is an important and heterogeneous sink of black carbon in the ocean

Black carbon is ubiquitous in the marine environment. However, whether it accumulates in the deepest ocean region, the hadal zone, is unknown. Here we measure the concentration and carbon isotopes (delta C-13 and Delta C-14) of black carbon and total organic carbon in sediments from six hadal trenches. Black carbon constituted 10% of trench total organic carbon, and its delta C-13 and Delta C-14 were more negative than those of total organic carbon, suggesting that the black carbon was predominantly derived from terrestrial C3 plants and fossil fuels. The contribution of fossil carbon to the black carbon pool was spatially heterogeneous, which could be related to differences in the distance to landmass, land cover and socioeconomic development. Globally, we estimate a black carbon burial rate of 1.0 +/- 0.5 Tg yr(-1) in the hadal zone, which is seven-fold higher than the global ocean average per unit area. We propose that the hadal zone is an important, but overlooked, sink of black carbon in the ocean. Black carbon accumulation rates in hadal trenches in the deepest regions of the oceans could be seven-fold higher than the global ocean average, according to geochemical and isotopic analyses of sediments from six trenches in the Pacific Ocean

Orphan receptor GPR110, an oncogene overexpressed in lung and prostate cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>GPR110 is an orphan G protein-coupled receptor--a receptor without a known ligand, a known signaling pathway, or a known function. Despite the lack of information, one can assume that orphan receptors have important biological roles. In a retroviral insertion mutagenesis screen in the mouse, we identified GPR110 as an oncogene. This prompted us to study the potential isoforms that can be gleaned from known GPR110 transcripts, and the expression of these isoforms in normal and transformed human tissues.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Various epitope-tagged isoforms of GPR110 were expressed in cell lines and assayed by western blotting to determine cleavage, surface localization, and secretion patterns. GPR110 transcript and protein levels were measured in lung and prostate cancer cell lines and clinical samples, respectively, by quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found four potential splice variants of GPR110. Of these variants, we confirmed three as being expressed as proteins on the cell surface. Isoform 1 is the canonical form, with a molecular mass of about 100 kD. Isoforms 2 and 3 are truncated products of isoform 1, and are 25 and 23 kD, respectively. These truncated isoforms lack the seven-span transmembrane domain characteristic of GPR proteins and thus are not likely to be membrane anchored; indeed, isoform 2 can be secreted. Compared with the median gene expression of ~200 selected genes, GPR110 expression was low in most tissues. However, it had higher than average gene expression in normal kidney tissue and in prostate tissues originating from older donors. Although identified as an oncogene in murine T lymphomas, GPR110 is greatly overexpressed in human lung and prostate cancers. As detected by immunohistochemistry, GPR110 was overexpressed in 20 of 27 (74%) lung adenocarcinoma tissue cores and in 17 of 29 (59%) prostate adenocarcinoma tissue cores. Additionally, staining with a GPR110 antibody enabled us to differentiate between benign prostate hyperplasia and potential incipient malignancy.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our work suggests a role for GPR110 in tumor physiology and supports it as a potential therapeutic candidate and disease marker for both lung and prostate cancer.</p

High Carbon Mineralization Rates in Subseafloor Hadal Sediments — Result of Frequent Mass Wasting

In the past 20 years, the exploration of deep ocean trenches has led to spectacular new insights. Even in the deepest canyons, an unusual variety of life and unexpectedly high benthic oxygen consumption rates have been detected while microbial processes below the surface of the hadal seafloor remains largely unknown. The information that exist comes from geophysical measurements, especially related to seismic research, and specific component analyses to estimate the carbon export. In contrast, no information is available on metabolic activities in deeper buried sediments of hadal environment. Here we present the first pore water profiles from 15 up to 11 m long sediment cores recovered during three expeditions to two hadal zones, the Japan Trench and the Atacama Trench. Despite low levels of organic debris, our data reveal that rates of microbial carbon turnover along the trench axes can be similar to those encountered in much shallower and more productive oceanic regions. The extreme sedimentation dynamics, characterized by frequent mass wasting of slope sediments into the trenches, result in effective burial of reactive, microbially available, organic material. Our results document the fueling of the deep hadal biosphere with bioavailable material and thus provide important understanding on the function of deep-sea trenches and the hadal carbon cycle. Key Points Hadal subseafloor pore water profiles from the Japan Trench and Atacama Trench document unexpectedly high microbial turnover rates Frequent alternations between hemipelagic sedimentation and mass wasting lead to high burial efficiency of reactive organic carbon Microbial activities in deep-sea trenches may be similar to those at the edge of high-production area

Microphytobenthos of Arctic Kongsfjorden (Svalbard, Norway): biomass and potential primary production along the shore line

During summer 2007, Arctic microphytobenthic potential primary production was measured at several stations around the coastline of Kongsfjorden (Svalbard, Norway) at ?5 m water depth and at two stations at five different water depths (5, 10, 15, 20, 30 m). Oxygen planar optode sensor spots were used ex situ to determine oxygen exchange in the overlying water of intact sediment cores under controlled light (ca. 100 ?mol photons m?2 s?1) and temperature (2–4°C) conditions. Patches of microalgae (mainly diatoms) covering sandy sediments at water depths down to 30 m showed high biomass of up to 317 mg chl a m?2. In spite of increasing water depth, no significant trend in “photoautotrophic active biomass” (chl a, ratio living/dead cells, cell sizes) and, thus, in primary production was measured at both stations. All sites from ?5 to 30 m water depth exhibited variable rates of net production from ?19 to +40 mg O2 m?2 h?1 (?168 to +360 mg C m?2 day?1) and gross production of about 2–62 mg O2 m?2 h?1 (17–554 mg C m?2 day?1), which is comparable to other polar as well as temperate regions. No relation between photoautotrophic biomass and gross/net production values was found. Microphytobenthos demonstrated significant rates of primary production that is comparable to pelagic production of Kongsfjorden and, hence, emphasised the importance as C source for the zoobenthos