Decoupling of bacterial production and respiration in the surface water of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre

作者：Yuchen Zhang, Yibin Huang, Feipeng Xu, Shujie Cai, Yao Liu, Chao Xu, Lizhen Lin, Jixin Chen, Edward A. Laws, Xin Liu, Bangqin Huang · 发表于：Marine Life Science & Technology · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1007/s42995-025-00279-9 · 被引用次数：4 · 研究领域：Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology、Marine and coastal ecosystems、Fecal contamination and water quality

Heterotrophic bacterial production and respiration, two important contributors to carbon cycling, play an important role in global biogeochemical cycles. However, recent research suggests that these two processes may be decoupled, and the underlying changes in community structure and their interactions remain unclear. In this study, two research expeditions to the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (NPSG) during the summer and winter of 2020-2021 revealed seasonal shifts in bacterial metabolism and community structure in response to environmental factors. The findings indicated notable seasonal fluctuations in bacterial abundance and production in the surface waters. Both peaked in winter compared to summer. Alterations in bacterial abundance that were further evident at the community level demonstrated significant seasonal differences in bacterial community structure and diversity and revealed, in particular, the intricacy of the networks and interactions among bacterial communities in winter. Bacterial respiration displayed no significant seasonal variations and was decoupled from bacterial abundance and production. The implication was that bacterial production did not directly dictate bacterial respiration. Specific taxa exerted a more substantial influence on bacterial respiration, potentially including groups with high respiration rates but relatively low abundance, thus challenging the notion that highly abundant taxa are invariably the most metabolically active. Moreover, ...