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Published (Version of record)CC BY-NC-ND V4.0, Open Access
Published (Version of record)CC BY-NC-ND V4.0, Open
Journal article
Fucoid brown algae inject fucoidan carbon into the ocean
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS, Vol.120(1), e2210561119
30/12/2022
PMID: 36584294
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Abstract
Brown algae annually convert gigatons of carbon dioxide into carbohydrates, including the complex extracellular matrix polysaccharide fucoidan. Due to its persistence in the environment, fucoidan is potentially a pathway for marine carbon sequestration. Rates of fucoidan secretion by brown algae remain unknown due to the challenge of identifying and quantifying complex polysaccharides in seawater. We adapted the techniques of anion exchange chromatography, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and biocatalytic enzyme-based assay for detection and quantification of fucoidan. We found the brown alga Fucus vesiculosus at the Baltic Sea coast of south-west Finland to secrete 0.3% of their biomass as fucoidan per day. Dissolved fucoidan concentrations in seawater adjacent to algae reached up to 0.48 mg L−1. Fucoidan accumulated during incubations of F. vesiculosus, significantly more in light than in darkness. Maximum estimation by acid hydrolysis indicated fucoidan secretion at a rate of 28 to 40 mg C kg−1 h−1, accounting for 44 to 50% of all exuded dissolved organic carbon. Composed only of carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and sulfur, fucoidan secretion does not consume nutrients enabling carbon sequestration independent of algal growth. Extrapolated over a year, the algae sequester more carbon into secreted fucoidan than their biomass. The global utility of fucoidan secretion is an alternative pathway for carbon dioxide removal by brown algae without the need to harvest or bury algal biomass.
Details
- Title
- Fucoid brown algae inject fucoidan carbon into the ocean
- Creators
- Hagen Buck-Wiese - Max Planck Institute for Marine MicrobiologyMona A. Andskog - Southern Cross UniversityNguyen P Nguyen - Max Planck Institute for Marine MicrobiologyMargot Bligh - Max Planck Institute for Marine MicrobiologyEero Asmala - Geological Survey of FinlandSilvia Vidal-Melgosa - Max Planck Institute for Marine MicrobiologyManuel Liebeke - Max Planck Institute for Marine MicrobiologyCamilla Gustafsson - University of HelsinkiJan-Hendrik Hehemann - Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology
- Publication Details
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS, Vol.120(1), e2210561119
- Publisher
- National Academy of Sciences
- Grant note
- HE 7217/5-1 / Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) HE 7217/1-1 / Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) EXC-2077-390741603 / Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)
- Identifiers
- 991013078613302368
- Copyright
- Copyright © 2022 the Author(s). Published by PNAS. This open access article is distributed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License 4.0 (CC BY-NC-ND).
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Science and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article