Photo-produced aromatic compounds stimulate microbial degradation of dissolved organic carbon in thermokarst lakes

Jie Hu, Luyao Kang, Ziliang Li, Xuehui Feng, Caifan Liang, Zan Wu, Wei Zhou, Xuning Liu, Yuanhe Yang and Leiyi Chen ()
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Jie Hu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Luyao Kang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Ziliang Li: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Xuehui Feng: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Caifan Liang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Zan Wu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Wei Zhou: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Xuning Liu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Yuanhe Yang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Leiyi Chen: Chinese Academy of Sciences

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract Photochemical and biological degradation of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and their interactions jointly contribute to the carbon dioxide released from surface waters in permafrost regions. However, the mechanisms that govern the coupled photochemical and biological degradation of DOC are still poorly understood in thermokarst lakes. Here, by combining Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry and microbial high-throughput sequencing, we conducted a sunlight and microbial degradation experiment using water samples collected from 10 thermokarst lakes along a 1100-km permafrost transect. We demonstrate that the enhancement of sunlight on DOC biodegradation is not associated with the low molecular weight aliphatics produced by sunlight, but driven by the photo-produced aromatics. This aromatic compound-driven acceleration of biodegradation may be attributed to the potential high abilities of the microbes to decompose complex compounds in thermokarst lakes. These findings highlight the importance of aromatics in regulating the sunlight effects on DOC biodegradation in permafrost-affected lakes.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39432-2

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