Global census of the significance of giant mesopelagic protists to the marine carbon and silicon cycles

Manon Laget (), Laetitia Drago, Thelma Panaïotis, Rainer Kiko, Lars Stemmann, Andreas Rogge, Natalia Llopis-Monferrer, Aude Leynaert, Jean-Olivier Irisson and Tristan Biard
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Manon Laget: Univ. Littoral Côte d’Opale, Univ. Lille, CNRS, IRD, UMR 8187
Laetitia Drago: Laboratoire d’Océanographie de Villefranche (LOV)
Thelma Panaïotis: Laboratoire d’Océanographie de Villefranche (LOV)
Rainer Kiko: GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research Kiel
Lars Stemmann: Laboratoire d’Océanographie de Villefranche (LOV)
Andreas Rogge: Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research (AWI)
Natalia Llopis-Monferrer: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
Aude Leynaert: LEMAR
Jean-Olivier Irisson: Laboratoire d’Océanographie de Villefranche (LOV)
Tristan Biard: Univ. Littoral Côte d’Opale, Univ. Lille, CNRS, IRD, UMR 8187

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract Thriving in both epipelagic and mesopelagic layers, Rhizaria are biomineralizing protists, mixotrophs or flux-feeders, often reaching gigantic sizes. In situ imaging showed their contribution to oceanic carbon stock, but left their contribution to element cycling unquantified. Here, we compile a global dataset of 167,551 Underwater Vision Profiler 5 Rhizaria images, and apply machine learning models to predict their organic carbon and biogenic silica biomasses in the uppermost 1000 m. We estimate that Rhizaria represent up to 1.7% of mesozooplankton carbon biomass in the top 500 m. Rhizaria biomass, dominated by Phaeodaria, is more than twice as high in the mesopelagic than in the epipelagic layer. Globally, the carbon demand of mesopelagic, flux-feeding Phaeodaria reaches 0.46 Pg C y−1, representing 3.8 to 9.2% of gravitational carbon export. Furthermore, we show that Rhizaria are a unique source of biogenic silica production in the mesopelagic layer, where no other silicifiers are present. Our global census further highlights the importance of Rhizaria for ocean biogeochemistry.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47651-4

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