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Peer-reviewedCC BYNature Geoscience

Major contribution of anaplerosis to inorganic carbon fixation in the dark ocean

  • Chie Amano1,2
  • Ulrike Willhelm1
  • T. Koch1
  • Thomas Reinthaler3
  • R. L. Hansman3,4
  • E. Sintes5,3
  • Gerhard J. Herndl6,3
  • José M. González7
  • Federico Baltar8,1
8 affiliations
  1. 1Fungal and Biogeochemical Oceanography Group, Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
  2. 2Present Address: Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
  3. 3Microbial Oceanography Group, Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
  4. 4Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA USA
  5. 5Instituto Español de Oceanografía-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IEO-CSIC), Centro Oceanográfico de Baleares, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
  6. 6Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), Texel, the Netherlands
  7. 7Department of Microbiology, University of La Laguna, La Laguna, Spain
  8. 8Fungal and Biogeochemical Oceanography Group, College of Oceanography and Ecological Science, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, China
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Abstract

Anaplerotic carbon fixation is ubiquitous in heterotrophic organisms including those inhabiting the ocean1. Despite its prevalence, the drivers of this process and its significance in ocean carbon cycling remain poorly understood2,3. Here we combined global ocean metatranscriptomic analysis, laboratory experiments on a bacterial model strain, and microautoradiography combined with catalyzed reporter deposition fluorescence in situ hybridization (MICRO-CARD-FISH) on marine microbial communities, to uncover the global prevalence of anaplerotic processes in oceanic dark dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) fixation. Metatranscriptomic analysis revealed high expression levels of key anaplerotic genes, especially in mesopelagic waters, comparable to those of photo- and chemolithoautotrophic DIC fixation genes. Alteromonas emerged as the main contributor to anaplerotic DIC fixation gene expression, highlighting its role in DIC assimilation in the global ocean. Laboratory incubations with a marine Alteromonas representative confirmed their capability to fix DIC, which varied with organic matter availability and temperature. MICRO-CARD-FISH on oceanic samples revealed that Alteromonas contributed 0–40% (14 ± 16%, mean ± s.d.) to the dark DIC fixation in the pelagic ocean. Considering that Alteromonas is an obligate heterotroph lacking chemoautotrophic DIC fixation genes, its contribution to DIC fixation should be attributed to anaplerotic processes. Based on these results, we estimated a contribution of anaplerotic processes to dark DIC fixation of 0–0.5 C Pg y-1 in the global dark ocean. Yet, since Alteromonas is not the only taxon performing anaplerotic DIC fixation, our results represent a baseline conservative estimate. Collectively, our findings place anaplerotic DIC fixation as a relevant processes in the oceanic carbon cycling.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{amano2026major,
  title = {{Major contribution of anaplerosis to inorganic carbon fixation in the dark ocean}},
  author = {Chie Amano and Ulrike Willhelm and T. Koch and Thomas Reinthaler and R. L. Hansman and E. Sintes and Gerhard J. Herndl and José M. González and Federico Baltar},
  journal = {Nature Geoscience},
  year = {2026},
  month = jun,
  doi = {10.1038/s41561-026-02013-1},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-026-02013-1},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Major contribution of anaplerosis to inorganic carbon fixation in the dark ocean
AU  - Chie Amano
AU  - Ulrike Willhelm
AU  - T. Koch
AU  - Thomas Reinthaler
AU  - R. L. Hansman
AU  - E. Sintes
AU  - Gerhard J. Herndl
AU  - José M. González
AU  - Federico Baltar
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/15
JO  - Nature Geoscience
DO  - 10.1038/s41561-026-02013-1
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-026-02013-1
AB  - Anaplerotic carbon fixation is ubiquitous in heterotrophic organisms including those inhabiting the ocean1. Despite its prevalence, the drivers of this process and its significance in ocean carbon cycling remain poorly understood2,3. Here we combined global ocean metatranscriptomic analysis, laboratory experiments on a bacterial model strain, and microautoradiography combined with catalyzed reporter deposition fluorescence in situ hybridization (MICRO-CARD-FISH) on marine microbial communities, to uncover the global prevalence of anaplerotic processes in oceanic dark dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) fixation. Metatranscriptomic analysis revealed high expression levels of key anaplerotic genes, especially in mesopelagic waters, comparable to those of photo- and chemolithoautotrophic DIC fixation genes. Alteromonas emerged as the main contributor to anaplerotic DIC fixation gene expression, highlighting its role in DIC assimilation in the global ocean. Laboratory incubations with a marine Alteromonas representative confirmed their capability to fix DIC, which varied with organic matter availability and temperature. MICRO-CARD-FISH on oceanic samples revealed that Alteromonas contributed 0–40% (14 ± 16%, mean ± s.d.) to the dark DIC fixation in the pelagic ocean. Considering that Alteromonas is an obligate heterotroph lacking chemoautotrophic DIC fixation genes, its contribution to DIC fixation should be attributed to anaplerotic processes. Based on these results, we estimated a contribution of anaplerotic processes to dark DIC fixation of 0–0.5 C Pg y-1 in the global dark ocean. Yet, since Alteromonas is not the only taxon performing anaplerotic DIC fixation, our results represent a baseline conservative estimate. Collectively, our findings place anaplerotic DIC fixation as a relevant processes in the oceanic carbon cycling.
SN  - 1752-0894
SN  - 1752-0908
ER  -