Heterotrophic CO2 fixation is a significant yet underappreciated CO2 flux in environmental carbon cycling. In contrast to photosynthesis and chemolithoautotrophy - the main recognized autotrophic CO2 fixation pathways - the importance of heterotrophic CO2 fixation remains enigmatic. All heterotrophs - from microorganisms to humans - take up CO2 and incorporate it into their biomass. Depending on the availability and quality of growth substrates, and drivers such as the CO2 partial pressure, heterotrophic CO2 fixation contributes at least 1%-5% and in the case of methanotrophs up to 50% of the carbon biomass. Assuming a standing stock of global heterotrophic biomass of 47-85PgC, we roughly estimate that up to 5PgC might be derived from heterotrophic CO2 fixation, and up to 12PgCyr-1 originating from heterotrophic CO2 fixation is funneled into the global annual heterotrophic production of 34-245PgCyr-1. These first estimates on the importance of heterotrophic fixation of inorganic carbon indicate that this pathway should be incorporated in present and future carbon cycling budgets.
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PublikationstypArtikel: Journalartikel
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SchlagwörterIntroduced Organic-compounds; Dark Co2 Fixation; Dioxide Fixation; Bicarbonate Assimilation; Bacterial-populations; Water Column; Groundwater; Ocean; Growth; Respiration
FörderungenHelmholtz Center Munich Austrian Science Fund European Research Council under the European Community Wittgenstein Prize (Austrian Science Fund)