Overlooked Vital Role of Persistent Algae-Bacteria Interaction in Ocean Recalcitrant Carbon Sequestration and Its Response to Ocean Warming

Abstract

Long-term carbon sequestration by the ocean's recalcitrant dissolved organic carbon (RDOC) pool regulates global climate. Algae and bacteria interactively underpin RDOC formation. However, on the long-term scales, the influence of their persistent interactions close to in situ state on ocean RDOC dynamics and accumulation remains unclear, limiting our understanding of the oceanic RDOC pool formation and future trends under global change. We show that a Synechococcus-bacteria interaction model system viable over 720 days gradually accumulated high DOC concentrations up to 84 mg L⁻¹. Concurrently, the DOC inertness increased with the RDOC ratio reaching > 50%. The identified Synechococcus-bacteria-driven RDOC molecules shared similarity with over half of those from pelagic ocean DOC. Importantly, we provide direct genetic and metabolite evidence that alongside the continuous transformation of algal carbon by bacteria to generate RDOC, Synechococcus itself also directly synthesized and released RDOC molecules, representing a neglected RDOC source with ~0.2–1 Gt y⁻¹ in the ocean. However, we found that although ocean warming (+4°C) can promote algal and bacterial growth and DOC release, it destabilizes and reduces RDOC reservoirs, jeopardizing the ocean's carbon sequestration capacity. This study unveils the previously underestimated yet significant role of algae and long-term algae-bacteria interactions in ocean carbon sequestration and its vulnerability to ocean warming.