1887
PDF

Abstract

Summary

Shallow-water hydrothermal vents release significant amounts of radiocarbon (¹4C)-depleted carbon, yet its fate in the marine carbon cycle remains poorly understood. This study investigates carbon uptake and transfer within the Kueishantao hydrothermal system (Taiwan) using a novel multi-isotope approach. By analyzing bulk d¹³C and ?¹4C values of particulate organic carbon (POC) from the water column and compound-specific d²H, d¹³C, and ?¹4C values of lipids from surface sediments, we trace the assimilation of vent-derived carbon.

Our results show that chemoautotrophic sulfur-oxidizing microbes are key drivers of ¹4C-depleted carbon fixation near the vent orifice, as indicated by the correlation between d¹³C and ?¹4C in fatty acids. Using d²H values, we identify a spatial shift from chemoautotrophy to photoautotrophy at the margins of the vent plume, while vent CO2 uptake remains stable. This study provides the first in-situ evidence of photoautotrophs assimilating vent-derived carbon in shallow hydrothermal systems, offering new insights into carbon cycling in these dynamic environments.

© EAGE Publications BV
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/papers/10.3997/2214-4609.202533065
2025-09-07
2026-02-13

  • From This Site

    /content/papers/10.3997/2214-4609.202533065
    dcterms_title,dcterms_subject,pub_keyword
    -contentType:Journal -contentType:Contributor -contentType:Concept -contentType:Institution
    10
    5
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/2214-4609/2025/imog-2025/65.html?itemId=/content/papers/10.3997/2214-4609.202533065&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah

References

  1. Deng, W., Zhao, Z., Li, Y., Cao, R., Chen, M., Tang, K., Wang, D., Fan, W., Hu, A., Chen, G., Chen, C.-T. A. & Zhang, Y. (2023). Strategies of chemolithoautotrophs adapting to high temperature and extremely acidic conditions in a shallow hydrothermal ecosystem. Microbiome, 11(1), 270. 10.1186/s40168‑023‑01712‑w
     https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-023-01712-w [Google Scholar]
  2. Kao, S. J., Hilton, R. G., Selvaraj, K., Dai, M., Zehetner, F., Huang, J. C., Hsu, S. C., Sparkes, R., Liu, J. T., Lee, T. Y., Yang, J. Y. T., Galy, A., Xu, X. & Hovius, N. (2014). Preservation of terrestrial organic carbon in marine sediments offshore Taiwan: mountain building and atmospheric carbon dioxide sequestration. Earth Surf Dynam, 2(1), 127–139. 10.5194/esurf‑2‑127‑2014
     https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2-127-2014 [Google Scholar]
  3. Lin, Y.-S., Lin, H.-T., Wang, B.-S., Huang, W.-J., Lin, L.-H. & Tsai, A.-Y. (2020). Intense but variable autotrophic activity in a rapidly flushed shallow-water hydrothermal plume (Kueishantao Islet, Taiwan). Geobiology, 19(1), 87–101. https://doi.org/10.1111/gbi.12418
     [Google Scholar]
  4. Maak, J. M., Lin, Y. S., Schefuβ, E., Aepfler, R. F., Liu, L. L., Elvert, M. & Bühring, S. I. (2024). The energy-efficient reductive tricarboxylic acid cycle drives carbon uptake and transfer to higher trophic levels within the Kueishantao shallow-water hydrothermal system. EGUsphere, 20241–15. 10.5194/egusphere‑2024‑1356
     https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1356 [Google Scholar]
  5. Ruben, M., Hefter, J., Schubotz, F., Geibert, W., Butzin, M., Gentz, T., Grotheer, H., Forwick, M., Szczucinski, W. & Mollenhauer, G. (2023). Fossil organic carbon utilization in marine Arctic fjord sediments by subsurface micro-organisms. Nat Geosci, 16(7), 625–630. 10.1038/s41561‑023‑01198‑z
     https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-023-01198-z [Google Scholar]
  6. Valentine, D. L. (2009). Isotopic remembrance of metabolism past. PNAS, 106(31), 12565–12566. doi:10.1073/pnas.0906428106
     https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0906428106 [Google Scholar]
  7. Wang, S.-L., Lin, Y.-S., Burr, G. S., Wang, P.-L. & Lin, L.-H. (2022). Radiocarbon and stable carbon isotope constraints on the propagation of vent CO2 to fluid in the acidic Kueishantao shallow water hydrothermal system. Geochem Geophys Geosyst, 23(10), e2022GC010508. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GC010508
     [Google Scholar]
/content/papers/10.3997/2214-4609.202533065
Loading
The Fate Of Vent-Derived 14C-DEAD Carbon at Shallow-Water Hydrothermal Systems
Conference Proceedings 2025, 1 (2025); https://doi.org/10.3997/2214-4609.202533065
/content/papers/10.3997/2214-4609.202533065
/content/papers/10.3997/2214-4609.202533065
Loading

Data & Media loading...

Most Cited This Month Most Cited RSS feed

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error