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Oehlert AM, Garza J, Nixon S, Frank L, Folkerts EJ, Stieglitz JD, Lu C, Heuer RM, Benetti DD, Del Campo J, Gomez FA, Grosell M. Implications of dietary carbon incorporation in fish carbonates for the global carbon cycle. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 916:169895. [PMID: 38215854 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.169895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/14/2024]
Abstract
Marine bony fish are important participants in Earth's carbon cycle through their contributions to the biological pump and the marine inorganic carbon cycle. However, uncertainties in the composition and magnitude of fish contributions preclude their integration into fully coupled carbon-climate models. Here, we consider recent upwards revisions to global fish biomass estimates (2.7-9.5×) and provide new stable carbon isotope measurements that show marine fish are prodigious producers of carbonate with unique composition. Assuming the median increase (4.17×) in fish biomass estimates is linearly reflected in fish carbonate (ichthyocarbonate) production rate, marine fish are estimated to produce between 1.43 and 3.99 Pg CaCO3 yr-1, but potentially as much as 9.03 Pg CaCO3 yr-1. Thus, marine fish carbonate production is equivalent to or potentially higher than contributions by coccolithophores or pelagic foraminifera. New stable carbon isotope analyses indicate that a significant proportion of ichthyocarbonate is derived from dietary carbon, rather than seawater dissolved inorganic carbon. Using a statistical mixing model to derive source contributions, we estimate ichthyocarbonate contains up to 81 % dietary carbon, with average compositions of 28-56 %, standing in contrast to contents <10 % in other biogenic carbonate minerals. Results also indicate ichthyocarbonate contains 5.5-40.4 % total organic carbon. When scaled to the median revised global production of ichthyocarbonate, an additional 0.08 to 1.61 Pg C yr-1 can potentially be added to estimates of fish contributions to the biological pump, significantly increasing marine fish contributions to total surface carbon export. Our integration of geochemical and physiological analyses identifies an overlooked link between carbonate production and the biological pump. Since ichthyocarbonate production is anticipated to increase with climate change scenarios, due to ocean warming and acidification, these results emphasize the importance of quantitative understanding of the multifaceted role of marine fish in the global carbon cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda M Oehlert
- Department of Marine Geosciences, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, FL, United States of America.
| | - Jazmin Garza
- Department of Marine Geosciences, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, FL, United States of America
| | - Sandy Nixon
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, FL, United States of America
| | - LeeAnn Frank
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, FL, United States of America
| | - Erik J Folkerts
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, FL, United States of America
| | - John D Stieglitz
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, FL, United States of America
| | - Chaojin Lu
- Department of Marine Geosciences, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, FL, United States of America
| | - Rachael M Heuer
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, FL, United States of America
| | - Daniel D Benetti
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, FL, United States of America
| | - Javier Del Campo
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, FL, United States of America; Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC - Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Fabian A Gomez
- Northern Gulf Institute, Mississippi State University, MS, United States of America; NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, Miami, FL, United States of America
| | - Martin Grosell
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, FL, United States of America
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Folkerts EJ, Oehlert AM, Heuer RM, Nixon S, Stieglitz JD, Grosell M. The role of marine fish-produced carbonates in the oceanic carbon cycle is determined by size, specific gravity, and dissolution rate. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 916:170044. [PMID: 38244625 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/07/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024]
Abstract
Rising CO2 emissions have heightened the necessity for increased understanding of Earth's carbon cycle to predict future climates. The involvement of marine planktonic species in the global carbon cycle has been extensively studied, but contributions by marine fish remain poorly characterized. Marine teleost fishes produce carbonate minerals ('ichthyocarbonates') within the lumen of their intestines which are excreted at significant rates on a global scale. However, we have limited understanding of the fate of excreted ichthyocarbonate. We analyzed ichthyocarbonate produced by three different marine teleosts for mol%MgCO3 content, size, specific gravity, and dissolution rate to gain a better understanding of ichthyocarbonate fate. Based on the species examined here, we report that 75 % of ichthyocarbonates are ≤0.91 mm in diameter. Analyses indicate high Mg2+ content across species (22.3 to 32.3 % mol%MgCO3), consistent with previous findings. Furthermore, ichthyocarbonate specific gravity ranged from 1.23 to 1.33 g/cm3, and ichthyocarbonate dissolution rates varied among species as a function of aragonite saturation state. Ichthyocarbonate sinking rates and dissolution depth were estimated for the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian ocean basins for the three species examined. In the North Atlantic, for example, ~33 % of examined ichthyocarbonates are expected to reach depths exceeding 200 m prior to complete dissolution. The remaining ~66 % of ichthyocarbonate is estimated to dissolve and contribute to shallow water alkalinity budgets. Considering fish biomass and ichthyocarbonate production rates, our results support that marine fishes are critical to the global carbon cycle, contributing to oceanic alkalinity budgets and thereby influencing the ability of the oceans to neutralize atmospheric CO2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik J Folkerts
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33149, United States of America.
| | - Amanda M Oehlert
- Department of Marine Geosciences, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33149, United States of America
| | - Rachael M Heuer
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33149, United States of America
| | - Sandy Nixon
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33149, United States of America
| | - John D Stieglitz
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33149, United States of America
| | - Martin Grosell
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33149, United States of America
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Takei Y. The digestive tract as an essential organ for water acquisition in marine teleosts: lessons from euryhaline eels. ZOOLOGICAL LETTERS 2021; 7:10. [PMID: 34154668 PMCID: PMC8215749 DOI: 10.1186/s40851-021-00175-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 04/16/2021] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Adaptation to a hypertonic marine environment is one of the major topics in animal physiology research. Marine teleosts lose water osmotically from the gills and compensate for this loss by drinking surrounding seawater and absorbing water from the intestine. This situation is in contrast to that in mammals, which experience a net osmotic loss of water after drinking seawater. Water absorption in fishes is made possible by (1) removal of monovalent ions (desalinization) by the esophagus, (2) removal of divalent ions as carbonate (Mg/CaCO3) precipitates promoted by HCO3- secretion, and (3) facilitation of NaCl and water absorption from diluted seawater by the intestine using a suite of unique transporters. As a result, 70-85% of ingested seawater is absorbed during its passage through the digestive tract. Thus, the digestive tract is an essential organ for marine teleost survival in the hypertonic seawater environment. The eel is a species that has been frequently used for osmoregulation research in laboratories worldwide. The eel possesses many advantages as an experimental animal for osmoregulation studies, one of which is its outstanding euryhalinity, which enables researchers to examine changes in the structure and function of the digestive tract after direct transfer from freshwater to seawater. In recent years, the molecular mechanisms of ion and water transport across epithelial cells (the transcellular route) and through tight junctions (the paracellular route) have been elucidated for the esophagus and intestine. Thanks to the rapid progress in analytical methods for genome databases on teleosts, including the eel, the molecular identities of transporters, channels, pumps and junctional proteins have been clarified at the isoform level. As 10 y have passed since the previous reviews on this subject, it seems relevant and timely to summarize recent progress in research on the molecular mechanisms of water and ion transport in the digestive tract in eels and to compare the mechanisms with those of other teleosts and mammals from comparative and evolutionary viewpoints. We also propose future directions for this research field to achieve integrative understanding of the role of the digestive tract in adaptation to seawater with regard to pathways/mechanisms including the paracellular route, divalent ion absorption, metabolon formation and cellular trafficking of transporters. Notably, some of these have already attracted practical attention in laboratories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshio Takei
- Laboratory of Physiology, Department of Marine Bioscience, Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8564, Japan.
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Yao Z, Schauer KL, Ruhr IM, Mager EM, Heuer RM, Grosell M. A marine teleost, Opsanus beta, compensates acidosis in hypersaline water by H + excretion or reduced HCO 3- excretion rather than HCO 3- uptake. J Comp Physiol B 2020; 191:85-98. [PMID: 33070210 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-020-01320-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2020] [Revised: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Increases in ambient salinity demand parallel increases in intestinal base secretion for maintenance of osmoregulatory status, which is likely the cause of a transient acidosis following transfer of euryhaline fish from freshwater to seawater. It was predicted that transfer of the marine Gulf toadfish (Opsanus beta) from seawater (35 ppt) to hypersaline (60 ppt) seawater (HSW) would lead to a transient acidosis that would be compensated by increases in branchial acid excretion to offset the acid-base disturbance. Toadfish exposed to HSW showed a significant decrease in blood pH and [HCO3-] but no increase in pCO2, followed by a full recovery after 48-96 h. A similar metabolic acidosis and recovery was found when fish were exposed to 60-ppt HCO3--free seawater (HEPES-buffered), which may suggest that compensation for intestinal base loss during hypersaline treatment is from gill H+ excretion rather than gill HCO3- uptake. However, we cannot rule out that reduced branchial HCO3- excretion contributed to an increase in net acid excretion. Since colchicine prevents full compensation, translocation of H+ and/or HCO3- transporters between cytosolic compartments and plasma membrane fractions might be involved in compensating for the hypersalinity-induced acidosis. Translocation of transporters rather than de novo synthesis may represent a faster and less energetically demanding response to rapidly fluctuating and high salinities encountered by toadfish in their natural environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zongli Yao
- Sino-US joint laboratory of Aquatic Animal Physiology, East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fisheries Sciences, Shanghai, China. .,Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA.
| | - Kevin L Schauer
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Ilan M Ruhr
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA.,Cardiovascular Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Edward M Mager
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, USA
| | - Rachael M Heuer
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Martin Grosell
- Sino-US joint laboratory of Aquatic Animal Physiology, East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fisheries Sciences, Shanghai, China.,Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
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Interrogation of the Gulf toadfish intestinal proteome response to hypersalinity exposure provides insights into osmoregulatory mechanisms and regulation of carbonate mineral precipitation. COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY D-GENOMICS & PROTEOMICS 2018; 27:66-76. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbd.2018.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2018] [Revised: 06/11/2018] [Accepted: 06/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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Comparison of the organic matrix found in intestinal CaCO 3 precipitates produced by several marine teleost species. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2018; 221:15-23. [PMID: 29559254 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2018.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2018] [Revised: 03/11/2018] [Accepted: 03/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Marine bony fish poses the unique ability to hydrate from imbibed seawater. They accomplish this, in part, by the precipitation of inorganic carbonate mineral in their intestine, which lowers luminal osmotic pressure and allows for water uptake. It has recently been described that in the Gulf toadfish (Opsanus beta) this Ca(Mg)CO3 precipitation occurs under the regulation of an organic matrix. To date no investigations have aimed to determine if this phenomenon applies more generally to marine fish. Here, intestinally derived precipitates were collected from gray snapper (Lutjanus griseus), white grunt (Haemulon plumieri), European flounder (Platichthys flesus), as well as Gulf toadfish, and their matrices were extracted. The ability of these matrices to regulate CaCO3 production was determined using an in vitro calcification assay, which revealed that the matrix derived from each of the tested species increased precipitation at low concentrations, while inhibiting it at higher concentrations in full agreement with the earlier studies on toadfish. Matrix extracted from European flounder precipitates was then analyzed by mass spectrometry, leading to the identification of over 50 unique proteins. When the identities of these proteins were compared to previous investigation of toadfish precipitate matrix, nearly 35% were found to overlap between the flounder and toadfish analyses, suggesting conserved mechanisms of precipitation control. The effects of using different sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) solutions during precipitate purification on the resulting organic matrix are also discussed.
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Abstract
Do corals form their skeletons by precipitation from solution or by attachment of amorphous precursor particles as observed in other minerals and biominerals? The classical model assumes precipitation in contrast with observed "vital effects," that is, deviations from elemental and isotopic compositions at thermodynamic equilibrium. Here, we show direct spectromicroscopy evidence in Stylophora pistillata corals that two amorphous precursors exist, one hydrated and one anhydrous amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC); that these are formed in the tissue as 400-nm particles; and that they attach to the surface of coral skeletons, remain amorphous for hours, and finally, crystallize into aragonite (CaCO3). We show in both coral and synthetic aragonite spherulites that crystal growth by attachment of ACC particles is more than 100 times faster than ion-by-ion growth from solution. Fast growth provides a distinct physiological advantage to corals in the rigors of the reef, a crowded and fiercely competitive ecosystem. Corals are affected by warming-induced bleaching and postmortem dissolution, but the finding here that ACC particles are formed inside tissue may make coral skeleton formation less susceptible to ocean acidification than previously assumed. If this is how other corals form their skeletons, perhaps this is how a few corals survived past CO2 increases, such as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum that occurred 56 Mya.
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Schauer KL, Grosell M. Fractionation of the Gulf toadfish intestinal precipitate organic matrix reveals potential functions of individual proteins. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2017; 208:35-45. [PMID: 28315772 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2017.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2017] [Revised: 03/10/2017] [Accepted: 03/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The regulatory mechanisms behind the production of CaCO3 in the marine teleost intestine are poorly studied despite being essential for osmoregulation and responsible for a conservatively estimated 3-15% of annual oceanic CaCO3 production. It has recently been reported that the intestinally derived precipitates produced by fish as a byproduct of their osmoregulatory strategy form in conjunction with a proteinaceous matrix containing nearly 150 unique proteins. The individual functions of these proteins have not been the subject of investigation until now. Here, organic matrix was extracted from precipitates produced by Gulf toadfish (Opsanus beta) and the matrix proteins were fractionated by their charge using strong anion exchange chromatography. The precipitation regulatory abilities of the individual fractions were then analyzed using a recently developed in vitro calcification assay, and the protein constituents of each fraction were determined by mass spectrometry. The different fractions were found to have differing effects on both the rate of carbonate mineral production, as well as the morphology of the crystals that form. Using data collected from the calcification assay as well as the mass spectrometry experiments, individual calcification promotional indices were calculated for each protein, giving the first insight into the functions each of these matrix proteins may play in regulating precipitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin L Schauer
- Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33149, USA.
| | - Martin Grosell
- Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33149, USA.
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