Global Trends in Marine Plankton Diversity across Kingdoms of Life.

The ocean is home to myriad small planktonic organisms that underpin the functioning of marine ecosystems. However, their spatial patterns of diversity and the underlying drivers remain poorly known, precluding projections of their responses to global changes. Here we investigate the latitudinal gradients and global predictors of plankton diversity across archaea, bacteria, eukaryotes, and major virus clades using both molecular and imaging data from Tara Oceans. We show a decline of diversity for most planktonic groups toward the poles, mainly driven by decreasing ocean temperatures. Projections into the future suggest that severe warming of the surface ocean by the end of the 21st century could lead to tropicalization of the diversity of most planktonic groups in temperate and polar regions. These changes may have multiple consequences for marine ecosystem functioning and services and are expected to be particularly significant in key areas for carbon sequestration, fisheries, and marine conservation. VIDEO ABSTRACT.

Gene Expression Changes and Community Turnover Differentially Shape the Global Ocean Metatranscriptome.

Ocean microbial communities strongly influence the biogeochemistry, food webs, and climate of our planet. Despite recent advances in understanding their taxonomic and genomic compositions, little is known about how their transcriptomes vary globally. Here, we present a dataset of 187 metatranscriptomes and 370 metagenomes from 126 globally distributed sampling stations and establish a resource of 47 million genes to study community-level transcriptomes across depth layers from pole-to-pole. We examine gene expression changes and community turnover as the underlying mechanisms shaping community transcriptomes along these axes of environmental variation and show how their individual contributions differ for multiple biogeochemically relevant processes. Furthermore, we find the relative contribution of gene expression changes to be significantly lower in polar than in non-polar waters and hypothesize that in polar regions, alterations in community activity in response to ocean warming will be driven more strongly by changes in organismal composition than by gene regulatory mechanisms. VIDEO ABSTRACT.

Charting the Complexity of the Marine Microbiome through Single-Cell Genomics.

Marine bacteria and archaea play key roles in global biogeochemistry. To improve our understanding of this complex microbiome, we employed single-cell genomics and a randomized, hypothesis-agnostic cell selection strategy to recover 12,715 partial genomes from the tropical and subtropical euphotic ocean. A substantial fraction of known prokaryoplankton coding potential was recovered from a single, 0.4 mL ocean sample, which indicates that genomic information disperses effectively across the globe. Yet, we found each genome to be unique, implying limited clonality within prokaryoplankton populations. Light harvesting and secondary metabolite biosynthetic pathways were numerous across lineages, highlighting the value of single-cell genomics to advance the identification of ecological roles and biotechnology potential of uncultured microbial groups. This genome collection enabled functional annotation and genus-level taxonomic assignments for >80% of individual metagenome reads from the tropical and subtropical surface ocean, thus offering a model to improve reference genome databases for complex microbiomes.

Evolving New Skeletal Traits by cis-Regulatory Changes in Bone Morphogenetic Proteins.

Changes in bone size and shape are defining features of many vertebrates. Here we use genetic crosses and comparative genomics to identify specific regulatory DNA alterations controlling skeletal evolution. Armor bone-size differences in sticklebacks map to a major effect locus overlapping BMP family member GDF6. Freshwater fish express more GDF6 due in part to a transposon insertion, and transgenic overexpression of GDF6 phenocopies evolutionary changes in armor-plate size. The human GDF6 locus also has undergone distinctive regulatory evolution, including complete loss of an enhancer that is otherwise highly conserved between chimps and other mammals. Functional tests show that the ancestral enhancer drives expression in hindlimbs but not forelimbs, in locations that have been specifically modified during the human transition to bipedalism. Both gain and loss of regulatory elements can localize BMP changes to specific anatomical locations, providing a flexible regulatory basis for evolving species-specific changes in skeletal form.

Deeper and stronger North Atlantic Gyre during the Last Glacial Maximum.

Subtropical gyre (STG) depth and strength are controlled by wind stress curl and surface buoyancy forcing1,2. Modern hydrographic data reveal that the STG extends to a depth of about 1 km in the Northwest Atlantic, with its maximum depth defined by the base of the subtropical thermocline. Despite the likelihood of greater wind stress curl and surface buoyancy loss during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM)3, previous work suggests minimal change in the depth of the glacial STG4. Here we show a sharp glacial water mass boundary between 33° N and 36° N extending down to between 2.0 and 2.5 km-approximately 1 km deeper than today. Our findings arise from benthic foraminiferal δ18O profiles from sediment cores in two depth transects at Cape Hatteras (36-39° N) and Blake Outer Ridge (29-34° N) in the Northwest Atlantic. This result suggests that the STG, including the Gulf Stream, was deeper and stronger during the LGM than at present, which we attribute to increased glacial wind stress curl, as supported by climate model simulations, as well as greater glacial production of denser subtropical mode waters (STMWs). Our data suggest (1) that subtropical waters probably contributed to the geochemical signature of what is conventionally identified as Glacial North Atlantic Intermediate Water (GNAIW)5-7 and (2) the STG helped sustain continued buoyancy loss, water mass conversion and northwards meridional heat transport (MHT) in the glacial North Atlantic.

Decoding drivers of carbon flux attenuation in the oceanic biological pump.

The biological pump supplies carbon to the oceans' interior, driving long-term carbon sequestration and providing energy for deep-sea ecosystems1,2. Its efficiency is set by transformations of newly formed particles in the euphotic zone, followed by vertical flux attenuation via mesopelagic processes3. Depth attenuation of the particulate organic carbon (POC) flux is modulated by multiple processes involving zooplankton and/or microbes4,5. Nevertheless, it continues to be mainly parameterized using an empirically derived relationship, the 'Martin curve'6. The derived power-law exponent is the standard metric used to compare flux attenuation patterns across oceanic provinces7,8. Here we present in situ experimental findings from C-RESPIRE9, a dual particle interceptor and incubator deployed at multiple mesopelagic depths, measuring microbially mediated POC flux attenuation. We find that across six contrasting oceanic regimes, representing a 30-fold range in POC flux, degradation by particle-attached microbes comprised 7-29 per cent of flux attenuation, implying a more influential role for zooplankton in flux attenuation. Microbial remineralization, normalized to POC flux, ranged by 20-fold across sites and depths, with the lowest rates at high POC fluxes. Vertical trends, of up to threefold changes, were linked to strong temperature gradients at low-latitude sites. In contrast, temperature played a lesser role at mid- and high-latitude sites, where vertical trends may be set jointly by particle biochemistry, fragmentation and microbial ecophysiology. This deconstruction of the Martin curve reveals the underpinning mechanisms that drive microbially mediated POC flux attenuation across oceanic provinces.

Low-latitude mesopelagic nutrient recycling controls productivity and export.

Low-latitude (LL) oceans account for up to half of global net primary production and export1-5. It has been argued that the Southern Ocean dominates LL primary production and export6, with implications for the response of global primary production and export to climate change7. Here we applied observational analyses and sensitivity studies to an individual model to show, instead, that 72% of LL primary production and 55% of export is controlled by local mesopelagic macronutrient cycling. A total of 34% of the LL export is sustained by preformed macronutrients supplied from the Southern Ocean via a deeper overturning cell, with a shallow preformed northward supply, crossing 30° S through subpolar and thermocline water masses, sustaining only 7% of the LL export. Analyses of five Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) models, run under both high-emissions low-mitigation (shared socioeconomic pathway (SSP5-8.5)) and low-emissions high-mitigation (SSP1-2.6) climate scenarios for 1850-2300, revealed significant across-model disparities in their projections of not only the amplitude, but also the sign, of LL primary production. Under the stronger SSP5-8.5 forcing, with more substantial upper-ocean warming, the CMIP6 models that account for temperature-dependent remineralization promoted enhanced LL mesopelagic nutrient retention under warming, with this providing a first-order contribution to stabilizing or increasing, rather than decreasing, LL production under high emissions and low mitigation. This underscores the importance of a mechanistic understanding of mesopelagic remineralization and its sensitivity to ocean warming for predicting future ecosystem changes.

One-third of Southern Ocean productivity is supported by dust deposition.

Natural iron fertilization of the Southern Ocean by windblown dust has been suggested to enhance biological productivity and modulate the climate1-3. Yet, this process has never been quantified across the Southern Ocean and at annual timescales4,5. Here we combined 11 years of nitrate observations from autonomous biogeochemical ocean profiling floats with a Southern Hemisphere dust simulation to empirically derive the relationship between dust-iron deposition and annual net community production (ANCP) in the iron-limited Southern Ocean. Using this relationship, we determined the biological response to dust-iron in the pelagic perennially ice-free Southern Ocean at present and during the last glacial maximum (LGM). We estimate that dust-iron now supports 33% ± 15% of Southern Ocean ANCP. During the LGM, when dust deposition was 5-40-fold higher than today, the contribution of dust to Southern Ocean ANCP was much greater, estimated at 64% ± 13%. We provide quantitative evidence of basin-wide dust-iron fertilization of the Southern Ocean and the potential magnitude of its impact on glacial-interglacial timescales, supporting the idea of the important role of dust in the global carbon cycle and climate6-8.

Onset of coupled atmosphere-ocean oxygenation 2.3 billion years ago.

The initial rise of molecular oxygen (O2) shortly after the Archaean-Proterozoic transition 2.5 billion years ago was more complex than the single step-change once envisioned. Sulfur mass-independent fractionation records suggest that the rise of atmospheric O2 was oscillatory, with multiple returns to an anoxic state until perhaps 2.2 billion years ago1-3. Yet few constraints exist for contemporaneous marine oxygenation dynamics, precluding a holistic understanding of planetary oxygenation. Here we report thallium (Tl) isotope ratio and redox-sensitive element data for marine shales from the Transvaal Supergroup, South Africa. Synchronous with sulfur isotope evidence of atmospheric oxygenation in the same shales3, we found lower authigenic 205Tl/203Tl ratios indicative of widespread manganese oxide burial on an oxygenated seafloor and higher redox-sensitive element abundances consistent with expanded oxygenated waters. Both signatures disappear when the sulfur isotope data indicate a brief return to an anoxic atmospheric state. Our data connect recently identified atmospheric O2 dynamics on early Earth with the marine realm, marking an important turning point in Earth's redox history away from heterogeneous and highly localized 'oasis'-style oxygenation.

A climate threshold for ocean deoxygenation during the Early Cretaceous.

Oceanic anoxic events (OAEs) are historical intervals of global-scale ocean deoxygenation associated with hyperthermal climate states and biological crises1,2. Massive volcanic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions frequently associated with these events are thought to be a common driver of ocean deoxygenation through several climate-warming-related mechanisms1,3,4. The Early Cretaceous OAE1a is one of the most intense ocean deoxygenation events, persisting for more than 1 Myr (refs. 5,6). However, existing records of marine chemistry and climate across OAE1a are insufficient to fully resolve the timing and dynamics of the underlying processes, thus obscuring cause-and-effect relationships between climate forcing and ocean oxygenation states. Here we show that rapid ocean deoxygenation during OAE1a is linked to volcanic CO2 emissions and the crossing of an associated climate threshold, after which the sluggish pace of the silicate-weathering feedback and climate recovery delayed reoxygenation for >1 Myr. At the end of OAE1a, recrossing this threshold allowed for ocean reoxygenation. Following OAE1a, however, the Earth system remained sufficiently warm such that orbitally forced climate dynamics led to continued cyclic ocean deoxygenation on approximately 100-kyr timescales for another 1 Myr. Our results thus imply a tight coupling between volcanism, weathering and ocean oxygen content that is characterized by a climate threshold.

Microbial iron limitation in the ocean's twilight zone.

Primary production in the sunlit surface ocean is regulated by the supply of key nutrients, primarily nitrate, phosphate and iron (Fe), required by phytoplankton to fix carbon dioxide into biomass1-3. Below the surface ocean, remineralization of sinking organic matter rapidly regenerates nutrients, and microbial metabolism in the upper mesopelagic 'twilight zone' (200-500 m) is thought to be limited by the delivery of labile organic carbon4,5. However, few studies have examined the role of nutrients in shaping microbial production in the mesopelagic6-8. Here we report the distribution and uptake of siderophores, biomarkers for microbial Fe deficiency9 across a meridional section of the eastern Pacific Ocean. Siderophore concentrations are high not only in chronically Fe-limited surface waters but also in the twilight zone underlying the North and South Pacific subtropical gyres, two key ecosystems for the marine carbon cycle. Our findings suggest that bacterial Fe deficiency owing to low Fe availability is probably characteristic of the twilight zone in several large ocean basins, greatly expanding the region of the marine water column in which nutrients limit microbial metabolism, with potential implications for ocean carbon storage.

Rhizobia-diatom symbiosis fixes missing nitrogen in the ocean.

Nitrogen (N2) fixation in oligotrophic surface waters is the main source of new nitrogen to the ocean1 and has a key role in fuelling the biological carbon pump2. Oceanic N2 fixation has been attributed almost exclusively to cyanobacteria, even though genes encoding nitrogenase, the enzyme that fixes N2 into ammonia, are widespread among marine bacteria and archaea3-5. Little is known about these non-cyanobacterial N2 fixers, and direct proof that they can fix nitrogen in the ocean has so far been lacking. Here we report the discovery of a non-cyanobacterial N2-fixing symbiont, 'Candidatus Tectiglobus diatomicola', which provides its diatom host with fixed nitrogen in return for photosynthetic carbon. The N2-fixing symbiont belongs to the order Rhizobiales and its association with a unicellular diatom expands the known hosts for this order beyond the well-known N2-fixing rhizobia-legume symbioses on land6. Our results show that the rhizobia-diatom symbioses can contribute as much fixed nitrogen as can cyanobacterial N2 fixers in the tropical North Atlantic, and that they might be responsible for N2 fixation in the vast regions of the ocean in which cyanobacteria are too rare to account for the measured rates.

Future increase in extreme El Niño supported by past glacial changes.

El Niño events, the warm phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon, amplify climate variability throughout the world1. Uncertain climate model predictions limit our ability to assess whether these climatic events could become more extreme under anthropogenic greenhouse warming2. Palaeoclimate records provide estimates of past changes, but it is unclear if they can constrain mechanisms underlying future predictions3-5. Here we uncover a mechanism using numerical simulations that drives consistent changes in response to past and future forcings, allowing model validation against palaeoclimate data. The simulated mechanism is consistent with the dynamics of observed extreme El Niño events, which develop when western Pacific warm pool waters expand rapidly eastwards because of strongly coupled ocean currents and winds6,7. These coupled interactions weaken under glacial conditions because of a deeper mixed layer driven by a stronger Walker circulation. The resulting decrease in ENSO variability and extreme El Niño occurrence is supported by a series of tropical Pacific palaeoceanographic records showing reduced glacial temperature variability within key ENSO-sensitive oceanic regions, including new data from the central equatorial Pacific. The model-data agreement on past variability, together with the consistent mechanism across climatic states, supports the prediction of a shallower mixed layer and weaker Walker circulation driving more frequent extreme El Niño genesis under greenhouse warming.

The ultra-high affinity transport proteins of ubiquitous marine bacteria.

SAR11 bacteria are the most abundant microorganisms in the surface ocean1 and have global biogeochemical importance2-4. To thrive in their competitive oligotrophic environment, these bacteria rely heavily on solute-binding proteins that facilitate uptake of specific substrates via membrane transporters5,6. The functions and properties of these transport proteins are key factors in the assimilation of dissolved organic matter and biogeochemical cycling of nutrients in the ocean, but they have remained largely inaccessible to experimental investigation. Here we performed genome-wide experimental characterization of all solute-binding proteins in a prototypical SAR11 bacterium, revealing specific functions and general trends in their properties that contribute to the success of SAR11 bacteria in oligotrophic environments. We found that the solute-binding proteins of SAR11 bacteria have extremely high binding affinity (dissociation constant >20 pM) and high binding specificity, revealing molecular mechanisms of oligotrophic adaptation. Our functional data have uncovered new carbon sources for SAR11 bacteria and enable accurate biogeographical analysis of SAR11 substrate uptake capabilities throughout the ocean. This study provides a comprehensive view of the substrate uptake capabilities of ubiquitous marine bacteria, providing a necessary foundation for understanding their contribution to assimilation of dissolved organic matter in marine ecosystems.

Continental-scale nutrient and contaminant delivery by Pacific salmon.

The movement of large amounts of nutrients by migrating animals has ecological benefits for recipient food webs1,2 that may be offset by co-transported contaminants3,4. Salmon spawning migrations are archetypal of this process, carrying marine-derived materials to inland ecosystems where they stimulate local productivity but also enhance contaminant exposure5-7. Pacific salmon abundance and biomass are higher now than in the last century, reflecting substantial shifts in community structure8 that probably altered nutrient versus contaminant delivery. Here we combined nutrient and contaminant concentrations with 40 years of annual Pacific salmon returns to quantify how changes in community structure influenced marine to freshwater inputs to western North America. Salmon transported tonnes of nutrients and kilograms of contaminants to freshwaters annually. Higher salmon returns (1976-2015) increased salmon-derived nutrient and contaminant inputs by 30% and 20%, respectively. These increases were dominated by pink salmon, which are short-lived, feed lower in marine food webs than other salmon species, and had the highest nutrient-to-contaminant ratios. As a result, the delivery of nutrients increased at a greater rate than the delivery of contaminants, and salmon inputs became more ecologically beneficial over time. Even still, contaminant loadings may represent exposure concerns for some salmon predators. The Pacific salmon example demonstrates how long-term environmental changes interact with nutrient and contaminant movement across large spatial scales and provides a model for exploring similar patterns with other migratory species9.

An alternative broad-specificity pathway for glycan breakdown in bacteria.

The vast majority of glycosidases characterized to date follow one of the variations of the 'Koshland' mechanisms1 to hydrolyse glycosidic bonds through substitution reactions. Here we describe a large-scale screen of a human gut microbiome metagenomic library using an assay that selectively identifies non-Koshland glycosidase activities2. Using this, we identify a cluster of enzymes with extremely broad substrate specificities and thoroughly characterize these, mechanistically and structurally. These enzymes not only break glycosidic linkages of both α and ß stereochemistry and multiple connectivities, but also cleave substrates that are not hydrolysed by standard glycosidases. These include thioglycosides, such as the glucosinolates from plants, and pseudoglycosidic bonds of pharmaceuticals such as acarbose. This is achieved through a distinct mechanism of hydrolysis that involves oxidation/reduction and elimination/hydration steps, each catalysed by enzyme modules that are in many cases interchangeable between organisms and substrate classes. Homologues of these enzymes occur in both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria associated with the gut microbiome and other body parts, as well as other environments, such as soil and sea. Such alternative step-wise mechanisms appear to constitute largely unrecognized but abundant pathways for glycan degradation as part of the metabolism of carbohydrates in bacteria.

Highest ocean heat in four centuries places Great Barrier Reef in danger.

Mass coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) in Australia between 2016 and 2024 was driven by high sea surface temperatures (SST)1. The likelihood of temperature-induced bleaching is a key determinant for the future threat status of the GBR2, but the long-term context of recent temperatures in the region is unclear. Here we show that the January-March Coral Sea heat extremes in 2024, 2017 and 2020 (in order of descending mean SST anomalies) were the warmest in 400 years, exceeding the 95th-percentile uncertainty limit of our reconstructed pre-1900 maximum. The 2016, 2004 and 2022 events were the next warmest, exceeding the 90th-percentile limit. Climate model analysis confirms that human influence on the climate system is responsible for the rapid warming in recent decades. This attribution, together with the recent ocean temperature extremes, post-1900 warming trend and observed mass coral bleaching, shows that the existential threat to the GBR ecosystem from anthropogenic climate change is now realized. Without urgent intervention, the iconic GBR is at risk of experiencing temperatures conducive to near-annual coral bleaching3, with negative consequences for biodiversity and ecosystems services. A continuation on the current trajectory would further threaten the ecological function4 and outstanding universal value5 of one of Earth's greatest natural wonders.

Global marine microbial diversity and its potential in bioprospecting.

The past two decades has witnessed a remarkable increase in the number of microbial genomes retrieved from marine systems1,2. However, it has remained challenging to translate this marine genomic diversity into biotechnological and biomedical applications3,4. Here we recovered 43,191 bacterial and archaeal genomes from publicly available marine metagenomes, encompassing a wide range of diversity with 138 distinct phyla, redefining the upper limit of marine bacterial genome size and revealing complex trade-offs between the occurrence of CRISPR-Cas systems and antibiotic resistance genes. In silico bioprospecting of these marine genomes led to the discovery of a novel CRISPR-Cas9 system, ten antimicrobial peptides, and three enzymes that degrade polyethylene terephthalate. In vitro experiments confirmed their effectiveness and efficacy. This work provides evidence that global-scale sequencing initiatives advance our understanding of how microbial diversity has evolved in the oceans and is maintained, and demonstrates how such initiatives can be sustainably exploited to advance biotechnology and biomedicine.

Abyssal ocean overturning slowdown and warming driven by Antarctic meltwater.

The abyssal ocean circulation is a key component of the global meridional overturning circulation, cycling heat, carbon, oxygen and nutrients throughout the world ocean1,2. The strongest historical trend observed in the abyssal ocean is warming at high southern latitudes2-4, yet it is unclear what processes have driven this warming, and whether this warming is linked to a slowdown in the ocean's overturning circulation. Furthermore, attributing change to specific drivers is difficult owing to limited measurements, and because coupled climate models exhibit biases in the region5-7. In addition, future change remains uncertain, with the latest coordinated climate model projections not accounting for dynamic ice-sheet melt. Here we use a transient forced high-resolution coupled ocean-sea-ice model to show that under a high-emissions scenario, abyssal warming is set to accelerate over the next 30 years. We find that meltwater input around Antarctica drives a contraction of Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW), opening a pathway that allows warm Circumpolar Deep Water greater access to the continental shelf. The reduction in AABW formation results in warming and ageing of the abyssal ocean, consistent with recent measurements. In contrast, projected wind and thermal forcing has little impact on the properties, age and volume of AABW. These results highlight the critical importance of Antarctic meltwater in setting the abyssal ocean overturning, with implications for global ocean biogeochemistry and climate that could last for centuries.

Authigenic mineral phases as a driver of the upper-ocean iron cycle.

Iron is important in regulating the ocean carbon cycle1. Although several dissolved and particulate species participate in oceanic iron cycling, current understanding emphasizes the importance of complexation by organic ligands in stabilizing oceanic dissolved iron concentrations2-6. However, it is difficult to reconcile this view of ligands as a primary control on dissolved iron cycling with the observed size partitioning of dissolved iron species, inefficient dissolved iron regeneration at depth or the potential importance of authigenic iron phases in particulate iron observational datasets7-12. Here we present a new dissolved iron, ligand and particulate iron seasonal dataset from the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) region. We find that upper-ocean dissolved iron dynamics were decoupled from those of ligands, which necessitates a process by which dissolved iron escapes ligand stabilization to generate a reservoir of authigenic iron particles that settle to depth. When this 'colloidal shunt' mechanism was implemented in a global-scale biogeochemical model, it reproduced both seasonal iron-cycle dynamics observations and independent global datasets when previous models failed13-15. Overall, we argue that the turnover of authigenic particulate iron phases must be considered alongside biological activity and ligands in controlling ocean-dissolved iron distributions and the coupling between dissolved and particulate iron pools.