Global-scale quantification of mesopelagic fish-mediated carbon fluxes.

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Hauptverfasser: Liu, Qingxia, Chen, Zuozhi, Zhang, Li, Saba, Grace K, Zhou, Linbin, Huang, Honghui
Format: Artículo científico
Sprache:en
Veröffentlicht: Marine environmental research 2026
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author Liu, Qingxia
Chen, Zuozhi
Zhang, Li
Saba, Grace K
Zhou, Linbin
Huang, Honghui
author_facet Liu, Qingxia
Chen, Zuozhi
Zhang, Li
Saba, Grace K
Zhou, Linbin
Huang, Honghui
Liu, Qingxia
Chen, Zuozhi
Zhang, Li
Saba, Grace K
Zhou, Linbin
Huang, Honghui
collection PubMed - marine biology
contents Global-scale quantification of mesopelagic fish-mediated carbon fluxes. Liu, Qingxia Chen, Zuozhi Zhang, Li Saba, Grace K Zhou, Linbin Huang, Honghui Mesopelagic fish represent the largest vertebrate biomass on Earth, yet quantifying their role in marine carbon fluxes and the marine environment remains a challenge. Here, we present a mechanistic model integrating body size- and temperature-dependent daily carbon release processes to estimate dissolved organic carbon (DOC), carbon dioxide (CO), and particulate carbon (PC) released by mesopelagic fish across the global open ocean. Carbon budgets were modeled separately for diel vertically migratory (DVM) and non-vertically migratory (NM) mesopelagic fish in tropical/subtropical (40°N-40°S) and high-latitude (40°-70°N/S) zones. Our results indicate that mesopelagic fish release 0.64-8.29, 0.48-6.17, and 0.18-2.30 Pg C/yr of DOC, CO, and PC, respectively, with a net production of 0.16-2.20 Pg C/yr. DVM fish mediate an active carbon export of 0.23-3.85 Pg C/yr through vertical migration, which is comparable to the active carbon fluxes mediated by mesozooplankton. Our results also show that the gross growth efficiency (i.e., net production divided by ingested food carbon, 12%) of DVM mesopelagic fish is, on average 21% higher than that of NM mesopelagic fish on a global scale, which provides a new explanation for the advantages of diel vertical migration. These findings provide the first global estimates of mesopelagic fish-driven DOC, CO, and PC fluxes, highlighting their important role in the ocean carbon cycle, biological carbon pump, and marine environment.
format Artículo científico
id pubmed_42190556
institution PubMed
language en
publishDate 2026
publisher Marine environmental research
record_format pubmed
spellingShingle Global-scale quantification of mesopelagic fish-mediated carbon fluxes.
Liu, Qingxia
Chen, Zuozhi
Zhang, Li
Saba, Grace K
Zhou, Linbin
Huang, Honghui
Global-scale quantification of mesopelagic fish-mediated carbon fluxes. Liu, Qingxia Chen, Zuozhi Zhang, Li Saba, Grace K Zhou, Linbin Huang, Honghui Mesopelagic fish represent the largest vertebrate biomass on Earth, yet quantifying their role in marine carbon fluxes and the marine environment remains a challenge. Here, we present a mechanistic model integrating body size- and temperature-dependent daily carbon release processes to estimate dissolved organic carbon (DOC), carbon dioxide (CO), and particulate carbon (PC) released by mesopelagic fish across the global open ocean. Carbon budgets were modeled separately for diel vertically migratory (DVM) and non-vertically migratory (NM) mesopelagic fish in tropical/subtropical (40°N-40°S) and high-latitude (40°-70°N/S) zones. Our results indicate that mesopelagic fish release 0.64-8.29, 0.48-6.17, and 0.18-2.30 Pg C/yr of DOC, CO, and PC, respectively, with a net production of 0.16-2.20 Pg C/yr. DVM fish mediate an active carbon export of 0.23-3.85 Pg C/yr through vertical migration, which is comparable to the active carbon fluxes mediated by mesozooplankton. Our results also show that the gross growth efficiency (i.e., net production divided by ingested food carbon, 12%) of DVM mesopelagic fish is, on average 21% higher than that of NM mesopelagic fish on a global scale, which provides a new explanation for the advantages of diel vertical migration. These findings provide the first global estimates of mesopelagic fish-driven DOC, CO, and PC fluxes, highlighting their important role in the ocean carbon cycle, biological carbon pump, and marine environment.
title Global-scale quantification of mesopelagic fish-mediated carbon fluxes.
url https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42190556/