BGC-03 Biogeochemistry of DOM
Ubiquitous occurrence of a biogenic sulfonate in marine environment
Xiaofeng Chen* , Engineering Research Center of Marine Biological Resources Comprehensive Utilization, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, Fujian, China
Yu Han, State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan,China
Quanrui Chen, State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean and Earth Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
Huaying Lin, State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean and Earth Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
Shanshan Lin, State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean and Earth Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
Deli Wang, State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean and Earth Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
Tang Xu, Engineering Research Center of Marine Biological Resources Comprehensive Utilization, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, Fujian, China
Kai Tang, State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean and Earth Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China

The biogenic sulfonate 2,3-dihydroxypropane-1-sulfonate (DHPS) is a vital metabolic currency between phytoplankton and bacteria in marine environments. However, the occurrence and quantification of DHPS in the marine environment has not been well-characterized. In this study, we used targeted metabolomics to determine the concentration of DHPS in the Bohai Sea, Pearl River Estuary, an in situ costal mesocosm ecosystem and a hydrothermal system off Kueishantao Island. The results suggested that DHPS occurred ubiquitously in the marine environment, even in shallow-sea hydrothermal systems, at a level comparable to that of dimethylsulfoniopropionate. The concentration of DHPS was closely related to phytoplankton community composition and was especially associated with the abundance of diatoms. Epsilonbacteraeota were considered as the most likely producers of DHPS in shallow-sea hydrothermal systems. This work expands current knowledge on sulfonates and presents a new viewpoint on the sulfur cycle in hydrothermal systems.