Scientists suddenly discovered a huge amount of sugar hidden under the sea

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen, Germany, discovered seagrasses release huge amounts of sugar into the rhizosphere - the soil around plant roots. The new study was published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution on May 2. Under the seagrass beds, sugar concentrations were at least 80 times higher than those measured in the marine environment previously.

Lush Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows in the Mediterranean.

"We estimate that there is between 0.6 and 1.3 million tons of sugar in the world, mainly in the form of sucrose, in the rhizosphere of seagrasses. That's roughly equivalent to the amount of sugar in 32 billion cans of soft drinks." , Manuel Liebeke, an expert at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, explains.

This is because seagrass produces sugar during photosynthesis. Most of the sugar these plants produce is used for metabolism and growth in medium light. However, in abundant light such as midday or summer, they produce more sugar than they can store or use, and the excess sucrose is then released into the rhizosphere.

So why does sucrose accumulate on the seafloor and not be consumed by the billions and millions of microorganisms in the rhizosphere, while microorganisms generally prefer sugar because it's easy to digest and full of energy? The research team was also confused by this question.

"We spent a lot of time trying to find the answer. We realized that seagrasses, like many other plants, release phenolic compounds into their sediments," said team member Maggie Sogin. research, said.

Red wine, coffee and fruit are high in phenols, which are antibacterial and inhibit the metabolism of most microorganisms. "In the experiment, we added phenol extracted from seagrass to the microorganisms in the rhizosphere. As a result, much less sucrose was consumed than in the absence of phenol," explains Sogin.

New research highlights the importance of seagrass meadows. Acting as carbon storage "factories" to help solve climate problems, seagrass meadows are one of the most seriously threatened habitats on Earth.

"Considering the amount of green carbon - carbon captured by coastal and oceanic ecosystems - that is lost when seagrass communities are destroyed, our study shows: Not only seagrasses but large amounts of sucrose inside. below them can also affect the amount of carbon captured," Liebeke said.

"Our calculations show that if the sucrose in the seagrass rhizosphere were degraded by microorganisms, at least 1.54 million tons of CO2 would be released into the world's atmosphere. That's roughly equivalent to the amount of CO2. emitted from 330,000 cars in a year," added Liebeke.

Seagrasses can store carbon for millennia, while rain forests can only do so for decades. However, seagrasses are disappearing at an alarming rate, with some areas seeing annual losses as high as 7%. One-third of the world's seagrasses may have disappeared.

"We don't know as much about seagrasses as terrestrial habitats. Our study provides additional information on one of the most important coastal habitats on the planet, while underlining the importance of seagrasses. the conservation of these green carbon ecosystems," Sogin said.