Abundant and active acetogens enhance the carbon dioxide sink of Blue Carbon ecosystems

Blue Carbon ecosystems, which include all tidal wetlands, mitigate climate change by capturing and storing carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere. Most carbon fixation in these systems is thought to be driven by plant and microbial photosynthesis, whereas chemosynthetic processes are assumed to play a minor role. However, these ecosystems often contain anoxic environments ideal for chemosynthetic microbes such as acetogens.

In this study, we show that acetogens are abundant and active mediators of carbon sequestration in tidal wetland soils. We combined metagenomic analysis of CO₂ fixation genes and reconstruction of microbial genomes with enrichment and analysis of gas-fermenting acetogens in bioreactors. Genome-resolved metagenomics revealed that diverse microbes can mediate carbon fixation, primarily through the Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle and Wood-Ljungdahl pathway (WLP). These include various bacteria and archaea capable of reductive acetogenesis. Based on these findings, we established bacterial enrichment cultures from tidal wetland soils using hydrogen (H₂) and CO₂ as the sole energy and carbon sources. Bioreactor analysis revealed that these enrichments are dominated by clostridial acetogens that grow rapidly by converting CO₂ into acetate and other products.

Collectively, these results reveal Blue Carbon ecosystems harbor microbial communities that can exclusively subsist by using CO₂ as their sole electron acceptor and carbon source. This provides evidence for a novel carbon sink pathway within these ecosystems beyond the well-known mechanisms of photosynthetic carbon fixation and soil sequestration. Additionally, the discovery and enrichment of these chemosynthetic communities provide opportunities for developing further mechanisms of CO₂ removal through industrial gas fermentation. Video Abstract.