title: Comment on "Dilution limits dissolved organic carbon utilization in the deep ocean".
abstract: Arrieta et al. (Reports, 17 April 2015, p. 331) propose that low concentrations of labile dissolved organic carbon (DOC) preclude prokaryotic consumption of a substantial fraction of DOC in the deep ocean and that this dilution acts as an alternative mechanism to recalcitrance for long-term DOC storage. Here, we show that the authors' data do not support their claims.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Sciences, Xiamen University, China. Institute of Marine Microbes and Ecospheres, Xiamen University, China. jiao@xmu.edu.cn legendre@obs-vlfr.fr carol.robinson@uea.ac.uk helmuth.thomas@posteo.org.
authors.forename: Nianzhi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jiao
authors.affiliation: Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université Paris 06, CNRS, Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, Observatoire Océanologique, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France. jiao@xmu.edu.cn legendre@obs-vlfr.fr carol.robinson@uea.ac.uk helmuth.thomas@posteo.org.
authors.forename: Louis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Legendre
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK. jiao@xmu.edu.cn legendre@obs-vlfr.fr carol.robinson@uea.ac.uk helmuth.thomas@posteo.org.
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.affiliation: Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. jiao@xmu.edu.cn legendre@obs-vlfr.fr carol.robinson@uea.ac.uk helmuth.thomas@posteo.org.
authors.forename: Helmuth
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Sciences, Xiamen University, China. Institute of Marine Microbes and Ecospheres, Xiamen University, China.
authors.forename: Ya-Wei
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Sciences, Xiamen University, China. Institute of Marine Microbes and Ecospheres, Xiamen University, China.
authors.forename: Hongyue
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Marine Microbes and Ecospheres, Xiamen University, China. Institute of Marine Science and Technology, Shandong University, China.
authors.forename: Jihua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Sciences, Xiamen University, China. Institute of Marine Microbes and Ecospheres, Xiamen University, China.
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Sciences, Xiamen University, China. Institute of Marine Microbes and Ecospheres, Xiamen University, China.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Sciences, Xiamen University, China. Institute of Marine Microbes and Ecospheres, Xiamen University, China.
authors.forename: Tingwei
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China.
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoxue
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Chuanlun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D057486:Carbon Cycle; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry*; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide