Abstract
Summary The stoichiometry of prokaryotes ( B acteria and A rchaea ) can control benthic phosphorus ( P ) fluxes relative to carbon ( C ) and nitrogen ( N ) during organic matter remineralization. This paper presents the first experimental data on benthic microbial stoichiometry. We used X ‐ray microanalysis to determine C : N : P ratios of individual prokaryotes from C ‐limited B altic S ea sediments incubated under oxic or anoxic conditions. At approximately 400:1, C : P ratios of prokaryotes from both oxic and anoxic incubations were higher than the R edfield ratio for marine organic matter (106:1), whereas prokaryotic C : N ratios (6.4:1) were close to the R edfield ratio. We conclude that high microbial C : P ratios contribute to the enhanced remineralization of P from organic matter relative to C and N observed in many low oxygen marine settings.