Biogeochemistry articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Defaunation is linked to the decline of tree species that depend on large animals for seed dispersal, but it is unclear if this affects carbon storage. Here the authors show that defaunation effects on carbon storage vary across continents, driven by relationships between seed dispersal strategies and adult tree size.

    • Anand M. Osuri
    • , Jayashree Ratnam
    •  & Mahesh Sankaran

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Groundwater-surface water mixing zones link critical ecosystem domains, but attendant microbe-biogeochemistry-hydrology interactions are poorly known. Here, the authors show that groundwater-surface water mixing stimulates respiration, alters carbon composition, and shifts the ecology from stochastic to deterministic.

    • James C. Stegen
    • , James K. Fredrickson
    •  & Malak Tfaily

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The association between Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) eruption volatiles and the end-Triassic mass extinction remains ambiguous. Here, the authors present mercury and palaeontological evidence from the same archive and show that significant biotic recovery did not begin until CAMP eruptions ceased.

    • Alyson M. Thibodeau
    • , Kathleen Ritterbush
    •  & Frank A. Corsetti

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Predicting coral response to ocean acidification is dependent on our understanding of their internal carbonate chemistry. Here, using microelectrodes, the authors show that corals elevate pH and carbonate ion concentration in their calcifying fluid, but keep total dissolved inorganic carbon low.

    • Wei-Jun Cai
    • , Yuening Ma
    •  & Yongchen Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The [Mo:7Fe:9S:C] iron-molybdenum cofactor (FeMoco) of nitrogenase is a large metal cluster with an important role in biological nitrogen fixation. Here, the authors use spatially resolved refinement of the anomalous scattering contributions of the iron atoms to determine the resting-state electron distribution of FeMoco.

    • Thomas Spatzal
    • , Julia Schlesier
    •  & Oliver Einsle

  • Article
    | Open Access

    As the oceans become acidic, corals reefs are threatened, generating a need to understand the driving forces controlling the chemical state of the Great Barrier Reef. Here, the authors show a greater spatial variability than previously reported, created by the interaction of reef processes and ocean circulation.

    • Mathieu Mongin
    • , Mark E. Baird
    •  & Andrew D. L. Steven

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Grasslands lose soil fertility when manure from grazing livestock is spread on croplands. Here, Sattari et al. show that in order to achieve production increases that will meet global milk and meat demands for 2050, grassland phosphorus inputs must increase four-fold relative to inputs from 2005.

    • S. Z. Sattari
    • , A. F. Bouwman
    •  & M. K. van Ittersum

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The long-range atmospheric transport and deposition of reactive nitrogen may be affected by human activities. Here, the authors use isotope data to constrain sources of reactive nitrogen to high elevation lakes in the Uinta Mountains, finding that the majority originates from distant agricultural activities.

    • E. J. Hundey
    • , S. D. Russell
    •  & K. A. Moser

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Silicification by diatoms and calcification by coccolithophores are distinct biomineralisation processes that influence global carbon cycling and the abundance of marine plankton. Here, Durak et al. show that diatom-like silicon transporters are present in coccolithophores, and that silicon is required for formation of their calcium carbonate coccoliths.

    • Grażyna M. Durak
    • , Alison R. Taylor
    •  & Glen L. Wheeler

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The degree to which biogenic volatile organic compounds released by the Amazon canopy impact oxidation capacity remains uncertain. Here, the authors evaluate the vertical distribution of total hydroxyl radical reactivity and individual trace gases in the Amazon rainforest, and determine seasonal variations.

    • A. C. Nölscher
    • , A. M. Yañez-Serrano
    •  & J. Williams

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The extent to which the location of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)—a primary influence over tropical hydrology—varied in the past remains uncertain. Here, the authors use a transect of marine sediment cores to quantify latitudinal migrations of the ITCZ during the penultimate deglaciation.

    • A. W. Jacobel
    • , J. F. McManus
    •  & G. Winckler

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The enzyme RuBisCO has evolved over billions of years and catalyses reactions in plants and bacteria, although why some reactions persist is unclear. Here, the authors resurrect ancestral RuBisCO to reveal aspects of the Precambrian atmosphere and the selective pressures governing RuBisCO evolution.

    • Patrick M. Shih
    • , Alessandro Occhialini
    •  & Cheryl A. Kerfeld

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Soil surface temperature, which affects many biogeochemical processes, depends on soil albedo. Here, Couradeau et al.show that some cyanobacteria can increase the temperature of arid-land soil surface by as much as 10 °C through the accumulation of a sunscreen metabolite.

    • Estelle Couradeau
    • , Ulas Karaoz
    •  & Ferran Garcia-Pichel

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The relationship between terrestrial carbon sinks and atmospheric modes of variability remains uncertain. Here, the authors show that the coupling of the North Atlantic Oscillation and East-Atlantic patterns explains variations in the European CO2sink from 1982 to 2012.

    • Ana Bastos
    • , Ivan A. Janssens
    •  & Steven W. Running

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The impact of future and past carbonate chemistry changes on calcifying plankton is poorly understood. Here, the authors show that coccolithophore degree of calcification decreased significantly between 6 and 4 million years ago, in line with declining aqueous CO2concentrations.

    • Clara T. Bolton
    • , María T. Hernández-Sánchez
    •  & Heather M. Stoll

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Molar tooth structures are common in early- to mid-Proterozoic carbonates but extremely rare in rocks younger than 750 Ma. Here, the authors show molar tooth carbonate formation is related to benthic methane fluxes.

    • Bing Shen
    • , Lin Dong
    •  & Pengju Liu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Our understanding of the conditions that characterised Neoproterozoic Earth are hindered by a lack of suitable proxies. Here, the authors propose and demonstrate the use of selenium isotopes as tracers of Earth's redox conditions.

    • Philip A. E. Pogge von Strandmann
    • , Eva E. Stüeken
    •  & David C. Catling

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Due to increasing disturbance of peatlands, Southeast Asian rivers are thought to play a major role in the transfer of CO2to the atmosphere. Here, the authors present data collected from six Indonesian and Malaysian rivers and show that the region is not an outgassing hotspot as previously assumed.

    • Francisca Wit
    • , Denise Müller
    •  & Tim Rixen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The rate at which carbon burial has changed in lakes in response to human-induced global change is poorly understood. Here, the authors show that carbon burial has increased significantly in remote northern lakes along with increased nitrogen deposition and warming over the last century.

    • Adam J. Heathcote
    • , N. John Anderson
    •  & Paul A. del Giorgio

  • Review Article
    | Open Access

    Belowground soil biota play key roles in maintaining proper ecosystem functioning, but studies on their extinction ecology are sparse. Here, Veresoglou et al. review the risks to soil biota posed by global change, and highlight the technical challenges involved in identifying extinction events.

    • Stavros D. Veresoglou
    • , John M. Halley
    •  & Matthias C. Rillig

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Stable isotopes are a useful tool for distinguishing two sources in a mixture, but frequently systems have more than two components. Here, the authors propose a new approach to allow conclusive partitioning between three sources, still using only two stable isotopes, looking at soil CO2emissions.

    • Thea Whitman
    •  & Johannes Lehmann

  • Article
    | Open Access

    How aquatic communities influence biogeochemical cycling is not well understood. Here, Devlin et al.manipulate the abundance of fish in a whole-lake experiment and show that methane efflux is reduced by the presence of top predators, via a trophic cascade from zooplankton to methanotrophic bacteria.

    • Shawn P. Devlin
    • , Jatta Saarenheimo
    •  & Roger I. Jones

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations causes ocean acidification, which alters marine chemical environments with unknown consequences for marine ecosystems. Here, Gao et al. show that ocean acidification increases levels of phenolic compounds in phytoplankton and zooplankton, implying a food chain impact.

    • Peng Jin
    • , Tifeng Wang
    •  & Kunshan Gao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Production and consumption of metabolites by soil microorganisms are important for nutrient cycling and maintenance of microbial diversity. Here, Baran et al. study metabolite uptake and release by desert soil microorganisms, showing that coexisting microbes can have divergent substrate preferences.

    • Richard Baran
    • , Eoin L. Brodie
    •  & Trent R. Northen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Lower glacial atmospheric CO2has been linked to enhanced carbon storage in the Southern Ocean, yet the associated biological and physical mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, the authors combine diatom and radiolarian isotope measurements, and model simulations to investigate surface–subsurface processes.

    • Andrea Abelmann
    • , Rainer Gersonde
    •  & Ralf Tiedemann

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The relative contribution of nitrogen fixation and nitrogen diffusion to marine biomes is presently debated. Here, the authors evaluate the contribution of these pathways across the tropics and subtropics of the global ocean and show that nitrogen diffusion, reinforced by salt fingers, is the dominant process.

    • B. Fernández-Castro
    • , B. Mouriño-Carballido
    •  & R. Simó

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Metal toxicity is a primary source of abnormalities in aquatic organisms, and these have been used to evaluate anthropogenic heavy metal pollution. Here, the authors suggest that abnormalities in Silurian acritarchs were caused by heavy metal pollution corresponding to Early Palaeozoic extinction events.

    • Thijs R. A. Vandenbroucke
    • , Poul Emsbo
    •  & Wolfgang Kiessling

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The climatic impact of ancient carbon released during the thawing of Arctic permafrost depends on the degree to which it is degraded. Here, the authors show that permafrost-sourced carbon is preferentially metabolized by microbial communities during transit in high-latitude rivers.

    • Paul J. Mann
    • , Timothy I. Eglinton
    •  & Robert G. M. Spencer

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Elevated deposition of bioavailable atmospheric iron may have enhanced carbon storage in the glacial Southern Ocean. Conwayet al. apply a novel rapid-filtration technique to iron trapped in Antarctic ice cores and show that glacial soluble iron deposition was an order of magnitude greater than the modern.

    • T.M. Conway
    • , E.W. Wolff
    •  & H.E. Elderfield

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Oceanic SAR11 Alphaproteobacteria and Prochlorococcus cyanobacteria are abundant in phosphate-poor regions, despite it being vital for growth. Here, Zubkov et al.show these bacterioplankton exploit an extracellular buffer of labile phosphate to reduce their dependency on bioavailable ambient phosphate.

    • Mikhail V. Zubkov
    • , Adrian P. Martin
    •  & David J. Scanlan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Minerals are known to stabilize organic carbon in sediments, affecting biogeochemical cycles and global climate, but the mechanism is not understood. Here, the authors suggest that manganese oxides can trap organic carbon and may act as a ‘mineral pump’, transforming carbon between labile and refractory forms.

    • Karen Johnson
    • , Graham Purvis
    •  & Chris Greenwell

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Global warming and ocean acidification impact coral ecosystems. Here, the authors show higher skeletal porosity and reduced bulk density at lower pH in corals living along a natural pH gradient in the Mediterranean, which may contribute to reduce population density and increase damage susceptibility.

    • Paola Fantazzini
    • , Stefano Mengoli
    •  & Stefano Goffredo

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Sinking of organic matter represents the dominant mechanism for sequestration of anthropogenic CO2in the deep sea. Here, the authors report the presence of healthy photosynthetic cells in the deep dark ocean, implying the fast injection of fresh organic carbon at depth across the global oligotrophic ocean.

    • S. Agusti
    • , J. I. González-Gordillo
    •  & C. M. Duarte

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Neodymium isotopes are tracers for past and present ocean circulation and biogeochemistry. Here, the authors combine observations of neodymium and radium isotopes in the Amazon estuary and show that the rapid release of neodymium from river suspended sediments leaves a strong imprint on coastal sea water.

    • Tristan C. C. Rousseau
    • , Jeroen E. Sonke
    •  & Catherine Jeandel

  • Article |

    Due to a paucity of terrestrial data, knowledge of the size of the East Antarctic ice sheet in the past is limited. Here, the authors present isotope data of sulfates from the Lewis Cliff Ice Tongue moraine, which suggest temporary existence of ice-free conditions in central Antarctica since the Miocene.

    • Tao Sun
    • , Richard A. Socki
    •  & Eric Tonui

  • Article |

    The extent to which the microbial carbon pump contributes to the generation of marine refractory dissolved organic matter (RDOM) remains a matter of debate. Here, the authors report results from a 3-year mesocosm study, and show that most of the microbial DOM is different from RDOM in the ocean.

    • Helena Osterholz
    • , Jutta Niggemann
    •  & Thorsten Dittmar

  • Article |

    Numerous theories exist regarding the evolution of a deep-water oxygen deficiency in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Here, the authors test several popular hypotheses with a focus on the S1 event showing that long-term stagnation was necessary, preconditioned by the changes associated with the last deglaciation.

    • Rosina Grimm
    • , Ernst Maier-Reimer
    •  & Kay-Christian Emeis

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The Cambrian explosion of biological diversity has been associated with widespread ocean oxygenation, yet early Cambrian ocean redox conditions remain controversial. Here, the authors present a suite of molybdenum isotope data and show that the ocean was oxygenated to modern-like levels by 521 Ma.

    • Xi Chen
    • , Hong-Fei Ling
    •  & Corey Archer

  • Article
    | Open Access

    How primary production is influenced by climatic forcing has not been tested in most ecosystems. Here, the authors study a four-decade record of grassland production and find a sustained decline in above-ground net primary production attributable to increased aridity from declining late-summer rainfall.

    • E. N. J. Brookshire
    •  & T. Weaver

  • Article |

    Intense solar radiation on desiccated desert soils can cause a short circuit in biogeochemical cycles leading to the release of CO2and nitrogen oxides. Here, the authors show that this can be linked to the production of soil superoxide radicals, which then produce peroxides and hydroxyl radicals.

    • Christos D. Georgiou
    • , Henry J. Sun
    •  & Irene Margiolaki

  • Article |

    Agricultural practices can degrade soil conditions through the loss of organic matter, a situation that will be exacerbated with growing populations. Here, the authors show that converting cropland to management intensive grazing can rapidly improve soil quality and increase organic matter concentrations.

    • Megan B. Machmuller
    • , Marc G. Kramer
    •  & Aaron Thompson

  • Article |

    The mechanisms driving soil carbon storage, one of the largest stores of terrestrial carbon, remain poorly understood. Here, the authors present data from the long-term Jena Experiment on grassland biodiversity, showing that elevated carbon storage at high plant diversity is a direct function of increased soil microbial activity.

    • Markus Lange
    • , Nico Eisenhauer
    •  & Gerd Gleixner

  • Article |

    The microbial carbon pump is an important pathway for marine carbon sequestration, yet the chemical complexity and stability of persistent molecules remain enigmatic. Here, the authors use bioassay experiments to investigate the complexity and refractory nature of bacterial dissolved organic matter.

    • Oliver J. Lechtenfeld
    • , Norbert Hertkorn
    •  & Ronald Benner

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