Nitrogen isotopes in ophiolitic metagabbros: A re-evaluation of modern nitrogen fluxes in subduction zones and implication for the early Earth atmosphere

Busigny, Vincent; Cartigny, Pierre; Philippot, Pascal

doi:10.1016/j.gca.2011.09.049

Cited by 121 publications

(103 citation statements)

References 99 publications

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“…Sedimentary and metasedimentary rocks occupy ~ 70% of the Earth surface [ Durr et al , ], with fine‐grained rocks comprising ~ 40% of these reservoirs [ Suchet et al , ]. While the global weathering flux of rock N remains uncertain, N burial in marine sediments [ Gruber and Galloway , ] substantially exceeds the volcanic degassing flux and transfer to the mantle [ Vincent Busigny et al , ; Sano et al , ], suggesting that a large weathering flux of rock N (~15–25 Tg N yr −1 ) is required to balance ocean burial of N at geologic time scales [ Berner , ; Boyd , ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geochemical and tectonic uplift controls on rock nitrogen inputs across terrestrial ecosystems

Morford

Houlton

Dahlgren

2016

Global Biogeochemical Cycles

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Rock contains > 99% of Earth's reactive nitrogen (N), but questions remain over the direct importance of rock N weathering inputs to terrestrial biogeochemical cycling. Here we investigate the factors that regulate rock N abundance and develop a new model for quantifying rock N mobilization fluxes across desert to temperate rainforest ecosystems in California, USA. We analyzed the N content of 968 rock samples from 531 locations and compiled 178 cosmogenically derived denudation estimates from across the region to identify landscapes and ecosystems where rocks account for a significant fraction of terrestrial N inputs. Strong coherence between rock N content and geophysical factors, such as protolith, (i.e. parent rock), grain size, and thermal history, are observed. A spatial model that combines rock geochemistry with lithology and topography demonstrates that average rock N reservoirs range from 0.18 to 1.2 kg N m À3 (80 to 534 mg N kg À1 ) across the nine geomorphic provinces of California and estimates a rock N denudation flux of 20-92 Gg yr À1 across the entire study area (natural atmospheric inputs~140 Gg yr À1 ). The model highlights regional differences in rock N mobilization and points to the Coast Ranges, Transverse Ranges, and the Klamath Mountains as regions where rock N could contribute meaningfully to ecosystem N cycling. Contrasting these data to global compilations suggests that our findings are broadly applicable beyond California and that the N abundance and variability in rock are well constrained across most of the Earth system.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geochemical and tectonic uplift controls on rock nitrogen inputs across terrestrial ecosystems

Morford

Houlton

Dahlgren

2016

Global Biogeochemical Cycles

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“…The chemical composition and physical structure of Earth's ancient atmosphere are active areas of research because these properties can leave perceptible imprints on rocks (Rasmussen & Buick, 1999;Som, Catling, Harnmeijer, Polivka, & Buick, 2012;Som et al, 2016). Independent methods, including paleobarometric measurements (Busigny, Cartigny, & Philippot, 2011;Som et al, 2012;Marty, Zimmerman, Pujol, Burgess, & Philippot, 2013;Som et al, 2016;Avice et al, 2018; summarized schematically in Figure 1) and modeling efforts (Barry & Hilton, 2016;Berner, 2006;Goldblatt et al, 2009;Johnson & Goldblatt, 2017Mallik, Li, & Wiedenbeck, 2018;Stüeken, Kipp, Koehler, Schwieterman et al, 2016), have attempted to constrain pN 2 throughout Earth's history. Several nitrogen sources and sinks control the atmospheric nitrogen concentration.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphological and isotopic changes of heterocystous cyanobacteria in response to N₂ partial pressure

et al. 2018

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Earth's atmospheric composition has changed significantly over geologic time. Many redox active atmospheric constituents have left evidence of their presence, while inert constituents such as dinitrogen gas (N2) are more elusive. In this study, we examine two potential biological indicators of atmospheric N2: the morphological and isotopic signatures of heterocystous cyanobacteria. Biological nitrogen fixation constitutes the primary source of fixed nitrogen to the global biosphere and is catalyzed by the oxygen‐sensitive enzyme nitrogenase. To protect this enzyme, some filamentous cyanobacteria restrict nitrogen fixation to microoxic cells (heterocysts) while carrying out oxygenic photosynthesis in vegetative cells. Heterocysts terminally differentiate in a pattern that is maintained as the filaments grow, and nitrogen fixation imparts a measurable isotope effect, creating two biosignatures that have previously been interrogated under modern N2 partial pressure (pN2) conditions. Here, we examine the effect of variable pN2 on these biosignatures for two species of the filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena. We provide the first in vivo estimate of the intrinsic isotope fractionation factor of Mo‐nitrogenase (εfix = −2.71 ± 0.09‰) and show that, with decreasing pN2, the net nitrogen isotope fractionation decreases for both species, while the heterocyst spacing decreases for Anabaena cylindrica and remains unchanged for Anabaena variabilis. These results are consistent with the nitrogen fixation mechanisms available in the two species. Application of these quantifiable effects to the geologic record may lead to new paleobarometric measurements for pN2, ultimately contributing to a better understanding of Earth's atmospheric evolution.

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“…Geochemical models have pointed to the importance of N weathering in regulating atmospheric N 2 over deep time (Berner, 2006). The burial of fixed N in marine environments (∼ 25 Tg yr −1 ; Gruber and Galloway, 2008) greatly exceeds volcanic degassing (∼ 0.4 Tg yr −1 ; Busigny et al, 2011), suggesting that the majority of the N transferred to the crust must be recycled via rock uplift and weathering. This imbalance implies that global rock N inputs may be of a similar magnitude to lower-bound estimates of biological N fixation in natural terrestrial sites (58 Tg yr −1 ; .…”

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confidence: 99%

A new synthesis for terrestrial nitrogen inputs

Houlton

Morford

2015

SOIL

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Abstract. Nitrogen (N) inputs sustain many different aspects of local soil processes, their services, and their interactions with the broader Earth system. We present a new synthesis for terrestrial N inputs that explicitly considers both rock and atmospheric sources of N. We review evidence for state-factor regulation over biological fixation, deposition, and rock-weathering inputs from local to global scales and in transient vs. steady-state landscapes. Our investigation highlights strong organism and topographic (relief) controls over all three N input pathways, with the anthropogenic factor clearly important in rising N deposition rates. In addition, the climate, parent material, and time factors are shown to influence patterns of fixation and rock-weathering inputs of N in diverse soil systems. Data reanalysis suggests that weathering of N-rich parent material could resolve several known cases of "missing N inputs" in ecosystems, and demonstrates how the inclusion of rock N sources into modern concepts can lead to a richer understanding of spatial and temporal patterns of ecosystem N availability. For example, explicit consideration of rock N inputs into classic pedogenic models (e.g., the Walker and Syers model) yields a fundamentally different expectation from the standard case: weathering of N-rich parent material could enhance N availability and facilitate terrestrial succession in developmentally young sites even in the absence of N-fixing organisms. We conclude that a state-factor framework for N complements our growing understanding multiple-source controls on phosphorus and cation availability in Earth's soil, but with significant exceptions given the lack of an N fixation analogue in all other biogeochemical cycles. Rather, non-symmetrical feedbacks among input pathways in which high N inputs via deposition or rock-weathering sources have the potential to reduce biological fixation rates mark N as fundamentally different from other nutrients. The new synthesis for terrestrial N inputs provides a novel set of research issues and opportunities in the multidisciplinary Earth system sciences, with implications for patterns of N limitation, tectonic controls over biogeochemical cycling, and carbon-nutrient-climate interactions.

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Nitrogen isotopes in ophiolitic metagabbros: A re-evaluation of modern nitrogen fluxes in subduction zones and implication for the early Earth atmosphere

Cited by 121 publications

References 99 publications

Geochemical and tectonic uplift controls on rock nitrogen inputs across terrestrial ecosystems

Geochemical and tectonic uplift controls on rock nitrogen inputs across terrestrial ecosystems

Morphological and isotopic changes of heterocystous cyanobacteria in response to N₂ partial pressure

A new synthesis for terrestrial nitrogen inputs

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Nitrogen isotopes in ophiolitic metagabbros: A re-evaluation of modern nitrogen fluxes in subduction zones and implication for the early Earth atmosphere

Cited by 121 publications

References 99 publications

Geochemical and tectonic uplift controls on rock nitrogen inputs across terrestrial ecosystems

Geochemical and tectonic uplift controls on rock nitrogen inputs across terrestrial ecosystems

Morphological and isotopic changes of heterocystous cyanobacteria in response to N2 partial pressure

A new synthesis for terrestrial nitrogen inputs

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Resources

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Morphological and isotopic changes of heterocystous cyanobacteria in response to N₂ partial pressure