Insights on coccolith chemistry from a new ion probe method for analysis of individually picked coccoliths
Citable URI
https://hdl.handle.net/1912/1789As published
https://doi.org/10.1029/2006GC001546Abstract
The elemental chemistry of calcareous nannofossils may provide valuable information on past ocean conditions and coccolithophorid physiology, but artifacts from noncoccolith particles and from changing nannofossil assemblages may bias geochemical records from coccolith size fractions. We describe the first method for picking individual coccoliths using a tungsten needle in micromanipulator. Epoxy-mounted individuals and populations of coccoliths can be analyzed by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). For Paleocene sediments the technique distinguishes the high Sr/Ca ratios of coccoliths (0.3 to 2.8 mmol/mol) from low ratios in abiogenic calcite blades (0.1 mmol/mol). The large heterogeneity of Sr/Ca ratios among different genera suggests that primary geochemical differences have not been homogenized by diagenetic overgrowth and the thick massive coccoliths of the late Paleocene are a primary feature of biomineralization. Sr/Ca ratios for modern genera are on average higher than those of Paleogene genera but exhibit a comparable level of variability.
Description
Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2007. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems 8 (2007): Q06020, doi:10.1029/2006GC001546.
Collections
Suggested Citation
Article: Stoll, Heather M., Shimizu, Nobumichi, Arevalos, Alicia, Matell, Nora, Banasiak, Adam, Zeren, Seth, "Insights on coccolith chemistry from a new ion probe method for analysis of individually picked coccoliths", Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems 8 (2007): Q06020, https://hdl.handle.net/1912/1789Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
Family- and genus-level 16S rRNA-targeted oligonucleotide probes for ecological studies of methanotrophic bacteria
(American Society for Microbiology, 2001-10)Methanotrophic bacteria play a major role in the global carbon cycle, degrade xenobiotic pollutants, and have the potential for a variety of biotechnological applications. To facilitate ecological studies of these important ... -
Lava geochemistry as a probe into crustal formation at the East Pacific Rise
(The Oceanography Society, 2012-03)Basalt lavas comprise the greatest volume of volcanic rocks on Earth, and most of them erupt along the world's mid-ocean ridges (MORs). These MOR basalts (MORBs) are generally thought to be relatively homogeneous in ... -
Using stable isotope probing to characterize differences between free-living and sediment-associated microorganisms in the subsurface
(2012-04-24)Aquifers are subterranean reservoirs of freshwater with heterotrophic bacterial communities attached to the sediments and free-living in the groundwater. In the present study, mesocosms were used to assess factors controlling ...
