Comment on "Abiotic pyrite formation produces a large Fe isotope fractionation"

Guilbaud et al. (Reports, 24 June 2011, p. 1548) suggest that the geologic record of Fe isotope fractionation can be explained by abiological precipitation of pyrite. We argue that a detailed understanding of the depositional setting, mineralogy, and geologic history of Precambrian sedimentary rocks indicates that the Fe isotope record dominantly reflects biological fractionations and Fe redox processes.     

Deuterium isotope effect on carbon isotope fractionation in photosynthesis

Plants grown in D(2)O show a decreased tendency to fractionate carbon-13 during photosynthetic incorporation of carbon dioxide. The isotopic ratio C(13)/C(12) of the tissues of deuterated plants appears to be proportional to the deuterium content of the tissue. This effect was found in specimens of the partially deuterated vascular plant Nicotiana tabacum as well as in cultures of the fully deuterated alga Chlorella vulgaris.     

Strontium isotope fractionation in the kiglapait intrusion

The initial ratio of strontium-87 to strontium-86 rises systematically from 0.70395 to 0.70662 over the upper 10 percent of the Kiglapait layered intrusion. This ratio is strongly correlated with potassium and rubidium. Contamination, exchange, and magma mixing fail to account for the increase, which is ascribed to the imperfect retention of radiogenic strontium-87 in feldspar-like structural units of the melt inherited from the magma source. These accidents in chemical discrimination persist most readily in anhydrous melts.     

Oxygen isotope fractionation in the system dolomite-calcite-carbon dioxide

Oxygen isotopes were equilibrated between carbon dioxide and calcite at four temperatures in the range 350 degrees to 610 degrees C and between carbon dioxide and dolomite at 350 degrees and 400 degrees C. Carbon of unusual isotopic composition was used as a tracer to demonstrate the nature and extent of the exchange process. Extrapolation of these data at lower temperatures indicates that at 25 degrees C dolomite is enriched in oxygen-18 by 6.8 per mil with respect to calcite. This result indicates that those natural dolomite-calcite assemblages which show very small fractionations were not formed in isotopic equilibrium.     

Oxygen isotope fractionation in reactions catalyzed by enzymes

A study has been made of some of the enzymatic mechanisms responsible for the previously reported fractionation of oxygen isotopes by whole organisms. The data indicate that the fractionation occurs through the activity of metalloenzymes.     

Large sulfur isotope fractionation does not require disproportionation

The composition of sulfur isotopes in sedimentary sulfides and sulfates traces the sulfur cycle throughout Earth's history. In particular, depletions of sulfur-34 ((34)S) in sulfide relative to sulfate exceeding 47 per mil (‰) often serve as a proxy for the disproportionation of intermediate sulfur species in addition to sulfate reduction. Here, we demonstrate that a pure, actively growing culture of a marine sulfate-reducing bacterium can deplete (34)S by up to 66‰ during sulfate reduction alone and in the absence of an extracellular oxidative sulfur cycle. Therefore, similar magnitudes of sulfur isotope fractionation in sedimentary rocks do not unambiguously record the presence of other sulfur-based metabolisms or the stepwise oxygenation of Earth's surface environment during the Proterozoic.     

Iron isotope fractionation and the oxygen fugacity of the mantle

The oxygen fugacity of the mantle exerts a fundamental influence on mantle melting, volatile speciation, and the development of the atmosphere. However, its evolution through time is poorly understood. Changes in mantle oxidation state should be reflected in the Fe3+/Fe2+ of mantle minerals, and hence in stable iron isotope fractionation. Here it is shown that there are substantial (1.7 per mil) systematic variations in the iron isotope compositions (delta57/54Fe) of mantle spinels. Spinel delta57/54Fe values correlate with relative oxygen fugacity, Fe3+/sigmaFe, and chromium number, and provide a proxy of changes in mantle oxidation state, melting, and volatile recycling.     

Carbon isotope fractionation in the Fischer-tropsch synthesis and in meteorites

Carbon dioxide and organic compounds made by a Fischer-Tropsch reaction at 400 degrees K show a kinetic isotope fractionation of 50 to 100 per mil, similar to that observed in carbonaceous chondrites. This result supports the view that organic compounds in meteorites were produced by catalytic reactions between carbon monoxide and hydrogen in the solar nebula.     

The mass-independent fractionation of oxygen: a novel isotope effect and its possible cosmochemical implications

Experimental evidence is presented which demonstrates a chemically produced, mass-independent isotopic fractionation of oxygen. The effect is thought to result from self-shielding by the major isotopic species (16)O(2), but other possible mechanisms such as molecular symmetry cannot be ruled out. In a three-isotope plot, the experimentally produced fractionation line is essentially equal in slope to the observed carbonaceous chondrite mixing line. The implications for the early history of the solar system are discussed.     

Iron isotope fractionation during magmatic differentiation in Kilauea Iki lava lake

Magmatic differentiation helps produce the chemical and petrographic diversity of terrestrial rocks. The extent to which magmatic differentiation fractionates nonradiogenic isotopes is uncertain for some elements. We report analyses of iron isotopes in basalts from Kilauea Iki lava lake, Hawaii. The iron isotopic compositions (56Fe/54Fe) of late-stagemeltveins are 0.2 permil (per thousand) greater than values for olivine cumulates. Olivine phenocrysts are up to 1.2 per thousand lighter than those of whole rocks. These results demonstrate that iron isotopes fractionate during magmatic differentiation at both whole-rock and crystal scales. This characteristic of iron relative to the characteristics of magnesium and lithium, for which no fractionation has been found, may be related to its complex redox chemistry in magmatic systems and makes iron a potential tool for studying planetary differentiation.     

Mass-independent oxygen isotope fractionation in atmospheric CO as a result of the reaction CO + OH

Atmospheric carbon monoxide (CO) exhibits mass-independent fractionation in the oxygen isotopes. An 17O excess up to 7.5 per mil was observed in summer at high northern latitudes. The major source of this puzzling fractionation in this important trace gas is its dominant atmospheric removal reaction, CO + OH --> CO2 + H, in which the surviving CO gains excess 17O. The occurrence of mass-independent fractionation in the reaction of CO with OH raises fundamental questions about kinetic processes. At the same time the effect is a useful marker for the degree to which CO in the atmosphere has been reacting with OH.     

Strange and unconventional isotope effects in ozone formation

The puzzling mass-independent isotopic enrichment in ozone formation contrasts markedly with the more recently observed large unconventional mass-dependent ratios of the individual ozone formation rate constants in certain systems. An RRKM (Rice, Ramsperger, Kassel, Marcus)-based theory is used to treat both effects. Restrictions of symmetry on how energy is shared among the rotational/vibrational states of the ozone isotopomer, together with an analysis of the competition between the transition states of its two exit channels, permit the calculation of isotope effects consistent with a wide array of experimental results.     

Clues from Fe isotope variations on the origin of early Archean BIFs from Greenland

Archean rocks may provide a record of early Earth environments. However, such rocks have often been metamorphosed by high pressure and temperature, which can overprint the signatures of their original formation. Here, we show that the early Archean banded rocks from Isua, Akilia, and Innersuartuut, Greenland, are enriched in heavy iron isotopes by 0.1 to 0.5 per mil per atomic mass unit relative to igneous rocks worldwide. The observed enrichments are compatible with the transport, oxidation, and subsequent precipitation of ferrous iron emanating from hydrothermal vents and thus suggest that the original rocks were banded iron formations (BIFs). These variations therefore support a sedimentary origin for the Akilia banded rocks, which represent one of the oldest known occurrences of water-laid deposits on Earth.     

Carbon-13/carbon-12 isotope fractionation of organic matter associated with uranium ores induced by alpha irradiation

Analyses of stable carbon isotopes from two sample suites from sandstone uranium (tabular) ores show interesting variations. Organic carbon associated with high-grade uranium ore is heavy (delta(13)C = -16.9 to -19.6 per mil, where delta(13)C = (13)C/(12)C relative to the Pee Dee belemnite standard) relative to the adjacent lower-grade samples (-22.7 to -26.4 per mil). It is suggested that the heavy isotopic values for the are samples are related to a radiation and chemical isotope effect that has occurred mainly because of an alpha-radiation dose of 10(11) rads.     

Quartz and magnetite: oxygen-18-oxygen-16 fractionation in metamorphosed biwabik iron formation

Oxygen-18-oxygen-16 fractionation of coexisting quartz and magnetite from the Biwabik iron formation varies as a function of distance of the sample from an intrusive contact. This isotope fractionation is related to observed mineralogic variations and compared with a theoretical heat-flow model.     

一个新的小麦非生物胁迫诱导基因的克隆及表达特性

 【目的】水分胁迫和低温是制约植物生长发育的重要限制因子，研究植物感知、传递胁迫信号，并对重要的基因进行克隆对改良作物的抗性有重要意义。本试验的目的是克隆与水分胁迫相关的基因，通过基因的功能进一步了解植物的抗旱机制，并为抗逆育种提供候选基因。【方法】试验应用噬菌体原位杂交技术从小麦旱胁迫cDNA文库中克隆了一个水分胁迫诱导基因片段W89。用5′-RACE和RT-PCR方法，获得了W89基因的全长序列。【结果】W89全长cDNA为2 392 bp，其中，编码区长1 896 bp，编码631个氨基酸。Southern杂交表明，W89是一个单拷贝基因。RT-PCR结果表明，W89受干旱、低温和ABA的诱导。氨基酸序列分析发现W89有一个DUF248保守区（pfam03141），包含一个具有SAM （Sterile Alpha Motif）结合基序的甲基转移酶区。同源性分析发现W89与一个水稻干旱诱导蛋白（BAD67956）的同源性为66%，推测W89可能是一个新的小麦干旱诱导的基因。【结论】根据甲基转移酶和SAM结合基序的功能，推测W89的SAM结合基序可能与其它蛋白或转录因子相互作用调控植物胁迫基因的表达，并且可能在干旱胁迫的早期调控信号的转导。     

Bioluminescence: dual mechanism in a planktonic tunicate produces brilliant surface display

Luminescent flashes emanate spontaneously and on mechanical stimulation from the bodies of Oikopleura dioica (Urochordata, Larvacea); flashes also emanate, on mechanical stimulation only, from both their occupied and discarded mucous houses. The luminescence is intrinsic to the animals and their houses. Field observations suggest that, because of this dual method of light production, larvaceans may contribute substantially to surface coastal displays of marine bioluminescence.