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15N abundance in Antarctica: origin of soil nitrogen and ecological implications

Nature volume 292, pages 327–329 (1981)Cite this article

Abstract

Antarctica offers a unique natural environment from the point of view of nitrogen cycling. Ice-free dry areas,‘Antarctic oases’, and penguin rookeries are of particular interest because of the characteristic distribution of nitrate deposits1–4 and biological materials such as algae and guano. As the distribution of 15N/14N in a geochemical system reflects sources and metabolic pathways of nitrogen5, a study of the nitrogen isotopic composition of Antarctic samples would help us to understand the Antarctic nitrogen cycle. Here we report that nitrate in Antarctic soils is extremely depleted in 15N compared with biogenic nitrogen, and that algae collected from a nitrate-rich saline pond and from a penguin rookery exhibit, respectively, the lowest and the highest 15N/14N ratios among terrestrial biogenic nitrogen so far observed. We also discuss possible causes of these extreme nitrogen isotopic compositions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mitsubishi-Kasei Institute of Life Sciences, Minamiooya 11, Machida, Tokyo, 194, Japan

    Eitaro Wada & Reiko Shibata

  2. Chiba Institute of Technology, Tsudanuma 2-17-1, Narashino, Chiba, 275, Japan

    Tetsuya Torii

Authors
  1. Eitaro Wada
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  2. Reiko Shibata
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  3. Tetsuya Torii
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Wada, E., Shibata, R. & Torii, T. 15N abundance in Antarctica: origin of soil nitrogen and ecological implications. Nature 292, 327–329 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1038/292327a0

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