The fractionation of nitrogen and oxygen isotopes in macroalgae during the assimilation of nitrate

Swart, P. K.; Evans, S.; Capo, T.; Altabet, M. A.

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-6147-2014

Articles | Volume 11, issue 21

https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-6147-2014

© Author(s) 2014. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-6147-2014

© Author(s) 2014. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Articles | Volume 11, issue 21

Research article

|

13 Nov 2014

Research article |

| 13 Nov 2014

The fractionation of nitrogen and oxygen isotopes in macroalgae during the assimilation of nitrate

P. K. Swart, S. Evans, T. Capo, and M. A. Altabet

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Final revised paper (published on 13 Nov 2014)
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Preprint (discussion started on 16 May 2014)
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Interactive discussion

Status: closed

AC: Author comment | RC: Referee comment | SC: Short comment | EC: Editor comment

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RC C2314: 'The Fractionation of Nitrogen and Oxygen Isotopes in Macroalgae during the Assimilation of Nitrate', Anonymous Referee #1, 10 Jun 2014
- AC C4998: 'Reply to Reviewer 1', Peter Swart, 09 Sep 2014
RC C4003: 'Referee Comment on Swart et al "The fractionation of nitrogen and oxygen isotopes in macroalgae during assimilation of nitrate"', Anonymous Referee #2, 31 Jul 2014
- AC C5003: 'Reply to Reviewer 2', Peter Swart, 09 Sep 2014

Peer-review completion

AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision

AR by Peter Swart on behalf of the Authors (09 Sep 2014)

ED: Publish as is (30 Sep 2014) by Brian A. Bergamaschi

AR by Peter Swart on behalf of the Authors (30 Sep 2014)

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Short summary

The ratio of nitrogen-15 to nitrogen-14 of macroalgae has been termed the DNA of sewage. Higher amounts of N-15 have been suggested to indicate the influence of sewage-derived N. But what exactly does the ratio of 15N/14N record? We found that the nitrogen isotopic ratio was dependent upon not only the value in the water but also its concentration of nitrate. At low concentration there was little fractionation, but at higher values the uptake by algae left more of the N-15 in the water.