Articles | Volume 23, issue 21
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-7911-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-7911-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
06 Nov 2026
Research article |
| 06 Nov 2026
| 06 Nov 2026
Tracking sulfate, magnesium and amorphous phases in cultured benthic foraminifera
Guillaume Paris
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Université de Lorraine, CNRS, CRPG, 54000 Nancy, France
Caroline Thaler
CR2P (Centre de Recherche en Paléontologie), UMR 7207 MNHN, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, 75005 Paris, France
Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement (LSCE), UMR 8212 CEA, CNRS, Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin en Yvelines, 91191 Gif sur Yvette CEDEX, France
now at: Bloomineral, 91191 Gif sur Yvette CEDEX, France
Marc Dellinger
MCAM, UMR 7245 MNHN, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, 75005 Paris, France
Jérôme Aléon
Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (IMPMC), Sorbonne Université, MNHN, CNRS UMR 7590, IRD, 75005 Paris, France
Smail Mostefaoui
Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (IMPMC), Sorbonne Université, MNHN, CNRS UMR 7590, IRD, 75005 Paris, France
Alice Aléon-Toppani
Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale, 91405 Orsay, France
Claire Rollion-Bard
Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement (LSCE), UMR 8212 CEA, CNRS, Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin en Yvelines, 91191 Gif sur Yvette CEDEX, France
David Troadec
Université de Lille, CNRS, Centrale Lille, Junia, Université Polytechnique Hauts de France, UMR 8520-IEMN, 59000 Lille, France
Guillaume Yangshu Wang
Université Paris Cité, Laboratoire Matériaux et Phénomènes Quantiques UMR 7162, 75205 Paris, France
Annachiara Bartolini
CR2P (Centre de Recherche en Paléontologie), UMR 7207 MNHN, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, 75005 Paris, France
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Elisa Costanzi, Francesca Zito, Annachiara Bartolini, Arul Marie, Sylvain Bernard, and Anna Sabbatini
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2192, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2192, 2026
Preprint archived
Short summary
Short summary
We studied how foraminifera build their calcium carbonate shells, focusing on the cell membrane. Using new extraction, protein analysis, and imaging techniques, we showed that the membrane and its proteins may regulate calcium transport and release during shell formation. We also found that parts of the organic shell layer likely come from the membrane. These results support existing models and improve understanding of biocalcification and environmental records.
Caroline Thaler, Guillaume Paris, Marc Dellinger, Delphine Dissard, Sophie Berland, Arul Marie, Amandine Labat, and Annachiara Bartolini
Biogeosciences, 20, 5177–5198, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-5177-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-5177-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Our study focuses on one of the most used microfossils in paleoenvironmental reconstructions: foraminifera. We set up a novel approach of long-term cultures under variable and controlled conditions. Our results highlight that foraminiferal tests can be used as a unique record of both SO42−/CaCO3 and δ34S seawater variation. This establishes geological formations composed of biogenic carbonates as a potential repository of paleoenvironmental seawater sulfate chemical and geochemical variation.
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Short summary
To understand sulfate incorporation in the calcitic tests of foraminifera, we grew specimens with labeled sulfur. We documented sulfur, magnesium and calcium distribution across the cell, together with the ultrastructure of the test. S and Mg often co-occur and are particularly concentrated in amorphous blocks within organic linings . Strong biological control of those three elements likely plays a role in amorphous calcium carbonate formation and its evolution to calcite.
To understand sulfate incorporation in the calcitic tests of foraminifera, we grew specimens...
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