Articles | Volume 12, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-2153-2015
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-2153-2015
Research article
 | 
10 Apr 2015
Research article |  | 10 Apr 2015

Impact of seawater [Ca2+] on the calcification and calciteMg / Ca of Amphistegina lessonii

A. Mewes, G. Langer, S. Thoms, G. Nehrke, G.-J. Reichart, L. J. de Nooijer, and J. Bijma

Abstract. Mg / Ca ratios in foraminiferal tests are routinely used as paleotemperature proxies, but on long timescales, they also hold the potential to reconstruct past seawater Mg / Ca. The impact of both temperature and seawater Mg / Ca on Mg incorporation in Foraminifera has been quantified by a number of studies. The underlying mechanism responsible for Mg incorporation in foraminiferal calcite and its sensitivity to environmental conditions, however, has not been fully identified. A recently published biomineralization model (Nehrke et al., 2013) proposes a combination of transmembrane transport and seawater leakage or vacuolization to link calcite Mg / Ca to seawater Mg / Ca and explains inter-species variability in Mg / Ca ratios. To test the assumptions of this model, we conducted a culture study in which seawater Mg / Ca was manipulated by varying [Ca2+] and keeping [Mg2+] constant. Foraminiferal growth rates, test thickness and calcite Mg / Ca of newly formed chambers were analyzed. Results showed optimum growth rates and test thickness at Mg / Ca closest to that of ambient seawater. Calcite Mg / Ca is positively correlated to seawater Mg / Ca, indicating that it is not absolute seawater [Ca2+] and [Mg2+] but their ratio that controls Mg / Ca in tests. These results demonstrate that the calcification process cannot be based only on seawater vacuolization, supporting the mixing model proposed by Nehrke et al. (2013). Here, however, we suggest transmembrane transport fractionation that is not as strong as suggested by Nehrke et al. (2013).

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Short summary
A culture study with the benthic foraminifer Amphistegina lessonii was conducted at varying seawater [Ca2+] and constant [Mg2+]. Results showed optimum growth rates and test thickness at ambient seawater Mg/Ca and a calcite Mg/Ca which is controlled by the relative seawater ratio. Results support the conceptual biomineralization model by Nehrke et al. (2013); however, our refined flux-based model suggests transmembrane transport fractionation that is slightly weaker than expected.
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