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Organic Geochemistry pp 73–98Cite as

Isotope Fractionation during Primary Production

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Part of the book series: Topics in Geobiology ((TGBI,volume 11))

Abstract

The biological source of sedimentary organic matter can be inferred from detailed chemical studies on the structure of individual molecules extracted from sediments. These inferences are drawn from established relationships between biological source materials and diagenetically altered compounds (de Leeuw and Largeau, this volume, Chapter 2). A second method for inferring the biological source and the ecological setting in which organisms existed is with isotopic tracers of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, and sulfur in organic matter and inorganic substances that have been processed by living organisms. Stable isotope compositions of bulk organic matter have integrative signals from processes that have occurred over the life of the organism, whereas those of individual compounds can record specific events in life. In this chapter, we will review recent advances in biological isotope fractionations of the light stable isotopes and attempt to offer an interpretation of processes that affected the isotopic signature of organic substances in living organisms that were preserved in the fossil record.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington D.C., 20015, USA

    Marilyn L. Fogel

  2. Department of Oceanography, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, 77843, USA

    Luis A. Cifuentes

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  1. Marilyn L. Fogel
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  2. Luis A. Cifuentes
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Geology and Geophysics, The University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, USA

    Michael H. Engel

  2. Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA

    Stephen A. Macko

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Fogel, M.L., Cifuentes, L.A. (1993). Isotope Fractionation during Primary Production. In: Engel, M.H., Macko, S.A. (eds) Organic Geochemistry. Topics in Geobiology, vol 11. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-2890-6_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-2890-6_3

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