High pCO2-induced exopolysaccharide-rich ballasted aggregates of planktonic cyanobacteria could explain Paleoproterozoic carbon burial

A Paleoproterozoic carbon isotope anomaly is likely linked to burial of oceanic cyanobacteria, but it is not clear how burial occurred. Here, the authors find that, under Paleoproterozoic pCO2 conditions, planktonic cyanobacteria increase exopolysaccharide production and mineralization, leading to a...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Nina A. Kamennaya, Marcin Zemla, Laura Mahoney, Liang Chen, Elizabeth Holman, Hoi-Ying Holman, Manfred Auer, Caroline M. Ajo-Franklin, Christer Jansson
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Publishing Group 2018-05-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-04588-9