Atmospheric Electricity Influencing Biogeochemical Processes in Soils and Sediments
The Earth’s subsurface represents a complex electrochemical environment that contains many electro-active chemical compounds that are relevant for a wide array of biologically driven ecosystem processes. Concentrations of many of these electro-active compounds within Earth’s subsurface environments...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2019-04-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Physiology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fphys.2019.00378/full |
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| author | Ellard R. Hunting Ellard R. Hunting Ellard R. Hunting R. Giles Harrison Andreas Bruder Peter M. van Bodegom Harm G. van der Geest Andries A. Kampfraath Michel Vorenhout Wim Admiraal Casper Cusell Mark O. Gessner Mark O. Gessner |
| author_facet | Ellard R. Hunting Ellard R. Hunting Ellard R. Hunting R. Giles Harrison Andreas Bruder Peter M. van Bodegom Harm G. van der Geest Andries A. Kampfraath Michel Vorenhout Wim Admiraal Casper Cusell Mark O. Gessner Mark O. Gessner |
| author_sort | Ellard R. Hunting |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Earth’s subsurface represents a complex electrochemical environment that contains many electro-active chemical compounds that are relevant for a wide array of biologically driven ecosystem processes. Concentrations of many of these electro-active compounds within Earth’s subsurface environments fluctuate during the day and over seasons. This has been observed for surface waters, sediments and continental soils. This variability can affect particularly small, relatively immobile organisms living in these environments. While various drivers have been identified, a comprehensive understanding of the causes and consequences of spatio-temporal variability in subsurface electrochemistry is still lacking. Here we propose that variations in atmospheric electricity (AE) can influence the electrochemical environments of soils, water bodies and their sediments, with implications that are likely relevant for a wide range of organisms and ecosystem processes. We tested this hypothesis in field and laboratory case studies. Based on measurements of subsurface redox conditions in soils and sediment, we found evidence for both local and global variation in AE with corresponding patterns in subsurface redox conditions. In the laboratory, bacterial respiratory responses, electron transport activity and H2S production were observed to be causally linked to changes in atmospheric cation concentrations. We argue that such patterns are part of an overlooked phenomenon. This recognition widens our conceptual understanding of chemical and biological processes in the Earth’s subsurface and their interactions with the atmosphere and the physical environment. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T12:28:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b8f3668f52d74a918ab8983aad2f53c7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-042X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T12:28:14Z |
| publishDate | 2019-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Physiology |
| spelling | doaj.art-b8f3668f52d74a918ab8983aad2f53c72022-12-21T23:01:16ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Physiology1664-042X2019-04-011010.3389/fphys.2019.00378408776Atmospheric Electricity Influencing Biogeochemical Processes in Soils and SedimentsEllard R. Hunting0Ellard R. Hunting1Ellard R. Hunting2R. Giles Harrison3Andreas Bruder4Peter M. van Bodegom5Harm G. van der Geest6Andries A. Kampfraath7Michel Vorenhout8Wim Admiraal9Casper Cusell10Mark O. Gessner11Mark O. Gessner12School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United KingdomBiology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, United StatesInstitute of Environmental Sciences, Leiden University, Leiden, NetherlandsDepartment of Meteorology, University of Reading, Reading, United KingdomLaboratory of Applied Microbiology, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, Bellinzona, SwitzerlandInstitute of Environmental Sciences, Leiden University, Leiden, NetherlandsFreshwater and Marine Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, NetherlandsFreshwater and Marine Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, NetherlandsMVH Consult, Leiden, NetherlandsFreshwater and Marine Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, NetherlandsFreshwater and Marine Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, NetherlandsDepartment of Experimental Limnology, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Stechlin, GermanyDepartment of Ecology, Berlin Institute of Technology, Berlin, GermanyThe Earth’s subsurface represents a complex electrochemical environment that contains many electro-active chemical compounds that are relevant for a wide array of biologically driven ecosystem processes. Concentrations of many of these electro-active compounds within Earth’s subsurface environments fluctuate during the day and over seasons. This has been observed for surface waters, sediments and continental soils. This variability can affect particularly small, relatively immobile organisms living in these environments. While various drivers have been identified, a comprehensive understanding of the causes and consequences of spatio-temporal variability in subsurface electrochemistry is still lacking. Here we propose that variations in atmospheric electricity (AE) can influence the electrochemical environments of soils, water bodies and their sediments, with implications that are likely relevant for a wide range of organisms and ecosystem processes. We tested this hypothesis in field and laboratory case studies. Based on measurements of subsurface redox conditions in soils and sediment, we found evidence for both local and global variation in AE with corresponding patterns in subsurface redox conditions. In the laboratory, bacterial respiratory responses, electron transport activity and H2S production were observed to be causally linked to changes in atmospheric cation concentrations. We argue that such patterns are part of an overlooked phenomenon. This recognition widens our conceptual understanding of chemical and biological processes in the Earth’s subsurface and their interactions with the atmosphere and the physical environment.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fphys.2019.00378/fullatmospheric electricitybacterial respirationbiogeochemistryCarnegie-curveionsredox potential |
| spellingShingle | Ellard R. Hunting Ellard R. Hunting Ellard R. Hunting R. Giles Harrison Andreas Bruder Peter M. van Bodegom Harm G. van der Geest Andries A. Kampfraath Michel Vorenhout Wim Admiraal Casper Cusell Mark O. Gessner Mark O. Gessner Atmospheric Electricity Influencing Biogeochemical Processes in Soils and Sediments Frontiers in Physiology atmospheric electricity bacterial respiration biogeochemistry Carnegie-curve ions redox potential |
| title | Atmospheric Electricity Influencing Biogeochemical Processes in Soils and Sediments |
| title_full | Atmospheric Electricity Influencing Biogeochemical Processes in Soils and Sediments |
| title_fullStr | Atmospheric Electricity Influencing Biogeochemical Processes in Soils and Sediments |
| title_full_unstemmed | Atmospheric Electricity Influencing Biogeochemical Processes in Soils and Sediments |
| title_short | Atmospheric Electricity Influencing Biogeochemical Processes in Soils and Sediments |
| title_sort | atmospheric electricity influencing biogeochemical processes in soils and sediments |
| topic | atmospheric electricity bacterial respiration biogeochemistry Carnegie-curve ions redox potential |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fphys.2019.00378/full |
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