Investigating preservation of stable isotope ratios in subfossil deep-sea proteinaceous coral skeletons as paleo-recorders of biogeochemical information over multimillennial timescales

Glynn, Danielle S.; McMahon, Kelton W.; Sherwood, Owen A.; Guilderson, Thomas P.; McCarthy, Matthew D.

doi:10.1016/j.gca.2022.09.023

Investigating preservation of stable isotope ratios in subfossil deep-sea proteinaceous coral skeletons as paleo-recorders of biogeochemical information over multimillennial timescales

Journal Article · Fri Sep 23 00:00:00 EDT 2022 · Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2022.09.023· OSTI ID:2424279

Glynn, Danielle S. ^[1]; McMahon, Kelton W. ^[2]; Sherwood, Owen A. ^[3]; Guilderson, Thomas P. ^[1]; McCarthy, Matthew D. ^[1]

University of California, Santa Cruz, CA (United States)
University of Rhode Island, RI (United States)
Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS (Canada)

Paleoproxy records in deep-sea proteinaceous coral skeletons can reconstruct past ocean conditions on centennial to millennial time scales. Commonly recovered subfossil specimens could potentially extend these archives through the Holocene. However, protein matrix stability and integrity of stable isotope proxies over multi-millennial timescales in such specimens have never been examined. Here we compare amino acid (AA) composition together with bulk and AA compound-specific carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) isotopes in live-collected and subfossil (~9.6–11.6 kyrs BP) Kulamanamana haumeaae deep-sea coral specimens from the central Pacific to understand the effects of long-duration benthic oxic exposure on primary coral chemistry. We find large coupled shifts in bulk δ¹⁵N (~7‰) and δ¹³C (~2‰) in the outermost portion (0–10 mm) of the subfossil coral, coincident with extensive alteration of the protein matrix. Microstructural changes in skeletal texture coincide with higher C/N ratios (+0.8) and isotope-based amino acid degradation parameters (e.g. ΣV ≥ 3), indicating extensive degradation of seawater-exposed gorgonin. However, interior gorgonin (>10 mm) retained amino acid molecular compositions (with exception of major Glycine loss) and bulk and amino acid-specific isotopic values that were similar to live-collected specimens. These results indicate that compound-specific isotope analysis of amino acids can reconstruct paleo-oceanographic biogeochemical and ecosystem information in subfossil corals beyond a clear diagenetic horizon, which is easily identifiable from an evaluation of C/N ratios together with the ΣV degradation proxy.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: NOAA/NURP; National Geographic Society; National Science Foundation (NSF); National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship; USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: AC52-07NA27344

OSTI ID:: 2424279

Journal Information:: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Journal Name: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta Vol. 338; ISSN 0016-7037

Publisher:: Elsevier; The Geochemical Society; The Meteoritical SocietyCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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58 GEOSCIENCES
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Amino acids
CSIA-AA paleoproxies
Carbon isotopes
Compound-specific amino acid isotopes
Deep-sea corals
Degradation proxies
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Nitrogen isotopes
Ocean paleoarchives
Organic preservation
Subfossil protein corals

Investigating preservation of stable isotope ratios in subfossil deep-sea proteinaceous coral skeletons as paleo-recorders of biogeochemical information over multimillennial timescales

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