Abstract
Rocks may seem chemically inert, but carbon and oxygen constantly move between the atmosphere and the land. A new study reveals insights into tiny players in this cycle. Microorganisms can release carbon dioxide from eroding rocks to the atmosphere more quickly than researchers expected, according to the study. Scientists previously thought that eroding mountains served as carbon sinks, pulling CO2 from the atmosphere by forming carbonate minerals. Jordon Hemingway of Harvard University and colleagues studied carbon release in the Central Mountain Range of Taiwan, which erodes quickly thanks to frequent typhoons and landslides. They estimated that at least 67% of the organic carbon held in the bedrock had been released—presumably by oxidation to CO2. To determine whether microbes were responsible for this oxidation, the researchers looked at the ratio of carbon-13 to carbon-12 in fatty acids present in the soil. The team knew that only bacteria could produce these fatty
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