The effect of carbonate chemistry on trace elements incorporation in the laboratory cultured large benthic foraminifer Operculina ammonoides from 2018-06-03 to 2019-08-04 (NCEI Accession 0290763)

A set of laboratory culture experiments was performed with the large benthic high-Mg calcite foraminifer Operculina ammonoides collected from the North Beach of Eilat, Israel, labeled with the fluorescent dye Calcein. This live culture experiment included two sets of 6 treatments: the first (HH6) under constant dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC; ~2170 µmol kg-1) with variable pH (7.5, 7.7, 8.1, 8.4 NBS scale), and additional two treatments with lower pH (7.8 and 7.5) and elevated experimental seawater Ca2+ concentrations (17.7 and 13.7 mmol kg-1, respectively; by the addition of CaCl2). The second (HH7) under variable DIC (830, 1110, 1490, 2000, 2050, 2470 µmol kg-1) with constant pH (~7.9). Alkalinity and pH were measured while DIC, CO32-, and Ω values were calculated using CO2SYS. All experimental seawater reservoirs were spiked with 74 nM 135Ba in order to unambiguously determine newly grown CaCO3 during spatially-resolved analysis of the shell. Ten specimens from each treatment with significant growth beyond the calcein mark were selected and analyzed for their trace element/Ca ratios in the Frankfurt Isotope and Elemental Research laboratory (FIERCE) at Goethe University Frankfurt. Foraminiferal shells Na/Ca, Mg/Ca, Li/Ca and Sr/Ca were measured using ThermoScientific Element XR sector-field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (SF-ICP-MS) connected to a RESOlution laser ablation system featuring a Laurin Technic S-155 two-volume laser ablation cell.

This file contain a summary of both experiments; the experimental conditions of the culture experiments (HH6 and HH7 treatments); the main results – foraminiferal shells chemistry (LA-SF-ICPMS); and the overall growth of the specimens during the experiments (calculated from alkalinity depletion and weight measurements).