Radiolabelling of Sedimentary Organic Matter with 14C-Formaldehyde: Preliminary Evaluation of a New Technique for Use in Deposit-Feeding Studies

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Organic matter in marine sediments can be sufficiently labeled for ingestion experiments with deposit-feeders by allowing 14C-formaldehyde to bond chemically to it. Microbes, which otherwise would account for much of the 14C-formaldehyde uptake, are reversibly inhibited with 30% NaCl. When incubated in 30% NaCl, at least 95% of the 14C uptake appears to be due to chemical bonding with sedimentary organics. There is a positive relationship between 14C-formaldehyde uptake and organic content of sediment.