Research
Trace Metals in the Nitrogen Cycle
The core of my research is trace metal requirements for the nitrogen cycle. Four metals are essential to the N cycle due to their presence in the active sites of enzymes that catalyze redox reactions. Those metals are: iron (Fe), molybdenum (Mo), copper (Cu) and nickel (Ni). The concentrations of all four metals in the ocean have changed through time: Ni and Fe concentrations have dropped, while Mo and Cu concentrations have risen. Thus, I am particularly interested in the co-evolution of those four metals and the marine N cycle through time (Glass et al., 2009).
Trace metals involved in the nitrogen cycle (figure from Gonzalez et al. 2006 J. Inorganic Biochemistry, modified by S. Romaniello)
