I'd go look at this group at Princeton:
Please note they do lots of things which you have implied people are not doing:
geoweb.princeton.edu
The Morel Group
Overview
By catalyzing biological transformations as cofactors of key enzymes, trace metals like iron and zinc play a critical role in the global cycles of major nutrients such as carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus. In some cases metals also inhibit these transformations. The principal long-term research theme of our group is the elucidation, at both the molecular and the global level, of the linkages between the cycles of trace metals and those of C, N and P. Human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuel and the production of fertilizers, have profoundly modified these cycles. One of our research goals is to understand how trace metals modulate the responses of ecosystems to these global changes.
A large part of our work deals with the oceans, focusing on the grand question of what physical and chemical factors control the growth and activity of phytoplankton in the sea. Marine phytoplankton are responsible for about half of global primary production and, by exporting organic matter to the deep sea, they maintain a low concentration of CO2 in surface waters and in the atmosphere. As detailed below, the elements of most interest to us in this part of our work (besides C, N & P) are cationic metals from the first and second row of the periodic table –manganese, iron, cobalt, copper, nickel, zinc and cadmium. A newer research activity in our group concerns the role of metals in the cycling of nitrogen in soils; there the focus is on metals found principally as oxoanions: molybdenum, vanadium and tungsten. The biogeochemical cycling of mercury, one of the most toxic elements in aquatic systems, is the subject of one of our long-standing research activities. Our main present interest is the formation of methylmercury, an organometallic compound that accumulates in aquatic food-chains.
We approach our work with a mix of laboratory and field experiments using a variety of chemical, microbiological, biochemical and genetic tools, as appropriate. Our work is also informed by theoretical considerations from a number of disciplines ranging from bioinorganic chemistry to geology and ecology.
* Iron Uptake by Diatoms
* Iron Storage in Cyanobacteria
* Inorganic Carbon Acquisition by Diatoms
* The Response of Marine Phytoplankton to Increasing [CO2]
* The Biological Role of Cadmium
* Use of Organic Phosphorus Sources by Coccolithophores
* Mercury Methylation
* The Role of Metals in Nitrogen Cycling in Soils
* Past Research Themes and Achievements |
