TY - JOUR A1 - Xiao, J. A1 - Vogl, Jochen A1 - Rosner, M. A1 - Jin, Z. T1 - Boron isotope fractionation in soil-plant systems and its influence on biogeochemical cycling JF - Chemical Geology N2 - Boron (B) is an essential mineral nutrient for higher plants. Although B plant nutrition is well studied, the B isotope fractionation at the soil-plant interface, within plant metabolism, and its influence on biogeochemical cycling is not fully understood. Boron concentrations and isotope variations (δ11B) of the dicotyledonous plants of Chenopodium album and Brassica napus and their growing soils along a climatic gradient were analyzed to decipher these unresolved issues of the B behavior. The boron concentrations and δ11B values show an increasing trend from roots to leaves for both plants, while a decreasing trend from flower to shell and to seed for Brassica napus. A large boron isotope fractionation occurs within the plants with median Δ11Bleaf-root ≈ +20‰, which is related to different boron transporters and transportation ways. Formation of borate dimerized rhamnogalacturonan II in cell and B(OH)3 transportation in xylem lead to heavier δ11B values from root to stem and leaf while B(OH)4􀀀 transportation in phloem lead to lighter δ11B values from flower to shell and seed. Although samples cover a distinct transect with systematically different climatic conditions, Δδ11B within the individual plant compartments and between the bulk plants and the soil available B do not show any systematic variation. This suggests that B uptake from the soil into Chenopodium album and Brassica napus occurs without a distinct isotope fractionation at the soil-plant interface (median Δ11Bbulkplant-soil = 􀀀 0.2‰) and plants are able to regulate boron uptake. Both the observed large B fractionation within plant and low or absent B isotope fractionation at the soil-plant interface may have profound implications for the biological and geological B cycle. If this observed boron behavior also exists in other plants, their litters would be an important source for exporting 11B-rich biological material from continental ecosystems via rivers to the global oceans. This may be helpful for the explanation of ocean B cycle and the increasing δ11B values over the Cenozoic. KW - Boron isotopic composition KW - Boron isotope fractionation KW - Soil available boron KW - Biological boron recycling KW - Chenopodium album KW - Brassica napus PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2022.120972 SN - 0009-2541 VL - 606 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - Elsevier B.V. CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-55031 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -