REPLYING TO H. Zhang et al. Nature Communications https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-35109-4 (2022)
In the accompanying Matters Arising, Zhang et al.1 report that they did not generate the same fractionation in δδ13C between seawater dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and both inorganic and organic carbon of the coccolithophore Ochrosphaera neapolitana that were observed in our study2. These differences in findings are an opportunity to discuss the uncertainties and limitations of different designs of ocean acidification experiments. Here, we note that Zhang et al.1 did not closely replicate our experimental conditions, meaning that their alternative hypotheses about what could be occurring in our experiment have ultimately not been tested. Additionally, we highlight elements of their analyses that are under-constrained and how it is difficult to fully resolve these issues without more experimental work.
…
Liu Y. W., Eagle R. A., Aciego S. M., Gilmore R. E. & Ries J. B., 2022. Reply to: Re-examining extreme carbon isotope fractionation in the coccolithophore Ochrosphaera neapolitana. Nature Communications 13: 7605. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-35207-3. Article.
