Scott D. Wankel

The paper shows that ammonia volatilization and trapping in sulfidic caves provides a key nitrogen source for microbial biofilms and their associated ecosystems, leading to extreme nitrogen isotope depletion.

This study measures nitrogen and oxygen isotope effects during nitrate reduction in vitro and in natural lake water consortia, finding variations in isotope ratios linked to enzyme types and environmental factors.

The paper characterizes microbial communities on acidic gypsum deposits in a sulfuric acid cave, finding differences in community structure between freshly formed and older deposits based on environmental conditions.