Table of Contents

1. Introduction. 2. The origin and early history of life on earth. 3. Evolution of metabolic pathways. 4. Sedimentary and molecular biomarkers. 5. Biomineralization. 6. Biogeochemistry of primary production in the sea. 7. Biogeochemistry of terrestrial primary production. 8. Biogeochemistry of decomposition and detrital processing.9. Anaerobic metabolism and the production of trace gases. 10. Geological history of the carbon cycle. 11. The contemporary carbon cycle. 12. The global oxygen cycle. 13. The global nitrogen cycle. 14. The global phosphorus cycle. 15. The global sulfur cycle.

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Traces impact of life on the geochemistry of the Earth's surface

About the Author

Dr. Schlesinger is one of the nation’s leading ecologists and earth scientists and a passionate advocate for translating science for lay audiences. A member of the National Academy of Sciences, he has served as dean of the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke and president of the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. He lives in Down East Maine and Durham, N.C. and continues to analyze the impacts of humans on the chemistry of our natural environment.

Reviews

"This book is a magnificent information source that fully complies with the editor's self-set goal and serves both advanced students and specialists. This volume and the entire Treatise on Geochemistry series should expect a very wide distribution thanks to the successful effort of the executive editors and the volume editor." -Jorg Matschillat for Environmental Geology, 2006 "Most of the chapters in this volume are easy and agreeable to read. They avoid long historical description of the evolution of the subject and are generally well focused on the latest developments of our knowledge. This is well reflected in the references cited which are mainly covering the last ten years (except for chapters 3 and 4). ...The Treatise on Geochemistry is without any doubt a very useful reference book for a large scientific community and especially for students and teachers." -R. Wollast, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium The book is easy to read and should be a reference for students and teachers in geochemistry, ecology, and earth sciences, especially those interested in global change or environmental chemistry. International Journal of Environmental Analytical Chemistry, 2005