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Confirms that volatilized ammonia is the main nitrogen source for cave wall biofilms, indicating novel nutrient acquisition methods.
N values as low as -29‰, thereby confirming volatilized and trapped ammonia as the primary N source to cave wall biofilms and the extensive subsurface ecosystem they support. Airborne ammonia trapping represents a novel mechanism for biological N acquisition and provides abundant N for growth in an extreme subsurface environment that otherwise receives very limited nutrient input.
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Best et al. (2026) studied this question.
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