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1.
The stable carbon isotopic composition (expressed as δ13C) of herbivore remains is commonly used to reconstruct past changes in the relative abundance of C4 versus C3 grass biomass (C4 relative abundance). However, the strength of the relationship between herbivore δ13C and C4 relative abundance in extant ecosystems has not been thoroughly examined. We determined sources of variation in δ13C of bone collagen and tooth enamel of kangaroos (Macropus spp.) collected throughout Australia by measuring δ13C of bone collagen (779 individuals) and tooth enamel (694 individuals). An index of seasonal water availability, i.e. the distribution of rainfall in the C4 versus C3 growing seasons, was used as a proxy for C4 relative abundance, and this variable explained a large proportion of the variation in both collagen δ13C (68%) and enamel δ13C (68%). These figures increased to 78% and 77%, respectively, when differences between kangaroo species were accounted for. Vegetation characteristics, such as woodiness and the presence of an open forest canopy, had no effect on collagen or enamel δ13C. While there was no relationship between collagen δ13C and kangaroo age at death, tooth enamel produced later in life, following weaning, was enriched in 13C by 3.5‰ relative to enamel produced prior to weaning. From the observed relationships between seasonal water availability and collagen and enamel δ13C, enrichment factors (ε∗) for collagen-diet and enamel-diet (post-weaning) were estimated to be 5.2‰ ± 0.5 (95% CI) and 11.7‰ ± 0.6 (95% CI), respectively. The findings of this study confirm that at a continental scale, collagen and enamel δ13C of a group of large herbivores closely reflect C4 relative abundance. This validates a fundamental assumption underpinning the use of isotopic analysis of herbivore remains to reconstruct changes in C4 relative abundance.  相似文献   

2.
《Chemical Geology》1992,94(3):183-192
The Siwalik Sequence of northern Pakistan contains a 16-Ma record of paleosol carbonate and fossil teeth from which a record of paleovegetation can potentially be reconstructed and compared. The carbon isotopic composition of paleosol carbonate and organic matter from Siwalik strata reflects a major paleoecological change on the floodplains of major rivers beginning7.3 Ma ago. By 6 Ma C3-dominated plant communities, probably composed of mostly trees and shrubs, were displaced by nearly continuous C4 grassland. We find that the carbon isotopic ratios in herbivore tooth enamel reflect this dramatic ecologic shift. Carbonate in enamel older than 7 Ma averages −11‰ in δ13CPDB, consistent with a largely C3 diet. Enamel from the Plio-PIeistocene averages +1.9‰ in δ13C, similar to the value displayed by modern C4 grazers. Analysis of post-burial carbonate cements, and the concordance with isotopic evidence from paleosols argues strongly against major isotopic alteration of the enamel, while coexisting bone may have been altered early in burial. This study confirms that enamel apatite is useful for paleodietary reconstruction much further back in the geologic record than was previously thought.  相似文献   

3.
Variations of stable isotopic ratios of carbon (13C/12C) and oxygen (18O/16O) were investigated in modern shells of two species of Rabdotus land snails (R. dealbatus and R. alternatus) in the southern Great Plains. Geographic variation in relation to climate and vegetation, microgeographic variation, variability among individuals, and detailed records of seasonal variations within individual shells were studied. Stable carbon isotopic ratios in shell carbonate are primarily a function of the isotopic composition of the diet of the snails, as represented by the isotopic composition of shell organic matter. This in turn reflects the presence or absence of CAM (Crassulacean Acid Metabolism) or C4 plants. Vegetation density may have a small effect on the carbon isotope ratios. Microgeographic variation (samples within 25 to 300 m) is greater than that seen across different climatic regions and points to very local control of isotopic variations, predominantly related to vegetation. Seasonal variations, as assessed through serial analysis of individual shells (up to 35 samples per shell), may provide a means for distinguishing between isotopic influences of perennial CAM vs. annual C4 plants. Carbon isotopic variations in time-series of shells from a site provide a means of reconstructing temporal changes in environment and climate.Oxygen isotopic values of shell carbonate are uniform across the region and also show no significant microgeographic variation. The oxygen isotopic composition appears to be mainly a function of the rainwater isotopic composition, with no direct influence of rainfall amount or evaporative effects. The δ18O values are only 2‰ enriched relative to estimated equilibrium with rainwater. Variability is low (SD of 0.8‰ among sites), so the isotopic composition of fossil Rabdotus shells can provide a precise record of changes in the isotopic composition of rain over time.  相似文献   

4.
We investigate seasonal variations in the diet and drinking water of four Great Lakes mastodon (Mammut americanum) specimens using stable isotope analysis of serially sampled inner-enamel bioapatite structural carbonate (δ13Csc, δ18Osc), and previously published bulk analyses. Isotopic analyses and thin section measurements showed that mastodon tooth enamel extension rates (~ 12–4 mm/yr, decreasing toward the cervix) were lower than those of mammoths or modern elephants. Mastodons had distinct and highly regular seasonal variations in δ13Csc and δ18Osc, which we interpret in the context of local glacial history and vegetation changes. Seasonal variations in δ18O were large but variations in δ13C were small, and may have been obscured if coarser sampling methods than our inner-enamel sampling approach were used. Thus, our approach may be particularly useful for understanding relatively small seasonal changes in δ13C within C3 environments. The seasonal patterns, though not entirely conclusive, suggest that the Ontario mastodons did not migrate over very long distances. Rather, the climate and seasonal dietary patterns of mastodons within the region changed over time, from ~ 12,400 to 10,400 14C yr BP (~ 15,000 – 12,000 cal yr BP). Insights gained using these methods can contribute to a better understanding of megafaunal extinctions and Paleoamerican lifeways.  相似文献   

5.
Mammoth (Mammuthus sp.) teeth are relatively abundant in Quaternary deposits from Eurasia and North America, and their isotopic compositions can be used to reconstruct past seasonal patterns in precipitation, diet, and migration. Strategies for collecting and interpreting such data, however, are strongly dependent on growth rates, which can vary among species, individuals, and within teeth. In this study, we use histological and isotopic measurements to determine enamel growth rates for a Columbian mammoth (Mammuthus columbi) tooth in two directions. Using histology, the growth rate through the enamel thickness (ET; perpendicular to the height of the tooth) is estimated at 0.8 to 1.5 mm/yr. Isotopic sampling through the innermost 0.36 mm of the ET recovered less than half a period of variation (i.e., half an inferred year of growth), which is consistent with the histological estimate for ET growth rate. A combination of histological and isotopic measurements suggests that the enamel extension rate (growth in the height of the tooth) is 13–14 mm/yr. Knowledge of enamel growth rates should improve the design and interpretation of future isotopic studies of mammoth teeth. The combination of histological and isotopic measurements may also prove useful in determining growth rates for other extinct taxa.  相似文献   

6.
High-resolution natural abundance stable carbon isotope analyses across annual growth rings in evergreen trees reveal a cyclic increase and decrease in the measured carbon isotopic composition (δ13C), but the causes of this pattern are poorly understood. We compiled new and published high-resolution δ13C data from across annual growth rings of 33 modern evergreen trees from 10 genera and 15 globally distributed sites to quantify the parameters that affect the observed δ13C pattern. Across a broad range of latitude, temperature, and precipitation regimes, we found that the average, measured seasonal change in δ13C (Δδ13Cmeas, ‰) within tree rings of evergreen species reflects changes in the carbon isotopic composition of atmospheric carbon dioxide (Δδ13CCO2) and changes in seasonal precipitation (ΔP) according to the following equation: Δδ13Cmeas = Δδ13CCO2 - 0.82(ΔP) + 0.73; R2 = 0.96. Seasonal changes in temperature, pCO2, and light levels were not found to significantly affect Δδ13Cmeas. We propose that this relationship can be used to quantify seasonal patterns in paleoprecipitation from intra-ring profiles of δ13C measured from non-permineralized, fossil wood.  相似文献   

7.
The toxodont megaherbivores Toxodon and Mixotoxodon were endemic to South and Central America during the late Quaternary. Isotopic signatures of 47 toxodont teeth were analyzed to reconstruct diet and ancient habitat. Tooth enamel carbon isotope data from six regions of South and Central America indicate significant differences in toxodont diet and local vegetation during the late Quaternary. Toxodonts ranged ecologically from C3 forest browsers in the Amazon (mean δ13C = −13.4‰), to mixed C3 grazers and/or browsers living either in C3 grasslands, or mixed C3 forested and grassland habitats in Honduras (mean δ13C = −9.3‰), Buenos Aires province, Argentina (δ13C = −8.7‰), and Bahia, Brazil (mean δ13C = −8.6‰), to predominantly C4 grazers in northern Argentina (δ13C = −4.4‰), to specialized C4 grazers in the Chaco of Bolivia (δ13C = −0.1‰). Although these toxodonts had very high-crowned teeth classically interpreted for grazing, the isotopic data indicate that these megaherbivores had the evolutionary capacity to feed on a variety of dominant local vegetation. In the ancient Amazon region, carbon isotope data for the toxodonts indicate a C3-based tropical rainforest habitat with no evidence for grasslands as would be predicted from the Neotropical forest refugia hypothesis.  相似文献   

8.
We present the first high-resolution carbon isotope and carbonate content profiles generated through the thickness of enamel from a steer fed C3- then C4-dominant food. Carbonate contents decrease by ∼2 wt% from the enamel surface to the innermost enamel layer, and each carbon isotope profile shows a mixture of enamel portions mineralized over several months. Downward and outward increasing contribution of C4 food to the enamel δ13C values reveal two components of the mineralization gradient: a vertical component from the tip of the tooth crown to the neck, and a horizontal component from the enamel-dentine junction to the outer enamel. We use our results to infer mineralization parameters for bovines and to calculate expected isotopic attenuations for an array of environmental inputs and microsampling strategies, using the model developed by Passey and Cerling [Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta. 66 (2002) 3225-3234]. Although it seems unlikely that any strategy will perfectly isolate discrete time slices, sampling the innermost enamel layer might offer the advantage of significantly reducing the isotope damping that would become independent of the structure of the input signal.  相似文献   

9.
This paper investigates the stable isotopic composition from late Pleistocene–Holocene (~ 13 to ~ 10.5 cal ka BP) shells of the land snail Helix figulina, from Franchthi Cave (Greece). It explores the palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental implications of the isotope palaeoecology of archaeological shells at the time of human occupation of the cave. Modern shells from around the cave were also analysed and their isotopic signatures compared with those of the archaeological shells. The carbon isotope composition of modern shells depicts the consumption of C3 vegetation. Shell oxygen isotopic values are consistent with other Mediterranean snail shells from coastal areas. Combining empirical linear regression and an evaporative model, the δ18Os suggest that modern snails in the study area are active during periods of higher relative humidity and lower rainfall δ18O, probably at night. Late glacial and early Holocene δ18Os show lower values compared to modern ones. Early Holocene δ18Os values likely track enhanced moisture and isotopic changes in the precipitation source. By contrast, lower late glacial δ18O could reflect lower temperatures and δ18Op, compared to the present day. Shell carbon isotope values indicate the presence of C3 vegetation as main source of carbon to late glacial and early Holocene snails.  相似文献   

10.
Rats were raised on a variety of isotopically controlled diets comprising 20% C3, C4 or marine protein and C3 and/or C4 non-protein or energy (i.e. sucrose, starch and oil) macronutrients. Compound specific stable carbon isotope (δ13C) analysis was performed on the cholesterol isolated from the diet (n=7 ) and bone (n=15 ) of these animals and the values compared with bulk δ13C measurements of bone collagen and apatite. The dietary signals reflected by these three bone biochemical components were investigated using linear regression analysis. δ13C values of bone cholesterol were shown to reflect whole diet δ13C values, collagen to reflect mainly dietary protein values and apatite to reflect whole diet values. Further correlations between dietary protein-to-energy spacings (Δ13Cprot-engy = δ13Cprotein - δ13Cenergy) and whole diet-to-bone component fractionations (Δ13Cbcomp-wdiet = δ13Cbone component - δ13Cwhole diet) indicates that for hypothetical diets where protein δ13C values are equal to energy values, fractionations between whole diet and bone biochemical fractions are -3.3‰ for cholesterol, +5.4‰ for collagen and +9.5‰ for apatite. Moreover, the narrow range of variation observed in apatite-to-cholesterol spacings (Δ13Capat-bchol) suggests that cholesterol δ13C values can potentially also be used as an independent test for the isotopic integrity of apatite δ13C values. These insights into bone cholesterol, collagen and apatite dietary signals, diet-to-bone fractionations and bone component-to-bone component spacings provide the basis for more accurate interpretations of the dietary behaviour of archaeological populations and food webs when the δ13C analysis of bone is employed.  相似文献   

11.
A depth- and particle size-specific analysis of soil organic carbon (SOC) and its isotopic composition was undertaken to investigate the effects of soil texture (or particle size) on the depth profile of stable carbon isotopic composition of SOC (δ13CSOC) in two tropical soils. Depth-specific samples from two soil profiles of markedly different texture (coarse grained and fine grained) were separated into particle size classes and analyzed for the (mass/mass) concentration of SOC (C) and δ13CSOC. Within 1 m of the soil surface, δ13CSOC in the coarse-textured soil increases by 1.3 to 1.6‰, while δ13CSOC from the fine-textured soil increase by as much as 3.8 to 5.5‰. This increasing depth trend in the coarse-textured soil is approximately linear with respect to normalized C, while the increase in the fine-textured soil follows a logarithmic function with respect to normalized C. A model of Rayleigh distillation describing isotope fractionation during decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM) accounts for the depth profile of δ13CSOC in the fine-textured soil, but does not account for the depth profile observed in the coarse-textured soil despite their similar climate, vegetation, and topographic position. These results suggest that kinetic fractionation during humification of SOM leads to preferential accumulation of 13C in association with fine mineral particles, or aggregates of fine mineral particles in fine-textured soils. In contrast, the coarse-textured soil shows very little applicability of the Rayleigh distillation model. Rather, the depth profile of δ13CSOC in the coarse-textured soil can be accounted for by mixing of soil carbon with different isotopic ratios.  相似文献   

12.
Intra-tooth δ18O variations within the carbonate (δ18Oc) and phosphate (δ18Op) components of tooth apatite were measured for Miocene and Pliocene hypsodont mammals from Afghanistan, Greece and Chad in order to evaluate the resistance of enamel to diagenetic alteration. Application of water-apatite interaction models suggest that the different kinetic behaviours of the phosphate-water and carbonate-water systems can be used to detect subtle oxygen isotope disequilibria in fossil enamel when intra-individual variations are considered. Selective alteration of the oxygen isotope composition from the carbonate component of Afghan and Greek enamels suggests inorganic isotopic exchange processes. Microbially-induced isotopic exchange for phosphate is demonstrated for the first time in enamel samples from Chad, in association with extensive recrystallization. In Chad, δ18Op values were derived from partial isotopic exchange with fossil groundwater during early diagenesis. Mass balance calculations using average carbonate content in enamel as a proxy for recrystallization, and the lowest δ18Op value of dentine as a proxy for the isotopic composition of the diagenetic fluid, indicate that diagenesis can alter δ18Op by as much as 3‰ in some enamel samples. This diagenetic alteration is also responsible for a decrease in intra-individual variations of up to 1‰ in affected specimens. The effects of diagenesis on δ18Op values of fossil enamel are not systematic, however, and can only be estimated if sequential δ18Op and δ18Oc analyses are performed on fossil enamel and dentine. Reconstruction of large temporal- or spatial-scale paleoclimates based on δ18Op analyses from mammalian teeth cannot be considered valid if enamel has been affected by bacterial activity or if the data cannot be corrected for diagenetic effects.  相似文献   

13.
Soil n-alkane δD vs. altitude gradients along Mount Gongga, China   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  
The altitude effect on the isotopic composition of precipitation and its application to paleoelevation reconstruction using authigenic or pedogenic minerals have been intensively studied. However, there are still no studies on variations in biomarker δD along altitude transects to investigate its potential as a paleoelevation indicator, although it has been observed that δD of higher plant lipid may record changes in precipitation δD (δDp). Here, we present δD values of higher plant-derived C27, C29, and C31n-alkanes from surface soil along the eastern slope of Mount Gongga, China with great changes in physical variables and vegetation over a range from 1000 to 4000 m above sea level. The weighted-mean δD values of these n-alkanes (δDwax) show significant linear correlations with predicted δDp values (R2 = 0.76) with an apparent isotopic enrichment (εwax-p) of −137 ± 9‰, indicating that soil δDwax values track overall δDp variation along the entire altitudinal transect. Leaf δDwax is also highly correlated with mountain altitude by a significant quadratic relationship (R2 = 0.80). Evapotranspiration is found declining with altitude, potentially lowering δDwax values at higher elevations. However, this evapotranspiration effect is believed to be largely compensated by the opposing effect of vegetation changes, resulting in less varied εwax-p values over the slope transect. This study therefore confirms the potential of using leaf δDwax to infer paleoelevations, and more generally, to infer the δD of precipitation.  相似文献   

14.
The vertebrate fossil record of Cement Creek Cave, Colorado, spans from > 45,000 yr ago to the present and represents the richest stratified series of high-elevation (> 2900 m) mammal remains known from the late Quaternary of North America. Stable carbon and oxygen isotope analyses of tooth enamel were used to assess potential ecological responses of two species found commonly throughout the cave, Yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris) and Bushy-tailed woodrats (Neotoma cinerea), to late Quaternary climate and environmental changes of the Southern Rocky Mountains. Results indicate that despite such perturbations, the dietary ecologies of both species were maintained across this period. Neither taxon shifted to consuming C4 taxa or different C3 functional groups; similarly, no significant shifts in surface water use were detected. Variations in enamel δ13C were observed, however, that represent the physiological responses of high-elevation plants to changing levels of late Quaternary atmospheric CO2. While our findings extend both the geographic and elevational record of this plant CO2 response, they simultaneously highlight the ecological stability of high-elevation M. flaviventris and N. cinerea during climate changes of late Quaternary magnitude.  相似文献   

15.
The carbon isotope composition (δ13C values) of long chain n-alkanes in lake sediments has been considered a reliable means of tracking changes in the terrigenous contribution of plants with C3 and C4 photosynthetic pathways. A key premise is that long chain leaf wax components used for isotope analysis are derived primarily from terrigenous higher plants. The role of aquatic plants in affecting δ13C values of long chain n-alkanes in lacustrine sediments may, however, have long been underestimated. In this study, we found that a large portion of long chain n-alkanes (C27 and C29) in nearshore sediments of the Lake Qinghai catchment was contributed by submerged aquatic plants, which displayed a relatively positive carbon isotope composition (e.g. −26.7‰ to −15.7‰ for C29) similar to that of terrestrial C4 plants. Thus, the use of δ13C values of sedimentary C27 and C29 n-alkanes for tracing terrigenous vegetation composition may create a bias toward significant overestimation/underestimation of the proportion of terrestrial C4 plants. For sedimentary C31, however, the contribution from submerged plants was minor, so that the δ13C values for C31 n-alkane in surface sediments were in accord with those of the modern terrestrial vegetation in the Lake Qinghai region. Moreover, we found that changes in the δ13C values of sedimentary C27 and C29 n-alkanes were closely related to water depth variation. Downcore analysis further demonstrated the significant influence of endogenous lipids in lake sediments for the interpretation of terrestrial C4 vegetation and associated environment/climate reconstruction. In conclusion, our results suggest that the δ13C values of sedimentary long chain n-alkanes (C27, C29 and C31) may carry different environmental signals. While the δ13C values of C31 were a reliable proxy for C4/C3 terrestrial vegetation composition, the δ13C values of C27 and C29 n-alkanes may have recorded lake ecological conditions and sources of organic carbon, which might be affected by lake water depth.  相似文献   

16.
Oxygen isotope analysis was performed on enamel phosphate of mammalian teeth from archaeological sites Kalli Pachchhim and Dadupur in the central Ganga plain and Charda in the northern Ganga plain. The bulk oxygen isotopic compositions of enamel phosphate from third molars (M3) of Bos indicus individuals belonging to different cultural periods were used to understand the climatic changes during the past 3600 cal yr B.P. Oxygen isotope ratios indicate humid conditions around 3600 cal yr B.P., followed by a trend toward drier conditions until around 2800 cal yr B.P. Then from 2500 to 1500 cal yr B.P. there is a trend toward higher humidity, followed by the onset of a dry period around 1300 cal yr B.P. The study of intratooth δ18O variations in teeth from different periods demonstrates that the monsoon seasonality was prominent. Spatial changes in the amount of annual rainfall are also reflected in the δ18O values. Teeth derived from areas with intense rainfall have lighter isotope ratios compared to teeth from regions receiving less rain, but they show similar seasonal patterns. The long-term paleoclimatic variations reflected by fluctuations in bulk δ18Op values from M3 teeth match well with the regional paleoenvironmental records and show a good correlation to the cultural changes that took place during this time span in Ganga plain.  相似文献   

17.
Temporal changes in the carbon and oxygen isotopic composition of an animal are an environmental and behavioral input signal that is recorded into the enamel of developing teeth. In this paper, we evaluate changes in phosphorus content and density along the axial lengths of three developing ungulate teeth to illustrate the protracted nature of mineral accumulation in a volume of developing enamel. The least mature enamel in these teeth contains by volume about 25% of the mineral mass of mature enamel, and the remaining 75% of the mineral accumulates during maturation. Using data from one of these teeth (a Hippopotamus amphibius canine), we develop a model for teeth growing at constant rate that describes how an input signal is recorded into tooth enamel. The model accounts for both the temporal and spatial patterns of amelogenesis (enamel formation) and the sampling geometry. The model shows that input signal attenuation occurs as a result of time-averaging during amelogenesis when the maturation interval is long compared to the duration of features in the input signal. Sampling does not induce significant attenuation, provided that the sampling interval is several times shorter than the maturation interval. We present a detailed δ13C and δ18O record for the H. amphibius canine and suggest possible input isotope signals that may have given rise to the measured isotope signal.  相似文献   

18.
Hydrogen isotopic composition of n-alkanes was measured in sediments from an excavated profile of the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation in Liaoning Province, NE China, aiming to assess the significance of the δD value of n-alkanes in ancient lacustrine sediments as the indicator for determining the source inputs of organic matters and paleoclimatic conditions. The δD values of n-alkanes are in the range of − 250‰ to − 85‰ and display an obvious three-stage variation pattern through the profile, which is consistent with the distribution of the dominated n-alkanes and the profile of their δ13C values. The δD and δ13C values of n-alkanes suggest that short-chain n-alkanes are primarily derived from photosynthetic bacteria and algae; n-C29 and n-C31 are mainly originated from terrestrial higher plants; n-C28 and n-C30 may be derived from the same precursor but via the different biological mechanism of hydrogen isotopic fractionation; while the source inputs of medium-chain n-alkanes are more complicated, with n-C23 being derived from some specific algae or biosynthesized by various aquatic organisms. The paleoclimatic conditions are reconstructed via two approaches. The reconstructed hydrogen isotopic values of lake water and meteoric water (expressed as δDLW and δDMW, respectively) were at the intervals of − 51.8‰ to 17.0‰ and − 118.1‰ to − 43.5‰, respectively, indicating a general climate transition from semi-arid to arid. The calculated ΔδDLW-MW values vary from 37.0‰ to 89.1‰ and display a similar but a significant large-scale variation trend with the ΔδDC23 ‐ long (− 28.8‰ to 85.0‰; long represents long-chain n-alkanes) and ΔδDmid-long (− 15.4‰ to 43.4‰; mid represents medium-chain n-alkanes) values. The discrepancy may be attributed to the source input overlap for n-alkanes and the uncertainties of εwater/lipid values. The coupling of ΔδDC23 ‐ long, ΔδDmid-long and ΔδDLW-MW values with the paleoclimatic evidence indicates that the δD values of n-alkanes could be more sensitive to the change of paleoclimatic conditions.  相似文献   

19.
This study was conducted on recent desert samples—including (1) soils, (2) plants, (3) the shell, and (4) organic matter from modern specimens of the land snail Eremina desertorum—which were collected at several altitudes (316–360 m above sea level) from a site in the New Cairo Petrified Forest. The soils and shellE. desertorum were analyzed for carbonate composition and isotopic composition (δ18O, δ13C). The plants and organic matterE. desertorum were analyzed for organic carbon content and δ13C. The soil carbonate, consisting of calcite plus minor dolomite, has δ18O values from −3.19 to −1.78‰ and δ13C values −1.79 to −0.27‰; covariance between the two values accords with arid climatic conditions. The local plants include C3 and C4 types, with the latter being dominant. Each type has distinctive bulk organic carbon δ13C values: −26.51 to −25.36‰ for C3-type, and −13.74 to −12.43‰ for C4-type plants.The carbonate of the shellE. desertorum is composed of aragonite plus minor calcite, with relatively homogenous isotopic compositions (δ18Omean = −0.28 ± 0.22‰; δ13Cmean = −4.46 ± 0.58‰). Most of the δ18O values (based on a model for oxygen isotope fractionation in an aragonite-water system) are consistent with evaporated water signatures. The organic matterE. desertorum varies only slightly in bulk organic carbon δ13C values (−21.78 ± 1.20‰) and these values suggest that the snail consumed more of C3-type than C4-type plants. The overall offset in δ13C values (−17.32‰) observed between shellE. desertorum carbonate and organic matterE. desertorum exceeds the value expected for vegetation input, and implies that 30% of carbon in the shellE. desertorum carbonate comes from the consumption of limestone material.  相似文献   

20.
The influence of diet on the distribution of nitrogen isotopes in animals was investigated by analyzing animals grown in the laboratory on diets of constant nitrogen isotopic composition.The isotopic composition of the nitrogen in an animal reflects the nitrogen isotopic composition of its diet. The δ15N values of the whole bodies of animals are usually more positive than those of their diets. Different individuals of a species raised on the same diet can have significantly different δ15N values. The variability of the relationship between the δ15N values of animals and their diets is greater for different species raised on the same diet than for the same species raised on different diets. Different tissues of mice are also enriched in 15N relative to the diet, with the difference between the δ15N values of a tissue and the diet depending on both the kind of tissue and the diet involved. The δ15N values ofcollagen and chitin. biochemical components that are often preserved in fossil animal remains, are also related to the δ15N value of the diet.The dependence of the δ15N values of whole animals and their tissues and biochemical components on the δ15N value of diet indicates that the isotopic composition of animal nitrogen can be used to obtain information about an animal's diet if its potential food sources had different δ15N values. The nitrogen isotopic method of dietary analysis probably can be used to estimate the relative use of legumes vs non-legumes or of aquatic vs terrestrial organisms as food sources for extant and fossil animals. However, the method probably will not be applicable in those modern ecosystems in which the use of chemical fertilizers has influenced the distribution of nitrogen isotopes in food sources.The isotopic method of dietary analysis was used to reconstruct changes in the diet of the human population that occupied the Tehuacan Valley of Mexico over a 7000 yr span. Variations in the δ15C and δ15N values of bone collagen suggest that C4 and/or CAM plants (presumably mostly corn) and legumes (presumably mostly beans) were introduced into the diet much earlier than suggested by conventional archaeological analysis.  相似文献   

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