| Abstract: | Variation in13C/12C and18O/16O ratios in the shell carbonate of several species of land snails was studied along a climatic gradient in semi-arid to arid areas in the southern Levant.13C was found to be enriched in snails from communities having plants with a C4 photosynthetic pathway. Depleted δ13C values were found in areas with high mean annual rainfall, apparently due to higher input of metabolic CO2 as a result of greater snail activity. Shell carbonate δ18O values show a weak relation to the δ18O values of rainwater. The shell δ18O values are enriched by 2–8‰ relative to isotopic equilibrium with environmental waters. Enrichment is suggested to result from metabolic effects on body water (with lower activity producing greater enrichment) but evaporation could also be a factor. Consistent differences in both13C and18O were found among species and may relate to the time when shell deposition occurs. As with most paleoenvironmental indicators, the application of shell isotopes is complicated by the multiplicity of controls of isotopic composition. |
