A perspective on the evolving role of stable isotope analysis and the emergence of cavity enhanced spectroscopy as a potent tool

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanchi Maithani ◽  
Abhijit Maity ◽  
Manik Pradhan
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotopes ◽  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Isotopic Ratio ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Geological Samples ◽  
Vast Array

The investigation of stable isotopes finds applications in a vast array of fields. The measurement of isotopic ratio in natural environments such as oceans, atmosphere and geological samples assists in...

Diet of spotted bats (Euderma maculatum) in Arizona as indicated by fecal analysis and stable isotopes

2009 ◽  
Vol 87 (10) ◽  
pp. 865-875 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. L. Painter ◽  
C. L. Chambers ◽  
M. Siders ◽  
R. R. Doucett ◽  
J. O. Whitaker, Jr. ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotopes ◽  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Latitudinal Gradient ◽  
Visual Analysis ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Stable Carbon ◽  
Fecal Analysis ◽  
Insect Prey ◽  
Wing Hair

We assessed diet of spotted bats ( Euderma maculatum (J.A. Allen, 1891)) by visual analysis of bat feces and stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope analysis of bat feces, wing, hair, and insect prey. We collected 33 fecal samples from spotted bats and trapped 3755 insects where bats foraged. Lepidopterans averaged 99.6% of feces by volume; other insects were not a major component of diet. The δ13C and δ15N values of bat feces were similar to those of moths from families Noctuidae (N), Lasiocampidae (L), and Geometridae (G), but differed from Arctiidae (A) and Sphingidae (S). We used a mixing model to reconstruct diet; three families (N, L, G) represented the majority (88%–100%) of the diet with A + S representing 0%–12%. Although we compared δ13C and δ15N values of wing, hair, and feces of spotted bats, feces best represented recent diet; wing and hair were more enriched than feces by 3‰ and 6‰, respectively. This pattern was consistent with that reported for other bat species. We suggest that spotted bats persist across a wide latitudinal gradient partly because they can forage on a variety of noctuid, geometrid, and lasiocampid moths. Using visual fecal inspection with stable isotope analysis provided information on families of moths consumed by an uncommon bat species.

scholarly journals Estimation of nutrient contributions from the ocean across a river basin using stable isotope analysis

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 5535-5557
Author(s):  
K. Nakayama ◽  
Y. Maruya ◽  
K. Matsumoto ◽  
M. Komata ◽  
K. Komai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Chum Salmon ◽  
Ursus Arctos ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha ◽  
River Ecosystem ◽  
River Channels

Abstract. Since marine derived nutrients (MDN) are transported not only in river channels but also across the entire river basin, including via ground water and migratory animals, it is necessary to investigate the contribution of MDN to the forest floor (soils) in order to quantify the true role of MDN at the river ecosystem scale. This study investigated the contribution of pink (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) and chum salmon (O. keta) to total oceanic nitrogen (TN) input across a river basin using stable isotope analysis (SIA) of nitrogen (δ15N). The contribution of TN entering the river basin by salmon was 23.8 % relative to the total amount of TN exported from the river basin, providing a first estimate of MDN export for a river basin. The contribution of nitrogen from the ocean to the river basin soils was between 22.9 and 23.8 %. Furthermore, SIA showed that the transport of oceanic TN by sea eagles (Haliaeetus spp.) was greater than that by bears (Ursus arctos), which had previously been that bears are thought to be the major animal transporter of nutrients in the northern part of Japan.

Stable Isotopes

Anthropology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Bartelink
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotopes ◽  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Hydrological Cycle ◽  
Tooth Enamel ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Serial Sections ◽  
Major Area ◽  
Travel History ◽  
Mineral Fraction

Stable isotope analysis refers broadly to a series of chemical methods used to study phenomena such as earth systems, the hydrological cycle, and ecology. The use of stable isotopes in anthropology traces its beginnings to the late 1970s. Originally focused on geological, hydrological, and ecological problems, stable isotope analysis now is a major component of the anthropologist’s toolkit. Current applications within anthropology draw from the core scientific disciplines but adapt these methods for specific research questions within archaeology, bioarchaeology, paleoanthropology, and forensic anthropology. One major area of study is dietary reconstruction, which focuses on isotope analysis of human skeletons to examine temporal and regional dietary patterns, as well as variation associated with sex, age, mortuary patterns, and social status. More specialized approaches examine weaning and childhood diet patterns using serial sections of tooth enamel and dentin. Another major area of isotope research in anthropology is the study of past residence patterns (e.g., migration and mobility). Some stable isotopes record information about the local water and geology, and thus provide information regarding the place of origin or travel history of an individual. By examining multiple isotopes in different tissues, anthropologists can reconstruct changes in residence patterns. For example, isotopes in enamel bioapatite (mineral fraction) do not change throughout life, so teeth provide a record of where a person lived when a particular tooth formed. Bone collagen (organic fraction) and bioapatite (mineral fraction), in contrast, are constantly replaced through remodeling; thus, if a person moved to a new geographic region, the isotope values in their bones will shift toward the new location over time. By comparing the isotopes in teeth versus bones, anthropologists can detect whether a person was local or nonlocal to the area where they died. In instances where hair or nails are preserved (e.g., mummies, modern forensic cases), serial sections of these tissues can be used to provide a detailed record of diet or travel history in the months prior to death. More recently, forensic anthropologists have begun to examine stable isotopes in modern human remains to aid with medicolegal identification. These methods are especially useful when a decedent is nonlocal to the area where they died (for example, a recent traveler or foreign-born individual).

scholarly journals Effects of preservation methods of muscle tissue from upper-trophic level reef fishes on stable isotope values (δ13C and δ15N)

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher D. Stallings ◽  
James A. Neslon ◽  
Katherine L. Rozar ◽  
Charles S. Adams ◽  
Kara R. Wall ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Muscle Tissue ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Trophic Level ◽  
Isotopic Ratio ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Δ13c And Δ15n ◽  
Preservation Methods

Research that uses stable isotope analysis often involves a delay between sample collection in the field and laboratory processing, therefore requiring preservation to prevent or reduce tissue degradation and associated isotopic compositions. Although there is a growing literature describing the effects of various preservation techniques, the results are often contextual, unpredictable and vary among taxa, suggesting the need to treat each species individually. We conducted a controlled experiment to test the effects of four preservation methods of muscle tissue from four species of upper trophic-level reef fish collected from the eastern Gulf of Mexico (Red Grouper Epinephelus morio, Gag Mycteroperca microlepis, Scamp Mycteroperca phenax, and Red Snapper Lutjanus campechanus). We used a paired design to measure the effects on isotopic values for carbon and nitrogen after storage using ice, 95% ethanol, and sodium chloride (table salt), against that in a liquid nitrogen control. Mean offsets for both δ13C and δ15N values from controls were lowest for samples preserved on ice, intermediate for those preserved with salt, and highest with ethanol. Within species, both salt and ethanol significantly enriched the δ15N values in nearly all comparisons. Ethanol also had strong effects on the δ13C values in all three groupers. Conversely, for samples preserved on ice, we did not detect a significant offset in either isotopic ratio for any of the focal species. Previous studies have addressed preservation-induced offsets in isotope values using a mass balance correction that accounts for changes in the isotope value to that in the C/N ratio. We tested the application of standard mass balance corrections for isotope values that were significantly affected by the preservation methods and found generally poor agreement between corrected and control values. The poor performance by the correction may have been due to preferential loss of lighter isotopes and corresponding low levels of mass loss with a substantial change in the isotope value of the sample. Regardless of mechanism, it was evident that accounting for offsets caused by different preservation methods was not possible using the standard correction. Caution is warranted when interpreting the results from specimens stored in either ethanol or salt, especially when using those from multiple preservation techniques. We suggest the use of ice as the preferred preservation technique for muscle tissue when conducting stable isotope analysis as it is widely available, inexpensive, easy to transport and did not impart a significant offset in measured isotopic values. Our results provide additional evidence that preservation effects on stable isotope analysis can be highly contextual, thus requiring their effects to be measured and understood for each species and isotopic ratio of interest before addressing research questions.

Stable isotopes and the seasonality of the Oronsay middens

Antiquity ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 72 (275) ◽  
pp. 178-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. P. Richards ◽  
P. A. Mellars
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotopes ◽  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Marine Resources ◽  
Mixed Diet ◽  
Shell Middens ◽  
Site Occupation ◽  
Human Bones ◽  
Late Mesolithic

Research on six late Mesolithic shell middens on the small Hebridean island of Oronsay address questions of permanent and seasonal occupation. Stable isotope analysis of human bones shows marine resources providing the majority of protein, supporting year-round occupation of Oronsay. One individual, however, demonstrated a mixed diet of marine and terrestrial protein, suggesting seasonal visits and different patterns of site occupation.

scholarly journals Bone stable isotope evidence for infant feeding in Mediaeval England

Antiquity ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 76 (293) ◽  
pp. 654-656 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.A. Mays ◽  
M.P. Richards ◽  
B.T. Fuller
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotopes ◽  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Infant Feeding ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Nitrogen Stable Isotope ◽  
Documentary Sources ◽  
Isotope Evidence ◽  
Duration Of Breastfeeding

This paper is a first study of duration of breastfeeding using bone stable isotopes in infants in a British palaeopopulation, from the deserted Mediaeval village of Wharram Percy, England. Nitrogen stable isotope analysis suggests cessation of breastfeeding between 1 and 2 years of age. Comparison with Mediaeval documentary sources suggests that recommendations of physicians regarding infant feeding may have influenced common practice in this period.

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