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Knowledge about feeding behavior is essential to determine trophic interactions and reconstruct predator-prey relationships in modern and past foodwebs. Traditionally, nitrogen isotopes (δ15N) of collagen are used to quantify the ingestion of animal protein, however collagen usually does not preserve over geological time scales. To infer the diet of extinct vertebrates from fossil material more resistant dietary proxies such as Ca and Mg isotopes are needed, which are major elements in the bioapatite of bones and teeth. Magnesium is a bio-essential element that replaces calcium in the bioapatite lattice and bone and enamel δ26Mg values of extant mammals increase systematically along the foodchain [1, 2].
The existing δ26Mg data, however, is scarce, in particular with respect to carnivores, thus still limiting the capability of this dietary proxy to reliably determine trophic differences between plant- and animal-feeders. To better constrain trophic-level effects recorded in Mg isotopes, we analyzed δ26Mg of bioapatite from modern mammals with a focus on faunivores, both carnivores and as yet unexplored insectivores.
The trophic level effect of δ26Mg is influenced by the geological substrate which causes isotope variability in δ26Mg of faunal remains between different ecosystems [1, 2]. Therefore, as first-order proxy for sample provenance and to assess potential influences of the bedrock substrate of the animals´ habitats on δ26Mg of bones and teeth, we measured the 87Sr/86Sr on the same specimens. This information will enable us to refine trophic level effects and determine whether δ26Mg can be used to distinguish different faunivores isotopically. This will be of paramount importance for dietary reconstructions of trophic niches in fossil foodwebs.
[1] Martin et al. (2014) Geochmica Cosmochimica Acta 130, 12-20. [2] Martin et al. (2015) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 112, 430-435.
Development and validation of a method to determine the boron isotopic composition of crop plants
(2011)
We present a comprehensive chemical and mass spectrometric method to determine boron isotopic compositions of plant tissue. The method including dry ashing, a three-step ion chromatographic boron–matrix separation, and 11B/10B isotope ratio determinations using the Cs2BO2+ graphite technique has been validated using certified reference and quality control materials. The developed method is capable to determine δ11B values in plant tissue down to boron concentrations of 1 mg/kg with an expanded uncertainty of ≤1.7‰ (k = 2). The determined δ11B values reveal an enormous isotopic range of boron in plant tissues covering three-quarters of the natural terrestrial occurring variation in the boron isotopic composition. As the local environment and anthropogenic activity mainly control the boron intake of plants, the boron isotopic composition of plants can be used for food provenance studies.
With the aim of identifying the origin and the manufacturer of a cement, a reliable procedure that provides unambiguous results is needed. Such procedure could resolve practical issues in damage research, liability issues and forensic investigations. A substantial number of attempts for fingerprinting of building materials, including cement, has already been carried out during the last decades. Most of them were based on concentration analysis of the main elements/components. This review provides an overview of provenance studies of cement and the main approaches commonly used. Provenance studies of cement via isotope techniques are also presented and discussed as representatives of the state-of-the-art in the field. Due to the characteristic properties and the occurrence of carefully selected isotope ratios, unique fingerprints of different kinds of materials can be provided by these methods. This property has largely been explored in various scientific fields such as geo- and cosmochemistry, food forensics, archaeology, geochronology, biomedical studies, and climate change processes. However, the potential of isotope techniques in cement and concrete research for provenance studies has barely been investigated.
Therefore, the review outlines a suitable approach using isotope ratios, which could lead to reliable provenancing of cementitious materials in the future.
Pb isotope ratio analysis
(2023)