Stable isotope fingerprint
2009
Wada, E., Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Yokosuka, Kanagawa. Research Inst. for Global Change
Over the past 10 years, rapid progress in stable isotope (SI) studies and DNA sequencing has allowed ecologists in Japan to observe natural ecosystems from entirely new perspectives. This report addresses the recent advances underlying the use of SI ratios. Variation in the SI ratios of biogenic substances depends on the isotopic composition of reactants, the pathways and kinetic modes of reaction dynamics, and physicochemical conditions. Nitrogen and carbon SI distribution ratios (deltasup(15)N and deltasup(13)C, respectively) are used to examine materials cycling, food-web structure, and the variability thereof within various ecosystems, often resulting in the elucidation of an 'isotopically ordered world.' The past 40-year history and present status of this method are briefly summarized. The future prospects of SI techniques are also described.
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