Linking remote sensing methodology to stable isotope ecology provides a promising approach to study ecological processes from small to large spatial scales. Here, we show that δ(15)N can be detected in fresh leaf reflectance spectra of field samples along a spatial gradient of increasing nitrogen input from an N2-fixing invasive species. However, in field data it is unclear whether δ(15)N direc...

RATIONALE Stable isotope analysis is a critical tool for understanding ecological food webs; however, results can be sensitive to sample preparation methods. To limit the possibility of sample contamination, freezing is commonly used to euthanize invertebrates and preserve non-lethal samples from vertebrates. For destructive sampling of vertebrates, more humane euthanasia methods are preferred ...

We present high-precision measurements of pure element stable isotope pairs that demonstrate mass has no influence on the backscattering of electrons at typical electron microprobe energies. The traditional prediction of average backscatter intensities in compounds was pragmatically based on elemental mass fractions. Our isotopic measurements establish that this approximation has no physical ba...

The use of biomarkers in combination with stable isotope analysis is a new approach in microbial ecology and a number of papers on a variety of subjects have appeared. We will first discuss the techniques for analysing stable isotopes in biomarkers, primarily gas chromatography-combustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry, and then describe a number of applications in microbial ecology based on 1...

1. Background 2. Elements, Nuclides, and Stable Isotopes 3. The Mass Spectrometer and Isotope Ratio Measurement 4. Isotope Fractionation 5. Temperature and Fractionation 6. Stable Isotopes in the Hydrologic Cycle 7. O in Minerals and Rocks 8. C and Carbon Cycling 9. N Cycling in Watersheds 10.S and the Sulfur Cycle 11. Chlorine and Bromine Isotopes 12. Light Lithophile Elements: δLi and δB Glos...

The quantitative estimation of paleoaltitude has become an increasing focus of Earth scientists because surface elevation provides constraints on the geodynamic mechanisms operating in mountain belts, as well as the influence of mountain belt growth on regional and global climate. The general observation of decreasing δ18O and δ2H values in rainfall as elevation increases has been used in both ...

Stable isotope dilution mass spectrometry (MS) represents the gold standard for quantification of endogenously formed cellular metabolites. Although coenzyme A (CoA) and acyl-CoA thioester derivatives are central players in numerous metabolic pathways, the lack of a commercially available isotopically labeled CoA limits the development of rigorous MS-based methods. In this study, we adapted sta...

Caries correction factors were applied to a Punic (6th-2nd century BC) rural sample from the island of Ibiza (Spain). Data obtained on dental caries and ante-mortem tooth loss provided a corrected rate of 12.8% of teeth with caries. This result, in conjunction with other sources of information such as stable isotope analysis and documentary evidence, indicated a diet based on terrestrial protei...

The principle of competitive exclusion postulates that ecologically-similar species are expected to partition their use of resources, leading to niche divergence. The most likely mechanisms allowing such coexistence are considered to be segregation in a horizontal, vertical or temporal dimension, or, where these overlap, a difference in trophic niche. Here, by combining information obtained fro...