Stable delta(15)N and delta(13)C isotope ratios in aquatic ecosystems

In the past 20 years, rapid progress in stable isotope (SI) studies has allowed scientists to observe natural ecosystems from entirely new perspectives. This report addresses the fundamental concepts underlying the use of the SI ratio. The unique characteristics of the SI ratio make it an interdisci...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inProceedings of the Japan Academy. Series B. Physical and biological sciences Vol. 85; no. 3; pp. 98 - 107
Main Author Wada, Eitaro
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Japan 2009
Subjects
Animals
Carbon Dioxide - analysis
Carbon Isotopes
Chemical Fractionation
Ecosystem
Fishes
Food Chain
Fresh Water - chemistry
Geologic Sediments - chemistry
Humans
Nitrogen Isotopes
Russia
Sewage - chemistry
Water - chemistry
Russia
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Summary:In the past 20 years, rapid progress in stable isotope (SI) studies has allowed scientists to observe natural ecosystems from entirely new perspectives. This report addresses the fundamental concepts underlying the use of the SI ratio. The unique characteristics of the SI ratio make it an interdisciplinary parameter that acts as a chemical fingerprint of biogenic substances and provides a key to the world of isotopomers. Variations in SI ratios of biogenic substances depend on the isotopic compositions of reactants, the pathways and kinetic modes of reaction dynamics, and the physicochemical conditions. In fact, every biogenic material has its own isotopic composition, its "dynamic SI fingerprint", which is governed by its function and position in the material flow. For example, the relative SI ratio in biota is determined by dietary lifestyle, e.g., the modes of drinking, eating, and excreting, and appears highly regular due to the physicochemical differences of isotopomers. Our primary goal here is to elucidate the general principals of isotope partitioning in major biophilic elements in molecules, biogenic materials, and ecosystems (Wada, E. et al., 1995). To this end, the nitrogen and carbon SI distribution ratios (delta(15)N and delta(13)C, respectively) are used to examine materials cycling, food web structures, and their variability in various kinds of watershed-including aquatic ecosystems to elucidate an "isotopically ordered world".
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ISSN:1349-2896
DOI:10.2183/pjab.85.98