Yes / Here we present a novel method which allows the measurement of the stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) from much smaller samples of dentine than previously possible without affecting the quality parameters. The reconstruction of the diet of past populations using isotopic analysis of bone collagen is a well-established tool. However, because of remodelling of bone throughout life, this gives a blurred picture of the diet. The analysis of δ13C and δ15N from tiny increments of dentine utilizes tissue that does not remodel and permits comparison, at the same age, of those who survived infancy with those who did not at high temporal resolution. This new method has been tested on archaeological teeth from two sites: three molar teeth from the 19th Century Kilkenny Union Workhouse Famine cemetery, Ireland; and three from the Anglian (5-7th centuries AD) cemetery at West Heslerton, Yorkshire, England, selected on the basis of their varied preservation. The methods of incremental dentine sectioning described in Beaumont et al (2013)[1] were carried out and a sub-section removed prior to denaturing and lyophilisation. The two sample sets, dentine and collagen from each section, were measured by isotope ratio mass spectrometry. The profiles produced from each of the six teeth studied show close correlation in isotope ratios indicating that demineralized dentine which has not been denatured and lyophilised produces isotope ratios comparable with dentine collagen. This finding allows analysis of extremely small samples of dentine which could previously not be measured using current instruments and methods.

Yes / From the early Medieval period, Christian monasteries were wealthy and powerful, and played a central role in both religious and political life. Those who entered the monasteries did so at the age of 7-8 years and were drawn from a wide range of social strata. From that point, they were subject to the dietary rules imposed by the rules of each monastic order. In order to assess the origins and diet of 10 monks who lived in the monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla Yuso (La Rioja, Spain) during the 17th – 18th century, collagen from small sections of human dentine (representing the childhood diet) and from ribs (an average of the last 5 - 10 years of adult diet) was measured to establish lifetime variations in the isotope ratios of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N). Bulk collagen δ13C (overall mean= -18.2‰ +/-0.4) and δ15N (overall mean= 12.6‰ +/-0.8) values from the ribs suggest 2 adult cohorts: one with a diet based on C3 plants and a high intake of protein from meat or dairy products and some marine resources and a second cohort with some C4 plant consumption alongside meat and dairy. Data from the dentine sections revealed different dietary patterns during the period of tooth formation among the monks, suggesting that 4 of them entered the monastery after consuming lower status diets during childhood. / This paper was written with the support of a PhD grant (BES-2015-075176) from the project CoChange (HAR2014-51830-P) lead by Prof. Pablo Arias.

Lizard ecology through time is largely unknown. Understanding ecology is important because of today’s drastic climate change, but this is not a unique event. Early Cenozoic hyperthermals were comparable to the perturbations currently experienced by living species. Understanding ecology through time must acknowledge the dynamic relationship between an organism and its environment on multiple scales. Ecological inferences can be based on form equaling function, correlating certain features (e.g. leaf-shaped dentition) with certain behaviors (e.g. herbivorous diet). Though this applies to specific taxa, there are confounding examples. Ecology can also be inferred through indirect means, but these are disconnected from the taxon of interest. Stable isotope geochemistry, however, provides an independent test. I analyzed stable isotope ratios (δ¹⁸O, δ¹³C) from enamel, providing new data on the connection between morphology, diet, and environment. I find a trophic separation in δ¹³C, and indications of aridity through δ¹⁸O. I applied this framework to extinct lizards from an Early Eocene (Wa4) assemblage, a key time between two major global warming events (Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum and Early Eocene Climatic Optimum). I identify xenosaurid and glyptosaurine squamates and alethinophidian snakes. The xenosaurid is one of the youngest representatives of Restes rugosus, and I provide the first testable hypothesis of its ecology. These δ¹⁸O values corroborate hypotheses of a wet, tropical environment, and the δ¹³C values indicate an insectivorous or carnivorous diet for both taxa. My study provides an independent test of ecology of both extant and fossil lizards, with implications for differing survivorship throughout the early Cenozoic. / MS / We know little about the diet and habitat of lizards. We have a limited knowledge of these characteristics in living species, but these represents a fraction of the total number of all lizard species that have ever lived. There are several ways to try to understand the ecology of an animal. We can observe it directly, we can infer things about it from comparisons to other living species, or we can make inferences through indirect proxies. All of these methods have their limitations, however. I am interested in how lizard ecology changes through geologic time as preserved in the fossil record. This requires understanding the ecology of extinct lizards. For my thesis, I quantified ecology using stable isotope ratios in both living and extinct lizard species. Through my analyses, I was able to differentiate their diets and habitats. My examination of lizard fossils from ~54 million years ago identifies two lizards and one snake, and analyses of the fossil lizards indicate they were carnivorous or insectivorous and lived in a tropical climate. These stable isotope analyses not only have the potential to infer diet and habitat, but also track illegal pet trade and determine if an organism is warm or cold blooded.

Les sols organiques cultivés de l'ouest de la Montérégie alimentent une grande part du secteur horticole de la province de Québec. Or, le drainage pour leur mise en culture les rend particulièrement vulnérables à la dégradation et aux pertes de sol. Des scientifiques présument que la moitié de leur dégradation s'expliquerait par l'érosion. Cependant, son intensité réelle est mal connue. Le présent projet de recherche réalisé dans le cadre de la maîtrise en sols et environnement présentait comme objectifs de quantifier l'érosion totale cumulée depuis 1963 en sols organiques cultivés et d'étudier la modulation de son intensité par des mesures de la redistribution spatiale du césium-137. Les taux d'érosion annuels obtenus varient de 0,4 à 8,8 t/ha, alors que ceux estimés initialement varient de 4,1 et 54,6 t/ha. Cependant, la valeur moyenne de 2,9 t/ha (avec un écart-type standard de 2,1 t/ha) obtenue était comparable à celle obtenue dans l'actuelle Étude sur l'état de santé des sols agricoles du Québec réalisée par l'IRDA qui était de 3,6 t/ha (avec un écart-type standard de 4,5 t/ha). Aucune différence significative entre les taux d'érosion annuels n'a pu être détectée au moyen d'analyses de la variance entre les groupes de champs à l'étude. De plus, les analyses comparatives entre les taux d'érosion des sols calculés à partir des teneurs résiduelles en césium-137 par rapport à ceux estimés à l'aide des différents paramètres physico-chimiques ne donnent pas de résultats significatifs. On peut émettre l'hypothèse que la part des pertes de sol par érosion serait plus importante que celle présumée au départ. De plus, plusieurs hypothèses sont avancées afin d'expliquer l'absence d'effet et de tendance significative détectée. Enfin, il semble qu'un nouveau modèle d'interprétation des inventaires de césium-137 en pertes de sol par érosion doive être développé pour les sols organiques cultivés et drainés. / The cultivated organic soils of western Montérégie supply a large part of the horticultural sector of the province of Quebec. However, drainage for their cultivation makes them particularly vulnerable to degradation and soil loss. Scientists assume that half of their degradation can be explained by erosion. However, its real intensity is poorly known. The present research project carried out within the framework of the master's degree in soils and environment presented as objectives to quantify the total cumulative erosion since 1963 in cultivated organic soils and to study the modulation of its intensity by measurements of the spatial redistribution of caesium-137. The annual erosion rates obtained vary from 0.4 to 8.8 t/ha, while those initially estimated vary from 4.1 to 54.6 t/ha. However, the average value of 2.9 t/ha (with a standard deviation of 2.1 t/ha) obtained was comparable to that obtained in the current Study on the Health of Agricultural Soils in Quebec carried out by the IRDA which was 3.6 t/ha (with a standard deviation of 4.5 t/ha). No significant difference between the annual erosion rates could be detected by means of analyzes of variance between the groups of fields under study. In addition, the comparative analyzes between the soil erosion rates calculated from the residual caesium-137 contents compared to those estimated using the various physico-chemical parameters do not yield significant results. It can be hypothesized that the share of soil loss by erosion would be greater than presumed initially. In addition, several hypotheses are put forward to explain the lack of effect and significant trend detected. Finally, it seems that a new model for interpreting caesium-137 inventories in soil loss by erosion must be developed for cultivated and drained organic soils.

We test the fidelity of shallow-water gastropod skeletons as multi-proxy archives of seasonal paleo-environmental change by performing isotopic and trace-metal analyses on specimens of Conus ermineus from the Gulf of Mexico. Four adult specimens were collected from Stetson Bank in the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary during the summer of 2002. Shell samples were milled along axes of growth to produce time-series profiles spanning up to eight years. We corrected the profiles for growth rate effects and compared the tuned results with in situ temperature and salinity records at the reef surface and temperature profiles from nearby surface buoys. Examination of sample densities in δ18O cycles shows that shell growth is faster during summers and slower during winters. Tuning the profiles versus time yields δ18O values that co-vary closely with seasonal temperatures to a high degree of coherency (R2 = 0.84). The δ13C profiles show cyclic variation modified by ontogenetic decreases in δ13C. These ontogenetic trends are attributable to decreasing metabolic efficiency, while seasonal cycles reflect hydrographic changes in the gastropods’ habitat. Salinity and δ13C of dissolved inorganic carbon show a strong correlation at Stetson Bank (R2 = 0.80), and early summer shell δ13C minima coincide with local salinity minima during times of peak river discharge. The terminations of these δ13C minima occur during annual upcoast reversals of shelf currents in this area. These effects are augmented by summer stratification and productivity minima that further decrease seawater δ13C. Sr/Ca ratios increase through ontogeny, most likely due to decreasing metabolic efficiency. However, seasonal variations in Sr/Ca profiles show strong similarity with δ18O profiles, confirming the temperature dependence of Sr/Ca and minimal influence of salinity on shell δ18O at Stetson Bank. The results of this study show that tuned δ18O and Sr/Ca profiles can be used to reconstruct seasonal paleotemperatures. Carbon isotope profiles and environmental data also demonstrate the utility of Conus δ13C as a proxy for freshwater flux and shelf circulation.

We test the fidelity of shallow-water gastropod skeletons as multi-proxy archives of seasonal paleo-environmental change by performing isotopic and trace-metal analyses on specimens of Conus ermineus from the Gulf of Mexico. Four adult specimens were collected from Stetson Bank in the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary during the summer of 2002. Shell samples were milled along axes of growth to produce time-series profiles spanning up to eight years. We corrected the profiles for growth rate effects and compared the tuned results with in situ temperature and salinity records at the reef surface and temperature profiles from nearby surface buoys. Examination of sample densities in δ18O cycles shows that shell growth is faster during summers and slower during winters. Tuning the profiles versus time yields δ18O values that co-vary closely with seasonal temperatures to a high degree of coherency (R2 = 0.84). The δ13C profiles show cyclic variation modified by ontogenetic decreases in δ13C. These ontogenetic trends are attributable to decreasing metabolic efficiency, while seasonal cycles reflect hydrographic changes in the gastropods’ habitat. Salinity and δ13C of dissolved inorganic carbon show a strong correlation at Stetson Bank (R2 = 0.80), and early summer shell δ13C minima coincide with local salinity minima during times of peak river discharge. The terminations of these δ13C minima occur during annual upcoast reversals of shelf currents in this area. These effects are augmented by summer stratification and productivity minima that further decrease seawater δ13C. Sr/Ca ratios increase through ontogeny, most likely due to decreasing metabolic efficiency. However, seasonal variations in Sr/Ca profiles show strong similarity with δ18O profiles, confirming the temperature dependence of Sr/Ca and minimal influence of salinity on shell δ18O at Stetson Bank. The results of this study show that tuned δ18O and Sr/Ca profiles can be used to reconstruct seasonal paleotemperatures. Carbon isotope profiles and environmental data also demonstrate the utility of Conus δ13C as a proxy for freshwater flux and shelf circulation.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T12:32:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T14:06:11Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Dissertação (Mestrado) / IPEN/D / Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares - IPEN-CNEN/SP

Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T12:32:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T14:06:11Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Cogumelos são espécies de fungos que têm a capacidade de reter radionuclídeos e elementos estáveis, importantes do ponto de vista tóxicológico e radiológico do meio ambiente. Estudos têm demonstrado que cogumelos podem ser utilizados como bioacumuladores na monitoração e na avaliação de contaminação e qualidade do ecossistema. No presente estudo, foram determinados os radionuclídeos 226Ra, 228Ra, 210Pb e os elementos As, Co, Cr, Cs, Fe, K, La, Mn, Na, Sc, U, Th e Zn em 24 amostras de cogumelos e de solos coletadas na região do Planalto de Poços de Caldas. O Planalto de Poços de Caldas é um exemplo de região de anomalia radioativa, apresentando cerca de 70 delas. No presente estudo, dois grupos de amostragem (do total de sete grupos) foram realizados em locais que apresentam tais anomalias. A determinação dos elementos estáveis foi realizada por Análise por Ativação com Nêutrons. As determinações de 226Ra, 228Ra e 210Pb nas amostras de cogumelos foram realizadas por separação radioquímica e suas atividades foram quantificadas em contador proporcional de fluxo gasoso Alfa e Beta Total. A determinação destes mesmos radionuclídeos nos solos foi realizada por Espectrometria Gama. A determinação dos isótopos de tório nos cogumelos foi realizada por separação radioquímica e quantificada por Espectrometria Alfa. O controle analítico de todas as metodologias utilizadas no presente trabalho foi realizado com o uso de materiais de referência certificados. Foram também analisadas amostras de cogumelos de uma região que não apresenta anomalia radioativa e os resultados comparados com os valores obtidos no Planalto de Poços de Caldas, podendo assim comprovar que cogumelos atuam como indicadores de contaminação radioativa do meio ambiente. As concentrações e atividades mais elevadas foram encontradas nas amostras coletadas nas zonas rurais do Planalto de Poços de Caldas, onde ocorrem as maiores anomalias radioativas na região. Pelos resultados obtidos, pode-se comprovar a eficiência do cogumelo como indicador de contaminação radioativa ambiental, sendo estes apropriados para avaliar os níveis de radioatividade em áreas de Materiais Radioativos de Ocorrência Natural. / Dissertação (Mestrado) / IPEN/D / Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares - IPEN-CNEN/SP

In this work, I present a multi-isotopic study (carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, strontium and lead) and Re-Os geochronology in rocks and crude oils of the Sonda de Campeche Petroleum System (SCPS). Since crude oils are complicated chemical systems easily disturbed, the Re-Os isotopic system could be affected if secondary processes perturb crude oils. Therefore, the multi stable isotopic study allows the identification of the presence and grade of these secondary processes in crude oils. The δ13C values of crude oils from the SCPS distinguish between: 1) crude oils with the fingerprint of source rocks of hydrocarbons (-28.3 to -26.7 ‰), and 2) crude oils with the fingerprint of the reservoir rocks (-25.5 to -24.9 ‰). Similarly, the δ15N values reveal that crude oils, during migration or trapping processes mimic the isotopic composition of the reservoir rocks of the Ek-Balam Formation. Furthermore, the δ34S values of crude oils from the SCPS (-8.0 to -2.5 ‰) show an absence of a thermal sulfate reduction (TSR) signature, which likely means that the use of Re-Os systematics in crude oils and rocks in the SCPS is appropriate. Strontium and lead measurements show crude oils have an isotopic composition different from rocks from the Edzna Formation but similar to rocks of the Akimpech and Ek-Balam formations, indicating that crude oils received Sr and Pb from the trapping rocks during migration or trapping processes, producing a isotopic mixing trend with rocks of these formations. Specifically, the lead isotope composition allows the identification of a source of lead never recorded before, the Guichicovi Complex. The isotopic data suggest that this Grenville Complex has been feeding with detrital material to the sedimentary rocks from Bacab, Ek-Balam and Akimpech formations in the SCPS, and in consequence contributing to the final isotopic composition of crude oils as well. Re-Os geochronology of rocks from the Edzna and Akimpech formations (152 ± 4 Ma; and 158.6 ± 5.5 Ma, respectively) provides precise ages of deposition that coincide with the ages proposed in previous studies based on the fossil record. Re-Os geochronology in crude oils yield ages with low uncertainty and moderate MSWD values, reflecting a rapid formation and migration process that occurred during evolution of the SCPS. The age of crude oils (28.3 ± 5.5 Ma) broadly agrees with petroleum generation models proposed by PEMEX.

No description available.