Stable Isotopes in Ecological Research

✍ Scribed by J. R. Ehleringer, P. W. Rundel (auth.), P. W. Rundel, J. R. Ehleringer, K. A. Nagy (eds.)

• Publisher: Springer-Verlag New York
• Year: 1989
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 535
• Series: Ecological Studies 68
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

The analysis of stable isotope ratios represents one of the most exciting new technical advances in environmental sciences. In this book, leading experts offer the first survey of applications of stable isotope analysis to ecological research. Central topics are - plant physiology studies - food webs and animal metabolism - biogeochemical fluxes. Extensive coverage is given to natural isotopes of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and strontium in both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Ecologists of diverse research interests, as well as agronomists, anthropologists, and geochemists will value this overview for its wealth of information on theoretical background, experimental approaches, and technical design of studies utilizing stable isotope ratios.

✦ Table of Contents

Front Matter....Pages i-xv
Stable Isotopes:History, Units, and Instrumentation....Pages 1-15
Front Matter....Pages 17-19
Carbon Isotope Fractionation and Plant Water-Use Efficiency....Pages 21-40
Carbon Isotope Ratios and Physiological Processes in Aridland Plants....Pages 41-54
Stable Carbon Isotope Ratio as an Index of Water-Use Efficiency in C 3 Halophytes—Possible Relationship to Strategies for Osmotic Adjustment....Pages 55-75
Stable Carbon Isotopes in Vernal Pool Aquatics of Differing Photosynthetic Pathways....Pages 76-81
Studies of Mechanisms Affecting the Fractionation of Carbon Isotopes in Photosynthesis....Pages 82-94
Intertree Variability of δ 13 C in Tree Rings....Pages 95-104
Hydrogen Isotope Fractionation in Plant Tissues....Pages 105-123
Oxygen and Hydrogen Isotope Ratios in Plant Cellulose: Mechanisms and Applications....Pages 124-141
Stable Hydrogen Isotope Ratios in Plants: A Review of Current Theory and Some Potential Applications....Pages 142-162
Front Matter....Pages 163-165
Stable Carbon Isotopes in Terrestrial Ecosystem Research....Pages 167-195
δ 13 C Measurements as Indicators of Carbon Flow in Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems....Pages 196-229
Natural Carbon Isotope Tracers in Arctic Aquatic Food Webs....Pages 230-251
Some Problems and Potentials of Strontium Isotope Analysis for Human and Animal Ecology....Pages 252-259
Natural Isotope Abundances in Bowhead Whale ( Balaena mysticetus ) Baleen: Markers of Aging and Habitat Usage....Pages 260-269
Doubly-Labeled Water Studies of Vertebrate Physiological Ecology....Pages 270-287
A δ 13 C and δ 15 N Tracer Study of Nutrition in Aquaculture: Penaeus vannamei in a Pond Growout System....Pages 288-303
Front Matter....Pages 305-307
Stable Isotope Ratios and the Dynamics of Caliche in Desert Soils....Pages 309-317
The Use of Stable Isotopes in Assessing the Effect of Agriculture on Arid and Semi-Arid Soils....Pages 318-341
Estimates of N 2 Fixation in Ecosystems: The Need for and Basis of the 15 N Natural Abundance Method....Pages 342-374
Front Matter....Pages 305-307
The Use of Variation in the Natural Abundance of 15 N to Assess Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation by Woody Plants....Pages 375-394
13 C/ 12 C Ratios in Atmospheric Methane and Some of Its Sources....Pages 395-409
Temperature-Dependent Hydrogen Isotope Fractionation in Cyanobacterial Sheaths: Applications to Studies of Modern and Precambrian Stromatolites....Pages 410-423
Sulfur Isotope Studies of the Pedosphere and Biosphere....Pages 424-444
Sulfate Fertilization and Changes in Stable Sulfur Isotopic Compositions of Lake Sediments....Pages 445-453
The Use of Stable Sulfur and Nitrogen Isotopes in Studies of Plant Responses to Air Pollution....Pages 454-470
The Use of Stable Sulfur Isotope Ratios in Air Pollution Studies: An Ecosystem Approach in South Florida....Pages 471-490
87 Sr/ 86 Sr Ratios Measure the Sources and Flow of Strontium in Terrestrial Ecosystems....Pages 491-512
Back Matter....Pages 513-525

✦ Subjects

Ecology; Plant Sciences