Annual cycle of 18O/16O and 13C/12C isotope ratios in landsnail shells.

M. Magaritz, J. Heller

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

22 Scopus citations

Abstract

Monthly data on the isotopic composition of carbon and oxygen in shells of the land snail Theba pisana were collected from two localities near Ashqelon, Israel. Seasonal trends in the isotopic data from the two areas were similar, but significant month-to- month and locality-to-locality differences in the delta 13C and delta 18O values of the snail-shell carbonate indicate that microenvironmental diversity existed. It is suggested that the factors responsible for the microclimatological diversity, such as plant coverage and primary productivity, control the degree of evaporation of interface water at the soil-air boundary. The O-isotopic composition of the snail-shell carbonate was used to calculate the isotoic composition of this interface water. The delta 13C values of snail-shell carbonate was used to monitor the amount of heterotrophic CO2 production in the soil.-P.Br.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)243-255
Number of pages13
JournalIsotope Geoscience
Volume1
Issue number3
StatePublished - 1983
Externally publishedYes

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