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 language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 243-255 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Isotope Geoscience |
Volume | 1 |
Issue number | 3 |
State | Published - 1983 |
Externally published | Yes |