Oxygen isotope variation in bone phosphate

Boaz Luz*, Yehoshua Kolodny

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

84 Scopus citations

Abstract

Temperature dependent fractionation of O isotopes occurs between water and phosphate of fish bones, mammal bones and the phosphatic fraction of mollusc skeletons. In all these cases the fractionation follows the paleotemperature equation of Longinelli and Nuti. In molluscs and in fish the δ18O of the skeleton (δp) depends on the δ18O of the environmental water (δw) and on ambient temperature. Thus, as in other isotopic paleothermometers, estimation of δw is necessary for temperature calculation. Mammal δp, which is not affected by changes in ambient temperature, is useful for estimating δw. Simple linear relations exist between δp of experimental rats, their body water isotopic compositions (δBW) and δw of their drinking water. Body water composition depends on δw of intake water as well as on the rate of metabolism. When the metabolic rate is high compared to the rate of drinking, bone phosphate will not be very sensitive to changes in δw of the environmental water. In free ranging deer a significant amount of the intake water is water contained in leaves that the deer eat. In arid environments leaf water becomes highly enriched in δ18O due to isotopic effects of evaporation. This enrichment is reflected in the bone phosphate. Modern people consume significant amounts of water from sources other than those in their immediate living environment. Consequently, their bone phosphate is not useful for estimating the isotopic composition of environmental water. However, this was not true for ancestral and more recent man, and therefore the δp of skeletons might be useful for tracing past human migrations.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)317-323
Number of pages7
JournalApplied Geochemistry
Volume4
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 1989

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