In:
Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, Wiley, Vol. 25, No. 24 ( 2011-12-30), p. 3741-3748
Abstract:
Stable isotope analysis of hair has found applications in many fields of science because it provides a temporally resolved, fairly stable isotopic archive of mammalian individuals. We investigated whether this hair archive is modified by natural weathering while attached to a living animal. We analyzed the tail switch hairs of one suckler cow, sampled seven times over a period of four annual summer pasture–winter stall feeding cycles. We compared relative isotope ratios (δ 2 H, δ 13 C, δ 15 N, δ 18 O and δ 34 S) of sections of hair that grew simultaneously but were exposed to natural weathering conditions over different periods of time. Natural wear caused a loss of mass of approx. 0.13% day –1 , with no apparent effect of environmental conditions. Changes in δ 2 H, δ 13 C, δ 15 N and δ 18 O were below the detection limit, indicating that hair is a reliable archive for the isotopes of these elements. In contrast, δ 34 S values increased during the grazing period by about 1 ‰, with exposure to UV radiation appearing to have a major influence on this result. The δ 34 S values decreased during the subsequent stall period, probably due to abrasion. Seasonal variation in δ 34 S may indicate alternating environments that differ in their weathering conditions. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
0951-4198
,
1097-0231
Language:
English
Publisher:
Wiley
Publication Date:
2011
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2002158-6
detail.hit.zdb_id:
58731-X
SSG:
11
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