This book highlights new and emerging uses of stable isotope analysis in a variety of ecological disciplines. While the use of natural abundance isotopes in ecological research is now relatively standard, new techniques and ways of interpreting patterns are developing rapidly. The second edition of this book provides a thorough, up-to-date examination of these methods of research. As part of the Ecological Methods and Concepts series which provides the latest information on experimental techniques in ecology, this book looks at a wide range of techniques that use natural abundance isotopes to: follow whole ecosystem element cycling understand processes of soil organic matter formation follow the movement of water in whole watersheds understand the effects of pollution in both terrestrial and aquatic environments study extreme systems such as hydrothermal vents follow migrating organisms In each case, the book explains the background to the methodology, looks at the underlying principles and assumptions, and outlines the potential limitations and pitfalls. Stable Isotopes in Ecology and Environmental Science is an ideal resource for both ecologists who are new to isotopic analysis, and more experienced isotope ecologists interested in innovative techniques and pioneering new uses.

Table of Contents:
Contributors, x Abbreviations, xiii Introduction, xvii 1 Stable isotope chemistry and measurement: a primer, 1 Elizabeth W. Sulzman Introduction, 1 What isotopes are, what makes them distinct, 1 Properties of ecologically useful stable isotopes, 11 Technological advances and current trends in the ecological use of isotopes, 14 Acknowledgments, 18 References, 18 2 Sources of variation in the stable isotopic composition of plants, 22 John D. Marshall, J. Renée Brooks, and Kate Lajtha Introduction, 22 Carbon isotopes, 22 Nitrogen isotopes, 35 Hydrogen and oxygen isotopes, 39 Conclusions, 49 References, 50 3 Natural 15N- and 13C-abundance as indicators of forest nitrogen status and soil carbon dynamics, 61 Charles T. Garten, Jr, Paul J. Hanson, Donald E. Todd, Jr, Bonnie B. Lu, and Deanne J. Brice Introduction, 61 Significance of 15N-abundance to soil carbon sequestration, 63 Vertical changes in soil 13C-abundance and soil carbon dynamics, 69 Conclusions, 77 Acknowledgments, 77 References, 77 4 Soil nitrogen isotope composition, 83 R. Dave Evans Introduction, 83 Sources of variation in soil δ15N, 83 Patterns of soil nitrogen isotope composition, 91 Conclusions, 94 References, 95 5 Isotopic study of the biology of modern and fossil vertebrates, 99 Paul L. Koch Introduction, 99 Vertebrate tissues in the fossil record, 100 Controls on the isotopic composition of vertebrate tissues, 105 Preservation of biogenic isotope compositions by vertebrate fossils, 119 Paleobiological applications, 123 Conclusions, 138 A post-script on workshops and literature resources, 138 References, 139 6 Isotopic tracking of migrant wildlife, 155 Keith A. Hobson Introduction, 155 Basic principles, 156 Marine systems, 159 Terrestrial systems (excluding deuterium), 161 Using deuterium patterns in precipitation, 163 Conclusions, 169 References, 170 7 Natural abundance of 15N in marine planktonic ecosystems, 176 Joseph P. Montoya Introduction, 176 Background, 177 Isotopic variation in marine nitrogen, 178 Source delineation and isotope budgets, 186 Animal fractionation and food web processes, 187 Isotopic transients in marine systems, 189 Compound-specific nitrogen isotope analyses, 191 Conclusions, 193 Acknowledgment, 194 References, 194 8 Stable isotope studies in marine chemoautotrophically based ecosystems: An update, 202 Cindy Lee Van Dover Introduction, 202 Isotopic tracing of carbon at methane seeps, 209 Whale falls, 219 Hydrothermal vents, 221 Conclusions, 226 References, 230 9 Stable isotope ratios as tracers in marine food webs: An update, 238 Robert H. Michener and Les Kaufman Introduction, 238 Methods of assessing food webs, 238 Phytoplankton and particulate organic carbon, 246 Phytoplankton and particulate organic nitrogen, 248 Marine food webs, 252 Stable isotopes in marine conservation biology, 261 Conclusions, 269 Acknowledgments, 270 References, 270 10 Stable isotope tracing of temporal and spatial variability in organic matter sources to freshwater ecosystems, 283 Jacques C. Finlay and Carol Kendall Introduction, 283 Overview of river food webs and stable isotope approaches, 284 Stable isotope ratios of organic matter sources in stream ecosystems, 289 C, N, and S isotopic variability and its applications in river ecology, 308 Conclusions, 323 Acknowledgments, 324 References, 324 11 Stable isotope tracers in watershed hydrology, 334 Kevin McGuire and Jeff McDonnell Introduction, 334 Basic concepts in watershed hydrology, 334 Why are stable isotopes needed?, 342 General concepts in isotope hydrology, 342 Applications of isotope hydrology in watershed and ecosystem studies, 356 Conclusions, 364 Acknowledgments, 365 References, 365 12 Tracing anthropogenic inputs of nitrogen to ecosystems, 375 Carol Kendall, Emily M. Elliott, and Scott D. Wankel Introduction, 375 Isotopic compositions of major N sources to ecosystems, 380 Processes affecting the isotopic composition of DIN, 393 Separating mixing of sources from the effects of cycling, 407 Applications to different environmental settings, 413 What sources of agricultural and urban sources of nitrate can be distinguished using isotopes?, 422 Other tools for tracing anthropogenic contaminants, 427 Conclusions, 433 References, 435 13 Modeling the dynamics of stable-isotope ratios for ecosystem biogeochemistry, 450 William S. Currie Introduction, 450 Designing consistent model–data linkages and comparisons, 454 Principles and techniques of stable isotope modeling, 461 Conclusions, 474 Acknowledgments, 476 References, 476 14 Compound-specific stable isotope analysis in ecology and paleoecology, 480 Richard P. Evershed, Ian D. Bull, Lorna T. Corr, Zoe M. Crossman, Bart E. van Dongen, Claire J. Evans, Susan Jim, Hazel R. Mottram, Anna J. Mukherjee, and Richard D. Pancost Introduction, 480 Why use compound-specific stable isotopes?, 481 Analytical considerations in compound-specific stable isotope analysis, 482 Applications of compound-specific stable isotope approaches in ecology and paleoecology, 498 Conclusions, 524 References, 526 Index, 541