Open AccessStable and clumped isotopes in shell carbonates of land snails Cathaica sp. and Bradybaena sp. in north China and implications for ecophysiological characteristics and paleoclimate studies
Author(s) -
Wang Xu,
Cui Linlin,
Zhai Jixuan,
Ding Zhongli
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
geochemistry, geophysics, geosystems
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.928
H-Index - 136
ISSN - 1525-2027
DOI - 10.1002/2015gc006182
Subject(s) - land snail , snail , arid , gastropoda , ecology , paleoclimatology , geology , stable isotope ratio , isotopes of carbon , biology , climate change , physics , quantum mechanics , total organic carbon
Knowledge of ecophysiological characteristics of different land snail species is crucial for defining climatic significance of snail faunal assemblages. However, little work has been done in this aspect, hindering our obtaining unambiguous paleoclimatic information using these proxy indicators. Here we document for the first time the different ecophysiological characteristics of Cathaica sp. and Bradybaena sp. land snails using the stable isotopes and clumped isotope (Δ 47 ) of the shell carbonates. The Δ 47 ‐derived temperatures for both species revealed a robust correlation with environmental temperatures. Moreover, the temperatures for Cathaica sp. are 3–5°C higher than those for Bradybaena sp. land snails, indicating different ecophysiological adaptations or growing seasons of the two species. Specifically, Cathaica sp. snails prefer living in a warm‐humid summer, whereas Bradybaena sp. snails are active in the relatively cool‐arid spring and/or autumn. The result testifies to the Δ 47 in snail shell carbonates as a promising paleothermometer in monsoonal region and presents new insight into paleoclimatic explanation of these land snail species. This finding highlights the importance of climatic seasonality in the changes of the faunal assemblages of land snails.