Premium
Reconstruction of travel history using coupled δ 18 O and 87 Sr/ 86 Sr measurements of hair
Author(s) -
Chau Thuan H.,
Tipple Brett J.,
Hu Lihai,
Fernandez Diego P.,
Cerling Thure E.,
Ehleringer James R.,
Chesson Lesley A.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
rapid communications in mass spectrometry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.528
H-Index - 136
eISSN - 1097-0231
pISSN - 0951-4198
DOI - 10.1002/rcm.7822
Subject(s) - chemistry , isotope , isotopes of strontium , radiochemistry , stable isotope ratio , isotope analysis , strontium , zoology , analytical chemistry (journal) , mineralogy , chromatography , geology , physics , oceanography , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics , biology
Rationale Oxygen isotope ratios ( δ 18 O values) of hair largely reflect features of regional hydrology while strontium isotope ratios ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) are thought to reflect bedrock geology; combination of both isotope signatures may provide greater capacity for determining provenance and reconstructing travel history of an organism. To test this hypothesis, we compared the O‐Sr isotope profiles of hair from domestic horses with known residency histories. Methods Tail hairs were collected from a pair of horses pastured together for a period of 16 months, one of which lived in a different location for the 8 months prior. Hair samples were washed with solvents to remove external contaminants prior to sequential sampling for δ 18 O and 87 Sr/ 86 Sr analysis via TC/EA‐IRMS and MC‐ICP‐MS, respectively. Hair digests were concentrated and analyzed employing low‐flow natural aspiration to measure 87 Sr/ 86 Sr. Results Tail hair from the control and transported horses had mean δ 18 O values of 11.25 ± 1.62 ‰ and 10.96 ± 1.53 ‰, and mean 87 Sr/ 86 Sr of 0.7101 ± 0.0006 and 0.7109 ± 0.0020, respectively. The δ 18 O and 87 Sr/ 86 Sr profiles for the control and transported horses were indistinguishable when they were pastured together. The 87 Sr/ 86 Sr profiles were significantly different during the period that the horses were living apart, while the δ 18 O values were indistinguishable during that period. Conclusions By comparing the O‐Sr isotope profiles of a control and transported horse, we investigated isotopic signal(s) potentially useful for reconstructing travel histories via high‐resolution sequential sampling along single strands of tail hair. Improved analytical capabilities allowed for extremely low Sr abundance samples to be analyzed for 87 Sr/ 86 Sr and proved capable of resolving a horse's movement between distinct regions. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.