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Dietary Analysis in Granivores through the Use of Neutron Activation
Author(s) -
Smigel Barbara W.,
Rosenzweig Michael L.
Publication year - 1974
Publication title -
ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.144
H-Index - 294
eISSN - 1939-9170
pISSN - 0012-9658
DOI - 10.2307/1935221
Subject(s) - isotope , neutron activation analysis , radiochemistry , radionuclide , tracing , stable isotope ratio , feces , neutron activation , neutron , chemistry , ecology , biology , environmental science , environmental chemistry , nuclear physics , physics , computer science , operating system
A technique is used which permits simultaneous tracing of several foods in the field without the use of radioactive isotopes. Seeds are tagged with different stable (nonradioactive) isotopes of rare elements and then distributed in the environment. Free—living rodents that have been exposed to these seeds are then trapped and their feces are collected. The relative amounts of the several tagged foods consumed by the rodents are determined by subjecting the feces to neutron activation analysis in the laboratory. In activation analysis stable isotopes are rendered radioactive by permitting them to capture neutrons in a nuclear reactor. The elements emit characteristic wave lengths of gamma radiation, allowing not only detection but precise quantification. The technique presents many technical problems, enough of which have been solved to allow its application to the investigation of some interesting ecological questions.