ISOTOPIC ECOLOGY OF THE MODERN LAND SNAIL CERION, SAN SALVADOR, BAHAMAS: PRELIMINARY ADVANCES TOWARD ESTABLISHING A LOW-LATITUDE ISLAND PALEOENVIRONMENTAL PROXY

The isotopic ecology of terrestrial snails from tropical island settings is not known despite the importance of such data sets for paleoenvironmental reconstructions. In this study, variations in carbon (13C/ 12C) and oxygen (18O/16O) isotope ratios obtained during whole-shell and sequential-rib ana...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Palaios 2007-03, Vol.22 (2), p.174-187
Main Authors: BALDINI, LISA M, WALKER, SALLY E, RAILSBACK, L. BRUCE, BALDINI, JAMES U.L, CROWE, DOUG E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bahamas
C-13/C-12
C4 plants
carbon
Carbonates
Caribbean region
Cerion
Diet
Gastropoda
Geochemistry
Invertebrata
invertebrate
isotope ratios
isotopes
Land
Land distribution
living taxa
modern analogs
Mollusca
O-18/O-16
oxygen
paleoclimatology
paleoenvironment
Paleontology
Plants
Rain
San Salvador
shells
Snails
Soil samples
stable isotopes
terrestrial environment
vegetation
Water samples
West Indies
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Summary:The isotopic ecology of terrestrial snails from tropical island settings is not known despite the importance of such data sets for paleoenvironmental reconstructions. In this study, variations in carbon (13C/ 12C) and oxygen (18O/16O) isotope ratios obtained during whole-shell and sequential-rib analyses of the modern land snail, Cerion, reveal a record of diet and local environment on San Salvador, Bahamas. The mean δ13C value of adult Cerion shells collected from C4 vegetation is higher by 1.0‰ relative to snails collected from C3 plants, suggesting that carbon isotopes in shell carbonate reflect the dominant plant type in the diet, though the broad range of shell carbonate δ13C confirms a varied diet for this genus. The mean δ18O values of adult Cerion shells collected from the west coast of San Salvador are 0.8‰ higher than those collected from the east coast of the island. This difference may reflect the incorporation of water vapor derived from 18O-rich hypersaline lakes located in the island's western interior. Sequential-rib analysis of one adult Cerion shell reveals variations in δ13C and δ18O values through ontogeny that may reflect changes in food source and rainfall seasonality, respectively. This study lays the groundwork for future studies to establish fossil Cerion as a valuable paleoenvironmental proxy for San Salvador and the Bahamas.
ISSN:0883-1351
1938-5323
DOI:10.2110/palo.2005.p05.091r