Changes in continental ostracode shell chemistry; uncertainty of cause

Ostracode shell chemistry is a powerful tool for recording changes of certain dissolved ions in their environment. Such data are commonly interpreted in terms of change in temperature and salinity, which are then used to offer insights into paleohydrology and from that paleoclimate. In particular, t...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Hydrobiologia 2009-03, Vol.620 (1), p.1-15
Main Authors: Ito, Emi, Forester, Richard M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Aquatic ecosystems
Biological and medical sciences
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Chemistry
Crustaceans
Ecological effects
Ecology
Evaporation
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
General aspects
Geochemistry
Groundwater
Ions
Life Sciences
Opinion Paper
Paleoclimate
Paleoclimate science
Paleohydrology
Salinity
Seasonal variations
Solutes
Surface water
Synecology
Water temperature
Zoology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Ostracode shell chemistry is a powerful tool for recording changes of certain dissolved ions in their environment. Such data are commonly interpreted in terms of change in temperature and salinity, which are then used to offer insights into paleohydrology and from that paleoclimate. In particular, the changes in Sr/Cashell are believed to reflect changes in salinity, and the changes in Mg/Cashell to reflect both salinity and water temperature. However, the established application of this proxy too often ignores the complexities involved in the chemical changes accompanying solute evolution, hydrologic change, physical chemistry, and the autoecology and biology of ostracodes. Chemical changes occur: (1) in the dissolved Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca ratios during solute evolution, (2) as a consequence of multiple sources of water, but especially ground and surface water interchange as well as evaporation, (3) as a consequence of different dissolved cation-anion pair formation at various concentrations, and (4) because of bio/ecologic effects, including seasonality of molting and taxa-specific ionic regulation capabilities. We suggest that changes in shell chemistry in a stratigraphic sequence tell us when changes occurred in the solutes, but cannot identify what caused those change(s) in the chemical environment. Inclusion of information from other paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic proxies that co-occur with ostracode shells may help to limit the choices amongst possible causes.
ISSN:0018-8158
1573-5117
DOI:10.1007/s10750-008-9622-7