The ecology of modern and fossil vertebrates revisited by lithium isotopes
Thibon, F.; Goedert, J.; Séon, N.; Weppe, L.; Martin, J.E.; Amiot, R.; Adnet, S.; Lambert, O.; Bustamante, P.; Lécuyer, C.; Vigier, N. (2022). The ecology of modern and fossil vertebrates revisited by lithium isotopes. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 599: 117840. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2022.117840
In: Earth and Planetary Science Letters. Elsevier: Amsterdam. ISSN 0012-821X; e-ISSN 1385-013X, more
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| Author keywords |
lithium isotopes; mineralized tissues; aquatic environments; paleoecology |
| Authors | | Top |
- Thibon, F.
- Goedert, J.
- Séon, N.
- Weppe, L.
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- Martin, J.E.
- Amiot, R.
- Adnet, S.
- Lambert, O., more
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- Bustamante, P.
- Lécuyer, C.
- Vigier, N.
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| Abstract |
The vertebrate fossil record documents a plethora of transitions between aquatic and terrestrial environments but their causes are still debated. Quantifying the salinity of living environments is therefore crucial for precising the sequence of ecological transitions. Here, we measured lithium stable isotope composition of mineralized tissues (delta 7Limt) of extant and extinct vertebrates from various aquatic environments: seawater, freshwater/terrestrial, and "transitional environments" (i.e. brackish waters, or seasonal access to freshwater and seawater). We report statistically higher delta 7Limt values for seawater vertebrates than freshwater ones, taxonomic groups considered separately. Moreover, vertebrates living in transitional environments have intermediate delta 7Limt values. Therefore, we show that delta 7Limt values of both extant and extinct vertebrates can discriminate their aquatic habitat. |
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