Trophic level delineation and resource partitioning in a South African afromontane forest bird community using carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes

Southern African forests are naturally fragmented yet hold a disproportionately high number of bird species. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes were measured in feathers from birds captured at Woodbush (n = 27 species), a large afromontane forest in the eastern escarpment of Limpopo province, South Africa. The δ¹³C signatures of a range of forest plants were measured to categorise the food base. Most plants sampled, including two of five grass species, had δ¹³C signatures typical of a C₃ photosynthetic pathway (?29.5 ± 1.9‰). Three grass species had a C₄ signature (?12.0 ± 0.6‰). Most bird species had δ¹³C values representing a predominantly C₃‐based diet (?24.8‰ to ?20.7‰). δ¹⁵N values were as expected, with higher levels of enrichment associated with a greater proportion of dietary animal matter. The cohesive isotopic niche defining most species (n = 22), where the ranges for δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N were 2.4‰ and 3.4‰, respectively, highlight the difficulties in understanding diets of birds in a predominantly C₃‐based ecosystem using carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes. However, variation in isotopic values between and within species provides insight into possible niche width and the use of resources by different birds within a forest environment.     

Carbon and nitrogen in a temperate agroforestry system: Using stable isotopes as a tool to understand soil dynamics

Natural exchanges of carbon (C) between the atmosphere, the oceans, and terrestrial ecosystems are currently being modified through human activities as a result of fossil fuel burning and the conversion of tropical forests to agricultural land. These activities have led to a steady increase of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) over the last two Centuries. The goal of this study was to determine the potential of temperate agroforestry systems to sequester C in soil. Therefore, changes in the soil organic C (SOC) and nitrogen (N) pools were quantified and the δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N stable isotope technique was applied to assess soil C and N dynamics in a 13-year old hybrid poplar alley cropping system in Southern Canada. Results from this study showed that after 13 years of alley cropping the SOC and N pools did not differ significantly (p = 0.01) with distance from the tree row, although a trend of a larger SOC and N pool near the tree row could be observed. Soil organic C after 13 years of alley cropping, was 19 mg C g⁻¹ compared to 11 mg C g⁻¹ upon initiation of agroforestry. Soil organic C and N were not evenly distributed throughout the plow layer. The largest C and N pool occurred in the top 20 cm, which is due to the accumulation of organic material in the upper horizons as a result of no-till cultivation. The entire soil, to a 40 cm depth, showed a δ¹³C shift to that of C₃ residue. This shift reflects the greater input of residues from C₃ plants such as that derived from beans, wheat, and hybrid poplar leaf litterfall. The proportion of C derived from a C₃ source ranged from 64 to 69% to a 40 cm depth. The soil δ¹⁵N signature of this study is similar to that of mineral soil, and reflect values characteristic of N mineralization processes. However, the entire soil shows a positive shift in δ¹⁵N as a result of historical additions of manure and current use of mineral fertilizers, and ongoing processes of denitrification and nitrate leaching, which leads to an enrichment of the soil.     

Trophic ecology of the Lake Superior wave zone: a stable isotope approach

Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratio analyses were used to characterize the primary energy sources and trophic positions of 16 common Lake Superior wave zone invertebrate species. Isotope data from six tributary species that were taxonomically and ecologically matched with common wave zone species revealed broad energetic separation between these similarly structured benthic food webs. Previously published stable isotope data for Lake Superior wetland and pelagic food webs were used to assess the relative importance of inter-habitat energy flow within the Lake Superior ecosystem. The results of these comparisons indicate that the Lake Superior wave zone is energetically distinct from its tributaries, wetlands, and to a lesser extent from its vast pelagic realm. This information and approach should prove useful in future studies on the bioenergetics of inter-zonal migrants and other species that forage in multiple habitats within the lake and also in revealing energetic connections among terrestrial, riverine, littoral, and pelagic food webs in the coastal ecosystems of Lake Superior.     

高寒草旬消费者种群稳定碳、氮同位素组成的海拔分异

通过测定青藏高原东部高寒区不同海拔主要植物和消费者种群（雀形目鸟类和小型哺乳类）的稳定碳、氮同位素比值,研究了高寒草甸消费者种群同位素组成特征及其影响因素。结果表明：植物平均稳定碳同位素随海拔升高表现出明显的增加趋势;消费者种群稳定碳、氮同位素随海拔的升高有明显的富集效应。雀形目鸟类种群稳定碳、氮同位素随海拔的升高均呈明显增加趋势;小型哺乳类稳定碳同位素随海拔上升不明显,而稳定氮同位素具有明显的增大趋势。消费者种群稳定碳、氮同位素沿海拔梯度的富集效应,一方面与植物稳定同位素在海拔梯度上的富集密切相关;另一方面与海拔和纬度变化所引起一系列环境因子的变化在一定程度上影响到动物的稳定同位素分布模式。另外,在高寒草甸地区,与雀形目鸟类相比,小型哺乳类在动物稳定同位素组成的代谢过程中更容易受到环境改变的影响。     

Trophic fractionation of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes in Chironomus riparius reared on food of aquatic and terrestrial origin

1. Trophic fractionation was studied in short‐term laboratory feeding experiments with larvae of the deposit‐feeding midge Chironomus riparius. Larvae were fed food of terrestrial (oats, peat) and aquatic origin (Spirulina, Tetraphyll^®). 2. By analysing both whole larvae and isolated gut contents we were able to distinguish between the isotopic signature of recently ingested food and that of assimilated carbon and nitrogen in body tissue. Additionally we studied the effects of microbial conditioning, i.e. the colonisation and growth on food particles of microbes, on the isotopic signal of food resources. 3. Nitrogen fractionation for the different food types ranged from 0.67‰ to 2.68‰ between consumer and diet and showed that isotopic fractionation can be much lower than the value of 3.4‰ that is commonly assumed. 4. Microbial degradation of food particles resulted in an approximate doubling of the δ¹⁵N in 8 days, from 6.24 ± 0.05‰ to 11.36 ± 0.56‰. Values for δ¹³C increased only marginally, from ?20.66 ± 0.11‰ to ?20.34 ± 0.12‰. These results show that microbial conditioning of food may affect dietary isotope signatures (in particular N) and, unless accounted for, could introduce an error in measures of trophic fractionation. Microbial conditioning could well account for some of the variation in fractionation reported in the literature.     

Effects of forest conversion into grassland on soil aggregate structure and carbon storage in Panama: evidence from soil carbon fractionation and stable isotopes

Land-use and land-cover strongly influence soil properties such as the amount of soil organic carbon (SOC), aggregate structure and SOC turnover processes. We studied the effects of a vegetation shift from forest to grassland 90 years ago in soils derived from andesite material on Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama. We quantified the amount of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) and determined the turnover of C in bulk soil, water stable aggregates (WSA) of different size classes (<53 μm, 53–250 μm, 250–2000 μm and 2000–8000 μm) and density fractions (free light fraction, intra-aggregate particulate organic matter and mineral associated soil organic C). Total SOC stocks (0–50 cm) under forest (84 Mg C ha⁻¹) and grassland (64 Mg C ha⁻¹) did not differ significantly. Our results revealed that vegetation type did not have an effect on aggregate structure and stability. The investigated soils at BCI did not show higher C and N concentrations in larger aggregates, indicating that organic material is not the major binding agent in these soils to form aggregates. Based on δ¹³C values and treating bulk soil as a single, homogenous C pool we estimated a mean residence time (MRT) of 69 years for the surface layer (0–5 cm). The MRT varied among the different SOC fractions and among depth. In 0–5 cm, MRT of intra-aggregate particulate organic matter (iPOM) was 29 years; whereas mineral associated soil organic C (mSOC) had a MRT of 124 years. These soils have substantial resilience to C and N losses because the >90% of C and N is associated with mSOC, which has a comparatively long MRT.     

Trophic structure of common marine species in the Bohai Strait,North China Sea,based on carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios

Trophic relationships among common coastal species in the Bohai Strait, North China Sea, were investigated in this study using stable isotope ratios of carbon (¹³C/¹²C) and nitrogen (¹⁵N/¹⁴N) as tracers. During the research cruises of this study, 16 species of invertebrates and 18 species of fishes were collected, as were various food sources (phytoplankton, macroalgae, and sediment). The carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios of all collected samples were measured and used for trophic level analyses. The results showed that the grazers Oregonia gracilis, Notoacmea schrenckii, Chlorostoma rustica, and Chelon affinis, preferentially consumed Zostera marina (p < 0.01), whereas Anthocidaris crassispina preferred Ulva conglobata (p < 0.01). Two trophic models based on nitrogen isotope ratios were built to identify the trophic level of each species. The model that combined food sources was more appropriate than the model that used a single primary producer to identify the relative trophic positions of primary consumers. Scombermorus niphonius, an important fishery resource, was at the top trophic level. The seastar Asterias amurensis was at the highest level among the invertebrates and directly threatened production of shellfish. Based on the trophic level and food source relationships identified in this study, we gave some advice for ecological restoration, such as optimizing the structure of food source distribution, limiting seastar numbers, and improving the applicability of habitat for fishery species.     

The diet of ruffe Gymnocephalus cernuus (L.) in northern lakes: new insights from stable isotope analyses

The diet of ruffe Gymnocephalus cernuus was studied in two native populations in lakes of different productivity in south-west Finland using both traditional stomach content analyses and stable isotopes. According to stomach content analyses, chironomids were the most important prey type in both lakes and the diversity of the other prey reflected the zoobenthos community in the lake. Stable isotope analyses of carbon and nitrogen showed distinctive lake-specific and total length ( L _T)-related patterns in both δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values, which could not be explained solely with diet changes. In the large mesotrophic Pyhäjärvi, both ¹³C and ¹⁵N isotopes became slightly enriched with increasing ruffe L _T, although stomach contents analyses did not suggest any diet change in larger ruffe. In the hypereutrophic Köyliönjärvi, the carbon isotope signatures of ruffe especially showed wide variation (−33·5 to −24·1‰), which was probably due to variable consumption of prey items with highly negative carbon isotope signatures. Overall, this study emphasizes that the interpretation of stable isotope results requires extensive background data of the system and that even then the diet composition of a consumer may be very difficult to define due to large variation in the signatures.     

Determination of food sources and trophic position in Malaysian tropical highland streams using carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes

Stable isotope analysis has been extensively used as an effective tool in determination of trophic relationship in ecosystems. In freshwater ecosystem, aquatic invertebrates represent main component of a river food web. This study was carried out to determine potential food sources of freshwater organism together with pattern of trophic position along the river food web. In this study, rivers of Belum-Temengor Forest Complex (BTFC) has been selected as sampling site as it is a pristine area that contains high diversity and abundance of organisms and can be a benchmark for other rivers in Malaysia. Stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) were applied to estimate trophic position and food web paradigm. Analysis of stable isotopes based on organic material collected from the study area revealed that the highest δ¹³C value was reported from filamentous algae (? 22.68 ± 0.126⁰/₀₀) and the lowest δ¹³C was in allocthonous leaf packs (? 31.58 ± 0.187⁰/₀₀). Meanwhile the highest δ¹⁵N value was in fish (8.45 ± 0.177⁰/₀₀) and the lowest value of δ¹⁵N was in autochthonous aquatic macrophyte (2.00 ± 1.234⁰/₀₀). Based on the δ¹⁵N results, there are three trophic levels in the study river and it is suggested that the trophic chain begins with organic matter followed by group of insects and ends with fish (organic matter < insects < fish).     

Occurrence patterns of crop‐foraging sika deer distribution in an agriculture–forest landscape revealed by nitrogen stable isotopes

Conflicts arising from the consumption of anthropogenic foods by wildlife are increasing worldwide. Conventional tools for evaluating the spatial distribution pattern of large terrestrial mammals that consume anthropogenic foods have various limitations, despite their importance in management to mitigate conflicts. In this study, we examined the spatial distribution pattern of crop‐foraging sika deer by performing nitrogen stable isotope analyses of bone collagen. We evaluated whether crop‐foraging deer lived closer to agricultural crop fields during the winter and spring, when crop production decreases. We found that female deer in proximity to agricultural crop fields during the winter and spring were more likely to be crop‐foraging individuals. Furthermore, the likelihood of crop consumption by females decreased by half as the distance to agricultural crop fields increased to 5–10 km. We did not detect a significant trend in the spatial distribution of crop‐foraging male deer. The findings of spatial distribution patterns of crop‐foraging female deer will be useful for the establishment of management areas, such as zonation, for efficient removal of them.     

Structure of coniferous forest communities in Western Washington: Diversity and ecotope properties

Summary Vegetation patterns were examined in three regions of coniferous forest, arrayed along a gradient of decreasing maritime influence. The following responses to decreasing maritime influence were noted: all aspects of species diversity increase; growth-form complexity increases; habitat heterogeneity increases; species habitat breadths decrease; and habitat overlaps decrease. These observations result from studies of both individual plots and data aggregated into community types. The contrasts between the maritime western study region and the more continental eastern study region imply that ecotope differentiation increases from west to east.The enhanced structural complexity of the eastern region results from climatical limitation of the dominant tree species. Reduced canopy dominance produces greater within-habitat heterogeneity with respect to moisture, light, and soil properties. Furthermore, contrasts between the extremes of the topographic-moisture gradient increase toward the east. These factors combine to increase alpha, beta, and gamma diversities in the eastern study region above those of the western study region. Corresponding to these diversity trends are decreasing mean relative niche, habitat, and ecotope breadths of species toward the eastNomenclature is that of Hitchcock & Cronquist (1973).Funds for the study were provided in part by the Graduate School Research Fund, University of Washington. We thank Alan F. Watson, B.C. Cannon, S.G. Fleming, C. Brewer, K.E. Wade, K. Loughney, and M. Swanson for their able field assistance and Joan Canfield for assistance with data analysis. R.H. Whittaker, R.K. Peet, and an anonymous reviewer made valuable suggestions.     

The soil fauna of a beech forest on limestone: trophic structure and energy budget

Summary The soil fauna of a mull beech forest on lime-stone in southern Lower Saxony (West Germany) was sampled quantitatively. Biomass estimates, trophic characteristics, and measurement and calculation of the energetic parameters of the constituent animal populations were used to construct an energy budget of the total heterotrophic subsystem of the forest. Mean annual zoomass amounted to about 15 g d wt m^–2; earthworms (about 10 g d wt m^–2) and other groups of the macrofauna were dominant. Protozoa constituted about 1.5 g d wt m^–2. Relative distribution of zoomass among the trophic categories was 50% macrosaprophages, 30% microsaprophages, 12% microphytophages, and 4% zoophages. Total annual consumption rate of the saprophagous and microphytophagous soil fauna (6328 and 4096 kJ m^–2 yr^–1, respectively) was of the same order of magnitude as annual litter fall (canopy leaves 6124 kJ m^–2 yr^–1, flowers and fruits 944 kJ m^–2 yr^–1, herbs 1839 kJ m^–2 yr^–1, fine woody material 870 kJ m^–2 yr^–1, tree roots 3404 kJ m^–2 yr^–1, without coarse woody litter). Primary decomposers (macrosaprophages) were the key group for litter comminution and translocation onto and into the soil, thus contributing to the high decomposition rate (k=0.8) for leaf litter. Consumption rates of the other trophic groups were (values as kJ m^–2 yr^–1): bacteriophages 2954, micromycophages 416, zoophages 153. Grazing pressure of macrophytophages (including rhizophages) was low. Faeces input from the canopy layer was not significant. Grazing pressure on soil microflora almost equalled microbial biomass; hence, a large fraction of microbial production is channelled into the animal component. Predator pressure on soil animals is high, as a comparison between consumption rates by zoophages and production by potential prey — mainly microsaprophages, microphytophages and zoophages — demonstrated. Soil animals contributed only about 11% to heterotrophic respiration. However, there is evidence that animals are important driving variables for matter and energy transfer: key processes are the transformation of dead organic material and grazing on the microflora. It is hypothesized that the soil macrosaprophages are donor-limited.     

Availability and uptake of inorganic nitrogen in a mixed old-growth coniferous forest

Old-growth forest stands of mixed species composition provide the opportunity to study species-specific influences on soil properties. We monitored rates of nitrogen mineralization, nitrification and an index of ammonium and nitrate uptake in a mixed old-growth stand of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) and western redcedar (Thuja plicata) over a two-year period. Litter and mineral soil (0–10-cm depth) were sampled adjacent to ten large trees of each species. After initial characterization of litter and soil, buried bags were incubated in both layers for ca. 2-month intervals. Soil and litter pH was lowest near western hemlocks. Nitrification, nitrate concentrations, and percent uptake as nitrate differed among the tree species; rates were highest near western redcedars. For all species, percent nitrification and nitrate uptake rate were higher in soil than in litter. The results indicate species-specific effects on ammonium and nitrate production and uptake within this forest type.The research described in this article has been funded in part by the US Environmental Protection Agency. This document has been prepared at the EPA Environmental Research Laboratory in Corvallis, Oregon, through Contract No. 68-C8-0006 to ManTech Environmental Technology, Inc. It has been subjected to the Agency's peer and administrative review and approved for publication. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.The research described in this article has been funded in part by the US Environmental Protection Agency. This document has been prepared at the EPA Environmental Research Laboratory in Corvallis, Oregon, through Contract No. 68-C8-0006 to ManTech Environmental Technology, Inc. It has been subjected to the Agency's peer and administrative review and approved for publication. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.     

增温、增雨对荒漠草原植物和土壤总氮及稳定氮同位素的影响

剖析气候变化下植物和土壤氮含量关系,有助于了解植物—土壤氮循环,揭示植物群落和土壤演替趋势。收集了增温(环境温度、增温2℃和4℃)增雨(自然降水量、降水量增加25%和50%)6年析因实验处理后荒漠草原优势物种和土壤样品,通过对叶片和土壤的总氮(Total nitrogen, TN)、有效氮(Available nitrogen, AN)以及稳定氮同位素(Stable nitrogen isotopes, δ¹⁵N)测定分析,探究了增温增雨后荒漠草原植物和土壤氮含量变化趋势以及控制植物—土壤氮循环的主要因子。结果表明：(1)单独增温和同时增温增雨使土壤TN、AN和δ¹⁵N值升高但不显著(P>0.05);单独增雨显著降低了土壤AN(P<0.05)。(2)单独增温使短花针茅(Stipa breviflora)和栉叶蒿(Neopallasia pectinata)叶片TN升高,而冷蒿(Artemisia frigida)和蒙古葱(Allium mongolicum)叶片TN降低;单独增雨和同时增温增雨显著降低了4个物种叶片TN(P<...     

Corticosterone and stable isotopes in feathers predict egg size in Atlantic Puffins Fratercula arctica

Examining factors that operate outside the breeding season may provide new insights into life‐history traits such as egg size, in which individual variation has not been fully explained. We measured corticosterone (CORT) levels and δ¹⁵N values (trophic level) in feathers grown several months before egg‐laying to test the prediction that a female's physiological state and feeding behaviour prior to the breeding season can influence egg mass in Atlantic Puffins Fratercula arctica. As predicted, egg mass increased with both CORT and δ¹⁵N values in feathers, suggesting that the ability of female Puffins to meet the nutritional costs of egg production is related to CORT promoting increased foraging effort during moult and to consumption of a higher trophic‐level diet.     

模拟氮沉降下南方针叶林红壤的养分淋溶和酸化

以中国科学院红壤生态实验站林草生态试验区针叶林红壤为研究对象,在恒温(20 ℃)条件下,通过大土柱（直径10 cm、高60 cm）,8个月间隙性淋溶试验模拟研究了不同氮输入量（0、7.8、26和52 mg N/月/柱）对针叶林红壤NO₃^-、NH₄⁺、H⁺和土壤盐基离子(Ca²⁺、Mg²⁺、K⁺、Na⁺⁾淋溶以及土壤酸化的影响.结果表明,土壤交换态盐基总量、Ca²⁺和Mg²⁺淋溶量随氮输入量的增加而增加,土壤交换态Na⁺和K⁺则无明显影响.4种N输入处理的土壤交换态盐基总量净淋溶（淋溶出的盐基与淋洗液累计输入的盐基之差）分别占土壤交换性盐基总量的13.9%、18.6%、31.8% 和57.9％,土壤交换态Ca²⁺净淋溶分别占土壤交换性Ca²⁺总量的19.6%、25.8%、45.3%和84.8%,土壤交换态Mg²⁺净淋溶分别占土壤交换性Mg²⁺总量的4.4%、6.1%、10.9%和17.1%.随氮输入量增加,表层土壤pH值逐渐下降,4种N输入处理的表层土壤pH（KCl）分别为3.85、3.84、3.80和3.75;随氮输入量增加,淋溶液中无机氮、NO₃^-和H⁺逐渐增加.氮沉降可促进针叶林红壤的有机氮矿化,加速养分淋失和土壤酸化.     

基于稳定同位素技术的长湖鱼类营养结构研究

本研究应用碳、氮稳定同位素技术分析了2017年秋季（10月）和2018年春季（3月）湖北省荆州长湖鱼类营养结构特征,构建了δ¹³C和δ¹⁵N稳定同位素双位图,并计算了7个相关的量化指标。结果显示：所采集的16种鱼类,δ¹³C均值范围为（-27.7±0.8）‰~（-24.8±0.1）‰,δ¹⁵N的均值范围为（11.4±0.3）‰~（16.6±0.5）‰。营养生态位分析显示,长湖鱼类以偏肉食性鱼类黄颡鱼的营养级最高（3.28±0.2）,草鱼的营养级最低（1.74±0.1）。稳定同位素的量化指标表明,长湖春季鱼类群落核心生态位空间（standard ellipse area, SEA）、生态位总空间（total area, TA）和基础食物来源（δ¹³C range, CR）均高于秋季,两个季度的营养多样性（centrifugal distance, CD）和鱼类群落的整体密度（mean nearest neighbor distance, MNND）相似,但春季的营养长度（δ¹⁵N range, NR）和鱼类群落营养生态位分布范围（standard deviation of nearest neighbor distance, SDNND）值低于秋季。说明春季长湖的生态位总空间（TA上升）和基础食物来源（CR上升）较为丰富,但因鱼类种类的食性相近,其群落的总食物链降低（NR下降）。该研究可为分析拆围后长湖鱼类群落结构特征积累基础数据,也为长湖的渔业管理策略提供依据。     

15N natural abundance in forest and pasture soils of the Brazilian Amazon Basin

The natural abundance of ¹⁵N was examined in soil profiles from forests and pastures of the Brazilian Amazon Basin to compare tropical forests on a variety of soil types and to investigate changes in the sources of nitrogen to soils following deforestation for cattle ranching. Six sites in the state of Rondônia, two sites in Pará and one in Amazonas were studied. All sites except one were chronosequences and contained native forest and one or more pastures ranging from 2 to 27 years old. Forest soil ¹⁵N values to a depth of 1 m ranged from 8 to 23 and were higher than values typically found in temperate forests. A general pattern of increasing ¹⁵N values with depth near the soil surface was broadly similar to patterns in other forests but a decrease in ¹⁵N values in many forest profiles between 20 and 40 cm suggests that illuviation of ¹⁵N-depleted nitrate may influence total soil ¹⁵N values in deeper soil where total N concentrations are low. In four chronosequences in Rondônia, the ¹⁵N values of surface soil from pastures were lower than in the original forest and ¹⁵N values were increasingly depleted in older pastures. Inputs of atmospheric N by dinitrogen fixation could be an important N source in these pastures. Other pastures in Amazonas and Pará and Rondônia showed no consistent change from forest values. The extent of fractionation that leads to ¹⁵N enrichment in soils was broadly similar over a wide range of soil textures and indicated that similar processes control N fractionation and loss under tropical forest over a broad geographic region. Forest ¹⁵N profiles were consistent with conceptual models that explain enrichment of soil ¹⁵N values by selective loss of ¹⁴N during nitrification and denitrification.     

Evaluation of sulphur cycling in managed forest stands by means of stable S-isotope analysis

Sulphur cycling was evaluated in a 20 to 60 year old Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst) ecosystem in the Black Forest near Schluchsee, SW Germany, by means of stable sulphur isotope analysis.Soil and plant material were analysed for S-content and S-isotopic composition to gather information on the S-distribution in the ecosystem. Two out of three adjacent watershed areas, highly comparable to each other were fertilized with MgSO₄ and (NH₄)₂SO₄ respectively, where sulphate was enriched in the ³⁴S-isotope compared to the sulphur present in the ecosystem. As the fertilizer S served as a tracer, comparison of the S-isotopic composition of total and inorganic S in the soil and S in spruce needles from both the treated and the control sites led to new information of S-turnover processes.The S-isotopic composition of spruce needles changed markedly after the fertilizer application. Within half a year a shift towards the S-isotopic composition of the fertilizers sulphate indicated uptake of the sulphate by the trees, although this uptake did not become visible with the S content of the needles.Regarding the soil, a shift in the S-isotopic composition of the total sulphur was not that striking as with the needles, although the phosphate extractable sulphate showed a clear shift towards the S-isotopic composition of the fertilizer sulphate.     

The use of stable isotopes in the study of human pathophysiology

The growing prevalence of metabolic diseases including fatty liver disease and Type 2 diabetes has increased the emphasis on understanding metabolism at the mechanistic level and how it is perturbed in disease. Metabolomics is a continually expanding field that seeks to measure metabolites in biological systems during a physiological stimulus or a genetic alteration. Typically, metabolomics studies provide total pool sizes of metabolites rather than dynamic flux measurements. More recently there has been a resurgence in approaches that use stable isotopes (e.g. ²H and ¹³C) for the unambiguous tracking of individual atoms through compartmentalised metabolic networks in humans to determine underlying mechanisms. This is known as metabolic flux analysis and enables the capture of a dynamic picture of the metabolome and its interactions with the genome and proteome. In this review, we describe current approaches using stable isotope labelling in the field of metabolomics and provide examples of studies that led to an improved understanding of glucose, fatty acid and amino acid metabolism in humans, particularly in relation to metabolic disease. Examples include the use of stable isotopes of glucose to study tumour bioenergetics as well as brain metabolism during traumatic brain injury. Lipid tracers have also been used to measure non-esterified fatty acid production whilst amino acid tracers have been used to study the rate of protein digestion on whole body postprandial protein metabolism. In addition, we illustrate the use of stable isotopes for measuring flux in human physiology by providing examples of breath tests to measure insulin resistance and gastric emptying rates.