How does early decomposition distort stable isotopes in marine megafauna? 🐋🔍
New study in EST breaks down the impact:
📉 Bulk & AA δ¹³C: Consistent decline (microbial fermentation)
➡️ Bulk δ¹⁵N & δ³⁴S: Remarkably stable
🧬 AA δ¹⁵N: High resilience (except glutamic acid)
🔗 doi.org/10.1021/acs....
doi.org
Decomposition-Induced
Change in Stranded Megafauna:
Decoupling Postmortem Impacts from the Isotopic Niche
Abstract. Diet throughout an
animal’s lifetime can be reconstructed
using stable isotope analyses of tissues with different turnover times,
yet postmortem