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Prehistoric shell mounds can be useful for the quantification of the radiocarbon marine reservoir effect (MRE) and, at the same time, knowledge about the MRE allows for the establishment of robust chronologies for these sites. This creates a loop in which the archaeological setting has a dual role: it is part of both the method and the application. Therefore, it is paramount to address these sites from both archaeological and environmental perspectives, investigating their origin and diagenesis in order to overcome biases caused by post-depositional alterations. In this study, samples of bone, charcoal and shell from a Late Holocene shell mound in Southern Brazil, the Sambaqui de Cabeçuda, were analyzed following a multidisciplinary approach to disentangle the complex relationships between archaeology and the environment. We performed X-ray diffraction, radiocarbon dating, stable isotopes (δ13C, δ18O, δ15N) and anthracology analyses as well as Bayesian Chronological Models and Isotope Mixing Models to assess the local MRE and to reconstruct the diet of Cabeçuda builders. Our results reveal a negative local correction for the MRE (ΔR = –263 ± 46 14C yr), expected for the lagoon next to the site, and diets with considerable intakes of marine proteins. We examine the implications of these results for the chronology of the site and discuss a series of complications when performing MRE studies using shell mound sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen isotope ratios of biomarkers have been shown to reflect water isotope ratios, and in some cases correlate significantly with salinity. The δ²H-salinity relationship is best studied for long-chain alkenones, biomarkers for haptophyte algae, and is known to be influenced by a number of different environmental parameters. It is not fully known why δ²H ratios of lipids retain a correlation to salinity, and whether this is a general feature for other lipids produced by haptophyte algae. Here, we analyzed δ²H ratios of three fatty acids, brassicasterol, long-chain C37 alkenones and phytol from three different haptophyte species grown over a range of salinities. Lipids synthesized in the cytosol, or relying on precursors of cytosolic origin, show a correlation between their δ²H ratios and salinity. In contrast, biosynthesis in the chloroplast, or utilizing precursors created in the chloroplast, yields lipids that do not show a correlation between δ²H ratios and salinity. This leads to the conclusion that location of metabolism is the first-order control on the salinity signal retained in δ²H ratios of certain lipids. Additionally, we found that δ²H ratios of alkenones from batch cultures of the Group II haptophyte species Tisochrysis lutea correlate positively with temperature, contrary to findings from cultures of Group III haptophytes, but retain a similar response to nutrient availability in line with other Group III haptophytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To examine the implications of seasonality for the construction of a single-year calibration curve we obtained separate dates on earlywood and latewood fractions of tree rings originating from England and dendrochronologically dated between AD 1352 and AD 1442. These demonstrated that an average difference of 26±15 yr exists between earlywood and latewood and that this difference can be as high as 33±19 yr during periods of high radiocarbon (14C) production. It is argued that this difference is due to both changes in atmospheric 14C and the incorporation of stored carbohydrates into earlywood. Based on this, it was possible to separate an atmospheric and physiological contribution to this difference. Our modeling indicates that storage can produce a difference of up to 10 years between earlywood and latewood. This suggests that full-year tree rings from deciduous trees may be less appropriate for the construction of a single-year calibration curve and that specific atmospheric events can be more easily detected by measuring only latewood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since its invention in the late 1940s, radiocarbon (14C) dating has become an important tool for absolute dating. A prerequisite for the acceptance of this method is consistency between, and compatibility of, 14C dates from different laboratories. To meet these requirements, international laboratory intercomparison studies with different sample materials are frequently performed (e.g. TIRI, FIRI, VIRI and, most recently, SIRI).Intercomparison is especially relevant and difficult for samples close to the dating limit of ~50 kBP, not least for bone samples. A 14C intercomparison study between the Leibniz-Laboratory in Kiel (Germany), the Center for Isotope Research (CIO) in Groningen (the Netherlands), and the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit (ORAU, United Kingdom) was performed on three Pleistocene (MIS3) mammal bone samples from the Brick Quarry site Coenen (BQC) in Germany. The comparison of individually prepared and measured bone collagen 14C activities, results from shared collagen measurements, and respective background signatures and correction points to the latter as the main factor responsible for observed differences in final given radiocarbon estimates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The core metabolism of microorganisms has a major influence on the hydrogen isotopic composition of their fatty acids. Heterotrophic microorganisms produce fatty acids with a deuterium to hydrogen (D/H) ratio either slightly depleted or enriched in D compared to the growth water, while photo- and chemoautotrophic microorganisms produce fatty acids which are heavily depleted in D. However, besides metabolism other biochemical and environmental factors (i.e. biosynthetic pathways, growth phase and temperature) have been shown to affect the D/H ratio of fatty acids, and it is necessary to evaluate the magnitude of these effects compared to that of metabolism. Here, we show that the effect of salinity on the D/H ratio of fatty acids depends on the core metabolism of the microorganism. While fatty acids of the photoautotroph Isochrysis galbana become more enriched in D with increasing salinity (enrichment of 30-40% over a range of 25 salinity units), no effect of salinity on the D/H ratio of fatty acids of the heterotrophic Pseudomonas str. LFY10 was observed (εlipid/water of the C16:0 fatty acid of ~120% over a range of 10 salinity units). This can likely be explained by the relative contributions of different H and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate sources during fatty acid biosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The isotopic fractionation of hydrogen during the biosynthesis of alkenones produced by marine haptophyte algae has been shown to depend on salinity and, as such, the hydrogen isotopic composition of alkenones is emerging as a palaeosalinity proxy. The relationship between fractionation and salinity has previously only been determined during exponential growth, whilst it is not yet known in which growth phases natural haptophyte populations predominantly exist. We have therefore determined the relationship between the fractionation factor, αalkenones-water, and salinity for C37 alkenones produced in different growth phases of batch cultures of the major alkenone-producing coastal haptophytes Isochrysis galbana (strain CCMP 1323) and Chrysotila lamellosa (strain CCMP 1307) over a range in salinity from ca. 10 to 35. αalkenones-water was similar in both species, ranging over 0.841-0.900 for I. galbana and 0.838-0.865 for C. lamellosa. A strong (0.85 ≤ R² ≤ 0.97; p < 0.0001) relationship between salinity and fractionation factor was observed in both species at all growth phases investigated. This suggests that alkenone δD has the potential to be used as a salinity proxy in neritic areas where haptophyte communities are dominated by these coastal species. However, there was a marked difference in the sensitivity of αalkenones-water to salinity between different growth phases: in the exponential growth phase of I. galbana, αalkenones-water increased by 0.0019 per salinity unit (S-1), but was less sensitive at 0.0010 and 0.0008 S-1 during the stationary and decline phases, respectively. Similarly, in C. lamellosa αalkenones-water increased by 0.0010 S-1 in the early stationary phase and by 0.0008 S-1 during the late stationary phase. Assuming the shift in sensitivity of αalkenones-water to salinity observed at the end of exponential growth in I. galbana is similar in other alkenone-producing species, the predominant growth phase of natural populations of haptophytes will affect the sensitivity of the alkenone salinity proxy. The proxy is likely to be most sensitive to salinity when alkenones are produced in a state similar to exponential growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The hydrogen isotope fractionation in alkenones produced by haptophyte algae is a promising new proxy for paleosalinity reconstructions. To constrain and further develop this proxy the coastal haptophyte Isochrysis galbana and the open ocean haptophyte alga Emiliania huxleyi were cultured at different salinities. The fractionation factor, α alkenones–water, ranged between 0.853 and 0.902 for I. galbana and 0.789 and 0.822 for E. huxleyi. The results show a strong linear correlation between the fractionation factor α and salinity for E. huxleyi, in agreement with earlier studies, but also for I. galbana. Both haptophytes show the same response to changes in salinity, represented by the slopes of the α–salinity relationship (∼0.002 per salinity unit). This suggests that the same process, in both coastal as well as open ocean haptophytes, is responsible for reducing fractionation with increasing salinity. However, there is a significant difference in absolute isotope fractionation between E. huxleyi and I. galbana, i.e. E. huxleyi produces alkenones which are 90‰ more depleted in D under the same culturing conditions than I. galbana. Our data suggest that the δD of alkenones can be used to reconstruct relative shifts in paleosalinity in coastal as well as open ocean environments with careful consideration of species composition and other complicating factors especially in coastal regions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Batch cultures of Isochrysis galbana (strain CCMP 1323) and Chrysotila lamellosa (strain CCMP 1307) were grown at salinity values of ca. 10 to ca. 35 and the alkenone distributions determined for different growth phases. values decreased slightly with salinity for C. lamellosa but were largely unaffected for I. galbana, except during the decline phase. The values decreased with incubation time in both species. The proportion of C37:4, used as a proxy for salinity, increased in both species at 0.16–0.20% per salinity unit, except during the stationary phase for I. galbana. C37:4 was much more abundant in C. lamellosa (30–44%) than in I. galbana (4–12%). Although our results suggest that salinity has a direct effect on alkenone distribution, growth phase and species composition should also have a marked impact, complicating the use of the distributions as a proxy for salinity in the marine environment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The modern antiquities market uses radiocarbon (14C) dating to screen for forged objects. Although this fact shows the potential and power of the method, the circumstances where it is applied can be questionable and call for our attention. Here we present an outline of a call to radiocarbon laboratories for due diligence and best practice approaches to the analysis of antique objects requested by non-research clients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Refined separation method allows the δ2H measurement of long-chain diols. • δ2H composition of long-chain diols of Nannochloropsis matches the growth medium. • Hydrogen isotopic ratios of C 32 1,15-diol reflects its origin in fresh river water. • Hydrogen isotopic ratios of C 30 1,15-diol reflects sea water isotopic composition. Long-chain diols (LCDs) are ubiquitous lipids produced by freshwater and marine algae. A combination of semi-preparative high performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography isotope ratio monitoring mass spectrometry, allowed the measurement of δ2H of individual LCDs from cultures, which indicated a correlation with the hydrogen isotope composition of the growth water and a species-specific effect. Results from environmental samples along a salinity gradient indicated the potential of δ2H ratios of LCDs to trace the hydrogen isotopic composition of water and sea surface salinity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]