Stable and clumped isotopes in shell carbonates of land snails Cathaica sp and Bradybaena sp in north China and implications for ecophysiological characteristics and paleoclimate studies

作者：Wang, Xu^*; Cui, Linlin; Zhai, Jixuan; Ding, Zhongli

来源：Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems, 2016, 17(1): 219-231.

DOI：10.1002/2015GC006182

• stable isotopes
• clumped isotopes
• land snails
• geothermometer
• climate seasonality
• north China

Knowledge of ecophysiological characteristics of different land snail species is crucial for defining climatic significance of snail faunal assemblages. However, little work has been done in this aspect, hindering our obtaining unambiguous paleoclimatic information using these proxy indicators. Here we document for the first time the different ecophysiological characteristics of Cathaica sp. and Bradybaena sp. land snails using the stable isotopes and clumped isotope ((47)) of the shell carbonates. The (47)-derived temperatures for both species revealed a robust correlation with environmental temperatures. Moreover, the temperatures for Cathaica sp. are 3-5 degrees C higher than those for Bradybaena sp. land snails, indicating different ecophysiological adaptations or growing seasons of the two species. Specifically, Cathaica sp. snails prefer living in a warm-humid summer, whereas Bradybaena sp. snails are active in the relatively cool-arid spring and/or autumn. The result testifies to the (47) in snail shell carbonates as a promising paleothermometer in monsoonal region and presents new insight into paleoclimatic explanation of these land snail species. This finding highlights the importance of climatic seasonality in the changes of the faunal assemblages of land snails.

• 出版日期2016-1
• 单位中国科学院地质与地球物理研究所; 中国科学院大学; 中国科学院地质与地球物理研究所兰州油气资源研究中心