Search results for "ISOTOPE"
showing 10 items of 2232 documents
Holothuria tubulosa Gmelin 1791 (Holothuroidea, Echinodermata) enhances organic matter recycling in Posidonia oceanica meadows
2014
Abstract The role of Holothuria tubulosa in organic matter recycling of Posidonia oceanica detritus was estimated in a laboratory feeding experiment. The individual mean ingestion rate of seagrass detritus by holothurians was evaluated and carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes, carbon and nitrogen content and C:N ratio analyzed in H. tubulosa , P. oceanica detritus and surface sediment. Results showed that H. tubulosa is capable of ingesting from 30% to 100% of the detritus produced by P. oceanica meadows, depending on the holothurian density. Stable isotope analysis provided evidence for the assimilation of seagrass detritus by H. tubulosa as their signatures were compatible with 1 trophic l…
Determination of zirconium traces in polymers by ICP-IDMS - a powerful and fast method for routine testing of zirconium residues in polyolefins
1999
Zirconium trace analyses play an important role for polyolefins produced by modern catalytic processes with zirconium metallocenes. A reliable and fast routine testing method by inductively coupled plasma isotope dilution mass spectrometry (ICP-IDMS) was therefore developed, which allows the determination of zirconium in polymers down to the low ng/g level. With respect to its precision, accuracy, and time-consumption this method is suitable for routine testing of production processes. A spike solution, enriched in the stable isotope 91Zr, was prepared and used for the isotope dilution procedure, which has the advantage of being an internal “one point” calibration method. The polyolefin sam…
Nitrate leaching in soil: Tracing the NO3− sources with the help of stable N and O isotopes
2007
Abstract Legumes increase the plant-available N pool in soil, but might also increase NO3− leaching to groundwater. To minimize NO3− leaching, N-release processes and the contribution of legumes to NO3− concentrations in soil must be known. Our objectives were (1) to quantify NO3−-N export to >0.3 m soil depth from three legume monocultures (Medicago x varia Martyn, Onobrychis viciifolia Scop., Lathyrus pratensis L.) and from three bare ground plots. Furthermore, we (2) tested if it is possible to apply a mixing model for NO3− in soil solution based on its dual isotope signals, and (3) estimated the contribution of legume mineralization to NO3− concentrations in soil solution under field co…
and variability in Posidonia oceanica associated with seasonality and plant fraction
2003
Abstract The carbon and nitrogen isotopic compositions of fractions of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile in a Mediterranean shallow environment (Stagnone di Marsala, western Sicily) were investigated seasonally throughout 1998. The stable isotope ratios of seagrass leaves (intermediate and adult), rhizomes, leaf litter and aegagropiles were compared over 1 year in order to distinguish between seasonal and plant part variability. Significant differences in the isotopic composition tested using ANOVA were observed as a function of both plant fraction and season. There was an overall trend towards less discrimination against 13 C in summer (average δ 13 C ∼ −10‰) than in winter (aver…
Orbitally induced limestone/marlstone rhythms in the Albian—Cenomanian Cismon section (Venetian region, northern Italy): Sedimentology, calcareous an…
1996
Abstract A multidisciplinary study of the upper Albian—Cenomanian portion of the Cismon section (Venetian region, northern Italy) was undertaken in order to characterize the cyclic alternations of carbonate-rich and carbonate-poor layers and to investigate their possible origin and cyclic patterns. Limestone semicouplets are characterized by abundant radiolarians and micarbs (micron-sized calcitic fragments), common planktonic foraminifera, strong bioturbation, good oxygenation as expressed by the Mn* and V/(V+Ni) parameters, high Si/Al ratio, low K/Al, in the absence of pyrite and organic matter. The marlstone semicouplets are, on the contrary, frequently laminated, rich in pyrite and orga…
Benthic resources are the key to Daphnia middendorffiana survival in a high arctic pond
2011
Summary 1. Shallow arctic lakes and ponds have simple and short food webs, but large uncertainties remain about benthic–pelagic links in these systems. We tested whether organic matter of benthic origin supports zooplankton biomass in a pond in NE Greenland, using stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen in the pond itself and in a 13C-enrichment enclosure experiment. In the latter, we manipulated the carbon isotope signature of benthic algae to enhance its isotopic discrimination from other potential food sources for zooplankton. 2. The cladoceran Daphnia middendorffiana responded to the 13C-enrichment of benthic mats with progressively increasing δ13C values, suggesting benthic feed…
The importance of sedimenting organic matter, relative to oxygen and temperature, in structuring lake profundal macroinvertebrate assemblages
2012
We quantified the role of a main food resource, sedimenting organic matter (SOM), relative to oxygen (DO) and temperature (TEMP) in structuring profundal macroinvertebrate assemblages in boreal lakes. SOM from 26 basins of 11 Finnish lakes was analysed for quantity (sedimentation rates), quality (C:N:P stoichiometry) and origin (carbon stable isotopes, δ13C). Hypolimnetic oxygen and temperature were measured from each site during summer stratification. Partial canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) and partial regression analyses were used to quantify contributions of SOM, DO and TEMP to community composition and three macroinvertebrate metrics. The results suggested a major contribution o…
Why Are Some Enzymes Dimers? Flexibility and Catalysis in Thermotoga maritima Dihydrofolate Reductase
2019
[Image: see text] Dihydrofolate reductase from Thermotoga maritima (TmDFHFR) is a dimeric thermophilic enzyme that catalyzes the hydride transfer from the cofactor NADPH to dihydrofolate less efficiently than other DHFR enzymes, such as the mesophilic analogue Escherichia coli DHFR (EcDHFR). Using QM/MM potentials, we show that the reduced catalytic efficiency of TmDHFR is most likely due to differences in the amino acid sequence that stabilize the M20 loop in an open conformation, which prevents the formation of some interactions in the transition state and increases the number of water molecules in the active site. However, dimerization provides two advantages to the thermophilic enzyme: …
Loss of Hyperconjugative Effects Drives Hydride Transfer during Dihydrofolate Reductase Catalysis
2019
Hydride transfer is widespread in nature and has an essential role in applied research. However, the mechanisms of how this transformation occurs in living organisms remain a matter of vigorous debate. Here, we examined dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), an enzyme that catalyzes hydride from C4′ of NADPH to C6 of 7,8-dihydrofolate (H2F). Despite many investigations of the mechanism of this reaction, the contribution of polarization of the π-bond of H2F in driving hydride transfer remains unclear. H2F was stereospecifically labeled with deuterium β to the reacting center, and β-deuterium kinetic isotope effects were measured. Our experimental results combined with analysis derived from QM/MM si…
Trophic habits of Muscardinus avellanarius (Mammalia Gliridae) as revealed by multiple stable isotope analysis
2007
Multiple stable isotope analysis was used to investigate the diet of the common dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius in a mixed Mediterranean forest. δ13C and δ15N values of dormouse tissues compared to those of the vegetal and animal sources available in the area showed that the isotopic composition of both adult and juvenile M. avellanarius could be explained by a mixture of vegetal and animal organic matter. The isotopic composition of the assimilated nitrogen was mostly explained by the organic matter from flora. Among the vegetal components, flowers of Fagus silvatica, Quercus robur, and the rarer Crataegus oxyacantha, berries of Ilex aquifolium and acorns of Q. robur were found in the ad…