Turnover of hydrogen isotopes in lake sturgeon blood: implications for tracking movements of wild populations.

Naturally occurring deuterium ((2)H) in biota can be used to trace movement, migration and geographic origin of a range of organisms. However, to evaluate movements of animals using δ(2)H measurements of tissues, it is necessary to establish the turnover time of (2)H in the tissues and the extent of isotopic discrimination from different environmental (2)H sources to those tissues. We investigated the turnover of (2)H in lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) blood by manipulating both environmental water δ(2)H and diet δ(2)H over a four-month period.

Multi-element analysis using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy for provenancing of animals at the continental scale.

Chemical signatures within the environment vary between regions as a result of climatological, geochemical and anthropogenic influences. These variations are incorporated into the region's geology, soils, water and vegetation; ultimately making their way through the food chain to higher level organisms. Because the variation in chemical signatures between areas is significant, a specific knowledge of differences in elemental distribution patterns between, and within populations, could prove beneficial for provenancing animals or animal related products when applied to indigenous and feral faunal populations.

Distinguishing wild from cultivated agarwood (Aquilaria spp.) using direct analysis in real time and time of-flight mass spectrometry.

Rationale: It is important for the enforcement of the CITES treaty to determine whether agarwood (a resinous wood produced in Aquilaria and Gyrinops species) seen in trade is from a plantation that was cultivated for sustainable production or was harvested from natural forests which is usually done illegally.

Methods: We analyzed wood directly using Direct Analysis in Real Time (DART™) ionization coupled with Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (TOFMS). Agarwood was obtained from five countries, and the collection contained over 150 samples.