From Anthropology to Zoology: The A to Z

of Stable Isotopes, an introduction

GRANT HALL
MAMMAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE
S TA B L E I S O T O P E L A B O R AT O R Y
UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA
G R A N T. H A L L @ U P. A C . Z A

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Lecture outline:
About the useful reference provided.
What are stable isotopes?
Why are they useful?
How do we measure stable isotopes?
The importance of PHOTOSYNTHESIS.
Food webs and trophic levels
Some examples from A to Z…sort of!

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There is huge amount of information available
on various aspects of stable isotope research.

You will be able to locate what you need.

READ A LOT!!
BUT!

Read carefully and learn to distinguish between

well-written and relevant material and that
which is not.

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A useful reference:

Ben-David, M. and
Flaherty, E. 2012. Stable
Isotopes in mammalian
research: A beginner’s
guide. Journal of
Mammalogy 93(2), 312-
328.

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 Some good books on the subject:
Note: these are purely for information if you want to read up more about stable isotopes

BOOKS:
Fry, B. 2007. Stable Isotope Ecology. Springer Science and
Business Media.

Michener, R. and Lajtha, K. 2007. Stable Isotopes in

Ecology and Environmental Science. Blackwell Publishing
Ltd.

Rundel, P., Ehleringer, J.R. and Nagy, K.A. 2012. Stable

Isotopes in Ecological Research. Springer Science and
Business Media.

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 What are Stable Isotopes?
Atoms of the same element that have the same
number of protons and electrons, BUT different
numbers of neutrons.
They do not undergo radioactive decay, hence
“stable” isotopes.
Investigators make use of multiple isotopes and
have a good understanding of how isotopic
composition of materials, products and tissues
can be affected by the local environment,
fractionation and metabolic processes.

Fry, B. 2007. Introduction pg. 5, Stable Isotope Ecology. Springer Science

and Business Media. 6
 What are Stable Isotopes?
There are 5 main LIGHT AND 2 HEAVY stable
isotopes used in the majority of current isotope
research:

Carbon (δ13C) Strontium (87Sr/86Sr)

Nitrogen (δ15N) Lead (206Pb/207Pb)
Oxygen (δ18O)
Hydrogen (δ2H)
Sulphur (δ34S)

Fry, B. 2007. Introduction pg. 10, Stable Isotope

Ecology. Springer Science and Business Media. 7
 Why are Stable Isotopes useful?

Because of mass differences, isotopes (e.g. carbon or

nitrogen) behave differently during biological, chemical or
physical reactions resulting in different ratios of each
isotope in the reaction products.
These natural variations are very small (parts per 1000), &
are measured using a mass spectrometer to determine
isotope ratios.
The variability of isotopic ratios to understand and explain
processes such as plant and animal responses to
climatic/environmental change, movement patterns of
individuals and dietary behaviour.

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How do we measure stable isotope ratios?

Holly & Pearl, the two hard-working IRMS in the UP lab. Photo credits: G. Hall

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Sampling freshwater ecosystems in
Lake Loskop and the Waterberg.
Beware of crocs!
We also discovered a fresh water
jellyfish species
Photo credits: G. Hall

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Sample preparation in the UP Stable Isotope Laboratory.
Photo credits: S Woodborne

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Fry, B. 2007. Introduction pg. 13, Stable Isotope
Ecology. Springer Science and Business Media.

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This leads us to:

STABLE ISOTOPE ECOLOGY

The coolest, exciting, mind-
blowing multi-disciplinary field of
study to get involved with.
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 Why?...you all cry!
Plant physiology and ecology
Global carbon cycle
Climate change
Archaeological applications
(Palaeo-diets, climate
reconstruction)
Animal ecology & migration
Marine & freshwater
ecosystem functioning
Forensic applications (Wildlife
trade, food & drink
adulteration)

Neubauer et al 2023. Discovering Nature’s Fingerprints: Isotope ratio analysis on bioanalytical mass spectrometers. Journal of the
American Society for Mass Spectrometry. Https://doi.org/10,1021/jasms,2c00363.
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There are 3 types of
photosynthetic pathways
and can mostly be
distinguished based on
carbon isotope ratios and
provide a natural marker
system to track herbivore
diets and on through
higher trophic levels, i.e.
carnivore diets.

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Sampling Baobab
trees in the Kruger
National Park. This
work has resulted in
a 1000-year record
of past climate
conditions across
southern Africa
Photo credits: G. Hall & S Woodborne

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 The main controls of fractionation of
carbon isotopes in trees and the
environmental factors that influence
them.

After McCarroll & Loader 2004

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Food fraud is an major global issue. We
currently use SIA to determine the
authenticity of local and imported alcohol
beverages and honey, based on the carbon
isotope composition of each product.

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 Food webs and trophic levels
There are largely predictable shifts in
both δ13C and δ15N ratios as one
moves up trophic levels.
Terrestrial, marine and freshwater
food webs all have differing factors
that will effect the isotopic
composition of these respective
environments.
These include physical, chemical,
biological and environmental factors. Ben-David, M and Flaherty 2012. Stable Isotopes in mammalian research: A beginner’s guide. Journal
of Mammalogy 93(2), 312-328.

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Late night sample collection in the Kruger National
Park and a selection of Tiger fish from the Letaba
river. With more recent projects, we no longer use
muscle tissue, but rather fin clips and the fish are
released alive after sampling…a more ethical method.
Photo credits: G. Hall

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Improved understanding of Wild dog ecology in the KNP using SIA of whiskers, tail hair and
fecal samples from both wild and captive individuals to calculate diet-tissue discrimination
factors for Wild dogs.
Photo credits: G. Hall

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We used the measured
carbon and nitrogen
isotope ratios to
estimate the
discrimination factors in
combination with
published isotope data
for potential prey
species.
Photo credits: G. Hall

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 Collection of blood
and nail samples
from Nile
crocodiles, Croc
City, Krugersdorp
to calculate diet-
to-tissue
discrimination
factors for
crocodiles. This
type of research
can assist with the
development of
Nile crocodile diets are difficult to assess, management plans
SIA provides a way, but we need the correct to conserve
discrimination factors. crocodiles.
Photo credits: G. Hall
Photo credits: G. Hall

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Over the last 15 years we have used long-lived
indigenous trees to create a record of past climatic
conditions going back a 1000 years across southern
Africa and SW Madagascar.
Photo credits: G. Hall, S. Woodbourne

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We occasionally work with ancient
human remains to understand dietary
behaviors and can link this with
different lifestyles and social structures.
We looked at teeth from Chilean
mummies & found that these
individuals ate a high amount of
seafood.
We analyzed bone samples from
several Late Stone Age skeletons
(±6000yrs old) to distinguish between
hunter-gatherers & agropastoralists
Photo credits: G. Hall

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 A: Khoi vessel (297-002)
A in situ C
C: Tswana vessel (278-
020)

B: 297-002
B reconstructed vessel
D
D: Tswana simple bowl
(left) and Khoi vessel
with pierced lug (right)
From Diskin and Ashley 2016

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 A C D
A: Collection of
residue

B: Close up of residue

C: Drilling samples

D: Close up of drilled B
sample along interior
of vessel

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 16,0

15,0

14,0

13,0 Using carbon &

12,0
297-02 Rim Khoi nitrogen isotopes it
297-02 Khoi was possible to
11,0
distinguish between
δ15N AIR (‰)

297-18 Khoi
10,0 Surface Tswana A Khoi & Tswana
9,0
Surface Tswana B pottery & determine
297-18 Tswana what types of food or
8,0 Pot 278 residue Tswana drink was being
7,0
Pot 278 Tswana cooked, stored or
Tswana 282 fermented in the
6,0
various types of pots.
5,0

4,0
-26,0 -25,0 -24,0 -23,0 -22,0 -21,0 -20,0 -19,0 -18,0 -17,0 -16,0 -15,0 -14,0 -13,0 -12,0 -11,0 -10,0 -9,0 -8,0
δ13C VPDB (‰)

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Here we are conducting some ethnographic work on the use of ceramic pots in Venda.
Photo credits: G. Hall, C. Ashley.

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Exciting developments for 2024
We are about to begin with a major
renovation and expansion of the
isotope lab. We will be getting a third
mass spectrometer and also re-
commissioning some of our older
equipment which will allow us to do
more varied isotope analyses…this
means that we will be planning some
really stimulating isotope science as
from 2024…stay tuned for more!

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And after a
good day of
isotopes…

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