Experimental evidence shows no fractionation of strontium isotopes ((87)Sr/(86)Sr) among soil, plants, and herbivores: implications for tracking wildlife and forensic science

Strontium isotopes ((87)Sr/(86)Sr) can be useful biological markers for a wide range of forensic science applications, including wildlife tracking. However, one of the main advantages of using (87)Sr/(86)Sr values, that there is no fractionation from geological bedrock sources through the food web,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Isotopes in environmental and health studies 2015, Vol.51 (3), p.372-381
Main Authors: Flockhart, D T Tyler, Kyser, T Kurt, Chipley, Don, Miller, Nathan G, Norris, D Ryan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Asclepias - metabolism
Biomarkers - analysis
Biomarkers - metabolism
Butterflies - metabolism
Canada
Environmental Monitoring - methods
Food Chain
Herbivory
Linear Models
Soil Pollutants - analysis
Soil Pollutants - metabolism
Strontium - analysis
Strontium - metabolism
Strontium Isotopes - analysis
Wings, Animal - chemistry
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Summary:Strontium isotopes ((87)Sr/(86)Sr) can be useful biological markers for a wide range of forensic science applications, including wildlife tracking. However, one of the main advantages of using (87)Sr/(86)Sr values, that there is no fractionation from geological bedrock sources through the food web, also happens to be a critical assumption that has never been tested experimentally. We test this assumption by measuring (87)Sr/(86)Sr values across three trophic levels in a controlled greenhouse experiment. Adult monarch butterflies were raised on obligate larval host milkweed plants that were, in turn, grown on seven different soil types collected across Canada. We found no significant differences between (87)Sr/(86)Sr values in leachable Sr from soil minerals, organic soil, milkweed leaves, and monarch butterfly wings. Our results suggest that strontium isoscapes developed from (87)Sr/(86)Sr values in bedrock or soil may serve as a reliable biological marker in forensic science for a range of taxa and across large geographic areas.
ISSN:1477-2639
DOI:10.1080/10256016.2015.1021345