Browsing by Author "Jones, M"

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    Evaluating δ18O and δ13C variations within a modern Biggenden Banded snail (Figuladra bayensis) shell using radiocarbon dating: application for past climate reconstruction
    (Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, 2021-11-17) Patton, NR; Shulmeister, J; Leng, MJ; Jones, M; Hua, Q; Hughes, CE
    Gastropods are utilized to infer paleoclimate variability due to the preservation and incorporation of stable isotopes (δ18O and δ13C) in their aragonite shells. Analyses along the growth axis of larger gastropods have been suggested to contain high-resolution records of local seasonal climate variability and the organism’s biological life cycle. Here a Figuladra bayensis (Biggenden Banded snail) shell was collected shortly after death from Coalstoun Lakes National Park, Queensland, Australia. A total of 200 samples were collected for δ18O and δ13C analyses and an additional 8 radiocarbon dating samples were collected along the growth axis from the apex to the aperture. Results from our work indicates that the Biggenden Banded snail lived ~4.4 years, with evidence of two aestivation (dormant stage) periods during the dry, cool winters. As a result, its growth rate was episodic with the highest rates of ~90 mm/yr occurring shortly after large rain events. The δ18O and δ13C variation in the shell is closely related to total rainfall, diet and physiological changes. To our knowledge this is the highest resolution isotopic and radiocarbon dated study on a modern terrestrial snail, allowing the nuances of the stable isotope record to be more clearly interpreted and therefore used as a palaeoenvironmental proxy. © The Authors