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. The half-life of deuterium in lake sturgeon blood was 37.9 days after an increase in the environmental water δ(2)H of +714 ‰. However, no clear turnover in blood (2)H occurred over the same period in a separate trial following a change of -63.8 ‰ or +94.2 ‰ in diet. These findings suggest that environmental water (2)H exchanges much faster with blood than diets and that blood δ(2)H values can be used to trace movements of sturgeon and other fish moving among isotopically distinct waters.

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. The domestic pig (Sus scrofa domestica) was used as an investigative model to determine the feasibility of using a chemical traceability method for the provenance determination of animal tissue. Samples of pig muscle, tongue, stomach, heart, liver and kidney were collected from known farming areas around Australia. Samples were digested in 1:3 H2O2:HNO3 and their elemental composition determined using solution based Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Pigs from different growing regions in Australia could be distinguished based on the chemical signature of each individual tissue type. Discrimination was possible at a region, state and population level. This investigation demonstrates the potential for multi-element analysis of low genetic variation native and feral species of forensic relevance.

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. The spectra contained ions from agarwood-specific 5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-2-(2-phenylethyl)chromones as well as many other ions. The data was analyzed using either kernel discriminant analysis or kernel principal component analysis. Probability estimates of origin (wild vs cultivated) were assigned to unknown agarwood samples. RESULTS: Analysis of the DART-TOFMS data shows that many of the chromones found in cultivated and wild agarwood samples are similar; however, there is a significant difference in particular chromones that can be used for differentiation. In certain instances, the analysis of these chromones also allows inferences to be made as to the country of origin. Mass Mountaineer™ software provides an estimate of the accuracy of the discriminate model, and an unknown sample can be classified as cultivated or wild. Eleven of the thirteen validation samples (85%) were correctly assigned to either cultivated or wild harvested for their respective geographic provenance. The accuracy of each classification can be estimated by probabilities based on Z scores. CONCLUSIONS: The direct analysis of wood for the diagnostic chromones using DART-TOFMS followed by discriminant analysis is sufficiently robust to differentiate wild from cultivated agarwood and provides strong inference for the origin of the agarwood.