The influence of diet on the distribution of nitrogen isotopes in animals was investigated by analyzing animals grown in the laboratory on diets of constant nitrogen isotopic composition. 
The isotopic composition of the nitrogen in an animal reflects the nitrogen isotopic composition of its diet. The δ^(15)N values of the whole bodies of animals are usually more positive than those of their diets. Different individuals of a species raised on the same diet can have significantly different δ^(15)N values. The variability of the relationship between the δ^(15)N values of animals and their diets is greater for different species raised on the same diet than for the same species raised on different diets. Different tissues of mice are also enriched in ^(15)N relative to the diet, with the difference between the δ^(15)N values of a tissue and the diet depending on both the kind of tissue and the diet involved. The δ^(15)N values of collagen and chitin, biochemical components that are often preserved in fossil animal remains, are also related to the δ^(15)N value of the diet. 
The dependence of the δ^(15)N values of whole animals and their tissues and biochemical components on the δ^(15)N value of diet indicates that the isotopic composition of animal nitrogen can be used to obtain information about an animal's diet if its potential food sources had different δ^(15)N values. The nitrogen isotopic method of dietary analysis probably can be used to estimate the relative use of legumes vs non-legumes or of aquatic vs terrestrial organisms as food sources for extant and fossil animals. However, the method probably will not be applicable in those modern ecosystems in which the use of chemical fertilizers has influenced the distribution of nitrogen isotopes in food sources. 
The isotopic method of dietary analysis was used to reconstruct changes in the diet of the human population that occupied the Tehuacan Valley of Mexico over a 7000 yr span. Variations in the δ^(15)C and δ^(15)N values of bone collagen suggest that C_4 and/or CAM plants (presumably mostly corn) and legumes (presumably mostly beans) were introduced into the diet much earlier than suggested by conventional archaeological analysis.

Influence of Diet On the Distribtion of Nitrogen Isotopes in Animals

Recent studies have shown that stable hydrogen isotope ratios (δD) in the tissues of animals often correlate with δD of local precipitation. Here we examined the relationship between δD in feathers and growing season precipitation for neotropical migrant songbirds breeding over a continent-wide isotopic gradient. δD values were determined on feathers of 140 individuals of 6 species of wild insectivorous forest songbirds (Setophaga ruticilla, Empidonax minimus, Vermivora peregrinus, Catharus ustulatus, Seiurus aurocapillus, Hylocichla mustelina) taken from 14 breeding locations across North America. The δD of feathers was strongly correlated with the δD of growing season precipitation at breeding sites across North America. As feather hydrogen is metabolically inert after growth, this relationship was then used to assess the breeding origins of wintering migrants. Deuterium values of feathers from 64 individuals representing 5 species of migrants (Helmitheros vermivorus, Wilsonia citrina, Hylocichla mustelina, Dumetella carolinensis, Seirus aurocapillus) at a wintering site in Guatemala were consistent with those predicted from the known breeding ranges of these species. This study demonstrates hydrogen isotopes may become a powerful tool for linking breeding and wintering grounds of neotropical migrant songbirds, as well as other migratory species moving between isotopically distinct regions.

Linking breeding and wintering grounds of neotropical migrant songbirds using stable hydrogen isotopic analysis of feathers.

To determine whether stable isotopes can be used for identifying the geographic origins of migratory bird populations, we examined the isotopic composition of hydrogen (deuterium, δD), carbon (δ13C), and strontium (δ87Sr) in tissues of a migratory passerine, the black-throated blue warbler (Dendroica caerulescens), throughout its breeding range in eastern North America. δD and δ13C values in feathers, which are grown in the breeding area, varied systematically along a latitudinal gradient, being highest in samples from the southern end of the species’ breeding range in Georgia and lowest in southern Canada. In addition, δD decreased from east to west across the northern part of the breeding range, from New Brunswick to Michigan. δ87Sr ratios were highest in the Appalachian Mountains, and decreased towards the west. These patterns are consistent with geographical variation in the isotopic composition of the natural environment, i.e., with that of precipitation, plants, and soils for δD, δ13C, and δ87Sr, respectively. Preliminary analyses of the δD and δ13C composition of feathers collected from warblers in their Caribbean winter grounds indicate that these individuals were mostly from northern breeding populations. Furthermore, variances in isotope ratios in samples from local areas in winter tended to be larger than those in summer, suggesting that individuals from different breeding localities may mix in winter habitats. These isotope markers, therefore, have the potential for locating the breeding origins of migratory species on their winter areas, for quantifying the degree of mixing of breeding populations on migratory and wintering sites, and for documenting other aspects of the population structure migratory animals – information needed for studies of year-round ecology of these species as well as for their conservation. Combining information from several stable isotopes will help to increase the resolution for determining the geographic origins of individuals in such highly vagile populations.

The use of isotope tracers for identifying populations of migratory birds

A great tradition in macroevolution and systematics has been the ritual squabbling between palaeontologists and molecular biologists. But, because both sides were talking past each other, they could never agree. Practitioners in both fields should play to their strengths and work together: palaeontologists can provide minimum constraints on branching points in the Tree of Life with considerable precision, and estimate the extent of unrecorded prehistory. Molecular tree analysts have remarkable modelling tools in their armoury to convert multiple minimum age constraints into meaningful dated trees. As we discuss here, work should now focus on establishing reasonable, dated trees that satisfy rigorous assessment of the available fossils and careful consideration of molecular tree methods: rocks and clocks together are an unbeatable combination. Reliably dated trees provide, for the first time, the opportunity to explore wider questions in macroevolution.

Rocks and clocks: calibrating the Tree of Life using fossils and molecules

Isotopic Study of the Biology of Modern and Fossil Vertebrates

The Devonian fauna from the Campbellton Formation of northern New Brunswick was discovered in 1881 at the classic locality in Campbellton. About a decade later A.S. Woodward at the British Museum (Natural History) (now the Natural History Museum, London) acquired specimens through fossil dealer R.F. Damon. Woodward was among the first to describe the fish assemblage of ostracoderms, arthrodires, acanthodians and chondrichthyans. At the same time the museum also acquired specimens of a large pterygotid eurypterid. Although the vertebrates received considerable attention, the pterygotids at the Natural History Museum, London are described here for the first time. The first pterygotid specimens collected in 1881 by the Geological Survey of Canada were later identified by Clarke and Ruedemann in 1912 as Pterygotus atlanticus , although they suggested it might be a variant of Pterygotus anglicus Agassiz. An almost complete pterygotid recovered in 1994 from the Campbellton Formation at a new locality in Atholville, less than two kilometres west of Campbellton, has been identified as P. anglicus Agassiz. Like the specimens described by Clarke and Ruedemann, the material from the Natural History Museum, London is herein referred to P. anglicus .

RESUME

La faune devonienne de la Formation de Campbellton dans le Nord du Nouveau-Brunswick a ete decouverte en 1881 a l’emplacement classique de Campbellton. Environ une decennie plus tard, A. S. Woodward, du British Museum (Histoire naturelle) (maintenant le Natural History Museum de Londres) a fait l’acquisition de specimens par l’entremise du negociant de fossiles R. F. Damon. Woodward a figure parmi les premiers a decrire l’assemblage de poissons d’ostracodermes, d’arthrodires, d’acanthodiens et de chondrichthyens. Le musee a egalement fait en meme temps l’acquisition de specimens d’un eurypteride pterygotide de fortes dimensions. Meme si les vertebres ont beneficie d’une attention considerable, les pterygotides du Natural History Museum de Londres sont decrits aux presentes pour la premiere fois. Les premiers specimens de pterygotides recueillis en 1881 par la Commission geologique du Canada ont ulterieurement ete identifies par Clarke et Ruedemann en 1912 en tant que Pterygotus atlanticus , bien que les chercheurs aient avance qu’il pourrait s’agir d’une variante du Pterygotus anglicus Agassiz. On a recupere en 1994 un pterygotide presque complet de la Formation de Campbellton dans un nouvel emplacement situe a Atholville, a moins de deux kilometres a l’ouest de Campbellton, lequel a ete identifie en tant que P. anglicus Agassiz. A l’instar des specimens decrits par Clarke et Ruedemann, l’article du Natural History Museum de Londres est cite aux presentes a titre de P. anglicus .

/pdf/nineteenth-century-collections-of-pterygotus-anglicus-46j6712114.pdf

Nineteenth century collections of Pterygotus anglicus Agassiz (Chelicerata; Eurypterida) from the Campbellton Formation, New Brunswick, Canada

/pdf/mid-carboniferous-diversification-of-continental-ecosystems-530k6qvv43.pdf

Mid-Carboniferous diversification of continental ecosystems inferred from trace fossil suites in the Tynemouth Creek Formation of New Brunswick, Canada

The Steinhammer Club, formed in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1857 was the direct precursor of the Natural History Society of New Brunswick which became a major influence in studies of natural science east of Montreal. Two club members, G.F. Matthew and C.F. Hartt, became distinguished geologists in the North American geoscience community and contributed significantly to our understanding of the geology of eastern Canada. Matthew, a charter member of the Royal Society of Canada, published more than 200 scientific papers. Hartt, who later directed the Geological Survey of Brazil, gained early experience studying Carboniferous fossils near Saint John. Both men, along with fellow club members and their colleague L.W. Bailey, advanced pre-Confederation geology in New Brunswick and assisted work by the Geological Survey of Canada through to the twentieth century.

https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/GC/article/download/3567/4081

History of Geology: The Steinhammer Club: Geology and a foundation for a natural history society in New Brunswick

Stonehammer Geopark, North America’s first member of the Global Geoparks Network, developed in a region with a long history of geological exploration and a tradition of public education in the geosciences. The remarkable geological complexity centred on the city of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, nurtured a homegrown group of professional and amateur geologists in the early 1800s. Many became internationally known for their work, and the institutions they created were at the forefront of research and public education from the middle nineteenth to early twentieth century. By the 1920s, it had mostly disappeared from the community. By the end of the twentieth century, geoscience heritage was largely a forgotten part of the community’s understanding of its past. The creation of a global geopark has brought stories of the region’s geology back to the public attention by providing geological interpretation of existing parks and trails that had originally developed largely because of the scenic geology. Storytelling, bolstered by researching the lives and contributions of those people in the community who made the geology internationally known, is seen as an important part of reviving a community sense of its geoscience heritage.

Turning a Forgotten Geological Heritage into a Geological Park: Developing Stonehammer Geopark

Paleoentomological studies of Coleoptera from a late-glacial site at Hirtles, Nova Scotia, Canada, produced a tundra-treeline to northern boreal assemblage during the interval 12,300 to 11,700 years B.P. This is one of the oldest late-glacial buried organic deposits in the Maritime Provinces of Canada and provides fossil beetle evidence for recently deglaciated environments in the region. Bark beetles indicate the presence of trees, perhaps as early as 11,900 years B.P. A comparison can be made with contemporaneous sites in central and eastern North America where coleopteran evidence suggests warmer temperatures. Coleoptera fossils demonstrate evidence of a climatic gradient from the Great Lakes to eastern Canada during this time interval possibly greater than occurs today.

			RESUME
			Des etudes paleoentomologiques de coleopteres d'un emplacement tardiglaciaire, a Hirtes, en Nouvelle-&#xX9;cosse, au Canada, ont permis l'etablissement d'une limite de vegetation des arbres et de toundra pour la florizone boreale septentrionale pendant l'intervalle de 12 300 a 11 700 ans avant le present. Il s'agit de l'un des plus anciens depots organiques tardiglaciaires enfouis dans les provinces maritimes canadiennes; il fournit une preuve de l'existence de coleopteres fossiles dans la region. L'existence de scolytes revele la presence d'arbres, peut-etre des 11 900 ans avant le present. On peut effectuer une comparaison avec des emplacements contemporains dans le centre et Pest de l'Amerique du Nord, ou la preuve de la presence de coleopteres permet de supposer des temperatures plus chaudes. Les fossiles de coleopteres demontrent qu'il a existe pendant cet intervalle un gradient climatique possiblement superieur a celui d'aujourd'hui, des Grands Lacs a l'Est du Canada.
			
[Traduit par la redaction]

/pdf/late-glacial-coleoptera-and-the-paleoclimate-at-hirtles-nova-4dghmrjrut.pdf

Randall F. Miller

Papers

Nineteenth century collections of Pterygotus anglicus Agassiz (Chelicerata; Eurypterida) from the Campbellton Formation, New Brunswick, Canada

Mid-Carboniferous diversification of continental ecosystems inferred from trace fossil suites in the Tynemouth Creek Formation of New Brunswick, Canada

History of Geology: The Steinhammer Club: Geology and a foundation for a natural history society in New Brunswick

Turning a Forgotten Geological Heritage into a Geological Park: Developing Stonehammer Geopark

Late-glacial Coleoptera and the paleoclimate at Hirtles, Nova Scotia