安定同位体フィンガープリント法(生態学会賞受賞者総説)
Stable isotope fingerprint(ESJ Award)

Eitaro Wada
2009 Nihon Seitai Gakkaishi  
Over the past 10 years, rapid progress in stable isotope (SI) studies and DNA sequencing has allowed ecologists in Japan to observe natural ecosystems from entirely new perspectives. This report addresses the recent advances underlying the use of SI ratios. Variation in the SI ratios of biogenic substances depends on the isotopic composition of reactants, the pathways and kinetic modes of reaction dynamics, and physicochemical conditions. Nitrogen and carbon SI distribution ratios (δ 15 N and δ
more » ... 13 C, respectively) are used to examine materials cycling, food-web structure, and the variability thereof within various ecosystems, often resulting in the elucidation of an "isotopically ordered world." The past 40-year history and present status of this method are briefly summarized. The future prospects of SI techniques are also described.
doi:10.18960/seitai.59.3_259 fatcat:4ntgxrzvcnbsjedxssmiyj3omq