Articles | Volume 68, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-177-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-177-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
04 Sep 2019
Research article |
| 04 Sep 2019
| 04 Sep 2019
Chemotaxonomic patterns of vegetation and soils along altitudinal transects of the Bale Mountains, Ethiopia, and implications for paleovegetation reconstructions – Part 1: stable isotopes and sugar biomarkers
Betelhem Mekonnen
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute of Agronomy and Natural Sciences, Soil Biogeochemistry,
Martin-Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg, Von-Seckendorff-Platz 3,
06120, Halle, Germany
Department of Urban Agriculture, Misrak Polytechnic College, P.O. Box
785, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Wolfgang Zech
Institute of Soil Science and Soil Geography, University of Bayreuth,
95440 Bayreuth, Universitätsstrasse 30, Germany
Bruno Glaser
Institute of Agronomy and Natural Sciences, Soil Biogeochemistry,
Martin-Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg, Von-Seckendorff-Platz 3,
06120, Halle, Germany
Bruk Lemma
Institute of Agronomy and Natural Sciences, Soil Biogeochemistry,
Martin-Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg, Von-Seckendorff-Platz 3,
06120, Halle, Germany
Forest and Rangeland Biodiversity Directorate, Ethiopian
Biodiversity Institute, P.O. Box 30726, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Tobias Bromm
Institute of Agronomy and Natural Sciences, Soil Biogeochemistry,
Martin-Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg, Von-Seckendorff-Platz 3,
06120, Halle, Germany
Sileshi Nemomissa
Department of Plant Biology and Biodiversity Management, Addis Ababa
University, P.O. Box 3434, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Tamrat Bekele
Department of Plant Biology and Biodiversity Management, Addis Ababa
University, P.O. Box 3434, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Michael Zech
Institute of Agronomy and Natural Sciences, Soil Biogeochemistry,
Martin-Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg, Von-Seckendorff-Platz 3,
06120, Halle, Germany
Institute of Geography, Technical University of Dresden,
Helmholtzstrasse 10, 01062, Dresden, Germany
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Bruk Lemma, Betelhem Mekonnen, Bruno Glaser, Wolfgang Zech, Sileshi Nemomissa, Tamrat Bekele, Lucas Bittner, and Michael Zech
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 68, 189–200, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-189-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-189-2019, 2019
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Chemotaxonomic identification of keystone plant species in the Bale Mountains are possible using lignin phenols. However, Erica could not be differentiated chemotaxonomically from all other investigated plants using n-alkanes. Unambiguous characteristic patterns of lignin phenols reflected in the plant samples were not sustained in the organic layers and mineral topsoils. This is due to degradation and organic matter inputs by roots. Therefore, the past extent of Erica is still speculative.
Lucas Bittner, Cindy De Jonge, Graciela Gil-Romera, Henry F. Lamb, James M. Russell, and Michael Zech
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With regard to global warming, an understanding of past temperature changes is becoming increasingly important. Branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs) are membrane lipids used globally to reconstruct lake water temperatures. In the Bale Mountains lakes, we find a unique composition of brGDGT isomers. We present a modified local calibration and a new high-altitude temperature reconstruction from the Horn of Africa spanning the last 12.5 kyr.
Marcel Lerch, Julia Unkelbach, Florian Schneider, Michael Zech, and Michael Klinge
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 71, 91–110, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-91-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-91-2022, 2022
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Charcoals and leaf waxes from vegetation accumulate in the soil and provide information about past vegetation because they are mostly resistant against physical and biological degradation. Analyzing and comparing ratios of both element types helped us to improve the evidence for vegetation reconstruction. We found that the accumulation processes and preservation of these elements depend on different environmental conditions at forest- and steppe-dominated sites in the Mongolian forest–steppe.
Jakob Labahn, Lucas Bittner, Philip Hirschmann, Christopher-Bastian Roettig, Diana Burghardt, Bruno Glaser, Slobodan B. Marković, and Michael Zech
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 71, 83–90, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-83-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-83-2022, 2022
Alexander R. Groos, Janik Niederhauser, Bruk Lemma, Mekbib Fekadu, Wolfgang Zech, Falk Hänsel, Luise Wraase, Naki Akçar, and Heinz Veit
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 1043–1062, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-1043-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-1043-2022, 2022
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Continuous observations and measurements from high elevations are necessary to monitor recent climate and environmental changes in the tropical mountains of eastern Africa, but meteorological and ground temperature data from above 3000 m are very rare. Here we present a comprehensive ground temperature monitoring network that has been established between 3493 and 4377 m in the Bale Mountains (Ethiopian Highlands) to monitor and study the afro-alpine climate and ecosystem in this region.
Marcel Lerch, Tobias Bromm, Clemens Geitner, Jean Nicolas Haas, Dieter Schäfer, Bruno Glaser, and Michael Zech
Biogeosciences, 19, 1135–1150, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1135-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1135-2022, 2022
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Faecal biomarker analyses present a useful tool in geoarcheological research. For a better understanding of the lives of our ancestors in alpine regions, we investigated modern livestock faeces and Holocene soils at the prehistorical encampment site of Ullafelsen in the Fotsch Valley, Stubai Alps, Austria. Initial results show a high input of livestock faeces and a negligible input of human faeces for this archeological site. Future studies will focus on mire archives in the Fotsch Valley.
Johannes Hepp, Christoph Mayr, Kazimierz Rozanski, Imke Kathrin Schäfer, Mario Tuthorn, Bruno Glaser, Dieter Juchelka, Willibald Stichler, Roland Zech, and Michael Zech
Biogeosciences, 18, 5363–5380, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5363-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5363-2021, 2021
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Deriving more quantitative climate information like relative air humidity is one of the key challenges in paleostudies. Often only qualitative reconstructions can be done when single-biomarker-isotope data are derived from a climate archive. However, the coupling of hemicellulose-derived sugar with leaf-wax-derived n-alkane isotope results has the potential to overcome this limitation and allow a quantitative relative air humidity reconstruction.
Michael Zech, Marcel Lerch, Marcel Bliedtner, Tobias Bromm, Fabian Seemann, Sönke Szidat, Gary Salazar, Roland Zech, Bruno Glaser, Jean Nicolas Haas, Dieter Schäfer, and Clemens Geitner
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 70, 171–186, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-171-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-171-2021, 2021
Christopher Lüthgens, Daniela Sauer, and Michael Zech
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 69, 261–262, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-261-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-261-2021, 2021
Johannes Hepp, Imke Kathrin Schäfer, Verena Lanny, Jörg Franke, Marcel Bliedtner, Kazimierz Rozanski, Bruno Glaser, Michael Zech, Timothy Ian Eglinton, and Roland Zech
Biogeosciences, 17, 741–756, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-741-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-741-2020, 2020
Christopher Lüthgens, Daniela Sauer, Michael Zech, Becky Briant, Eleanor Brown, Elisabeth Dietze, Markus Fuchs, Nicole Klasen, Sven Lukas, Jan-Hendrik May, Julia Meister, Tony Reimann, Gilles Rixhon, Zsófia Ruszkiczay-Rüdiger, Bernhard Salcher, Tobias Sprafke, Ingmar Unkel, Hans von Suchodoletz, and Christian Zeeden
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 68, 243–244, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-243-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-243-2020, 2020
Johannes Hepp, Bruno Glaser, Dieter Juchelka, Christoph Mayr, Kazimierz Rozanski, Imke Kathrin Schäfer, Willibald Stichler, Mario Tuthorn, Roland Zech, and Michael Zech
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2019-427, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2019-427, 2019
Manuscript not accepted for further review
Bruk Lemma, Betelhem Mekonnen, Bruno Glaser, Wolfgang Zech, Sileshi Nemomissa, Tamrat Bekele, Lucas Bittner, and Michael Zech
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 68, 189–200, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-189-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-189-2019, 2019
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Chemotaxonomic identification of keystone plant species in the Bale Mountains are possible using lignin phenols. However, Erica could not be differentiated chemotaxonomically from all other investigated plants using n-alkanes. Unambiguous characteristic patterns of lignin phenols reflected in the plant samples were not sustained in the organic layers and mineral topsoils. This is due to degradation and organic matter inputs by roots. Therefore, the past extent of Erica is still speculative.
Johannes Hepp, Lorenz Wüthrich, Tobias Bromm, Marcel Bliedtner, Imke Kathrin Schäfer, Bruno Glaser, Kazimierz Rozanski, Frank Sirocko, Roland Zech, and Michael Zech
Clim. Past, 15, 713–733, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-713-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-713-2019, 2019
Marcel Lerch, Marcel Bliedtner, Christopher-Bastian Roettig, Jan-Uwe Schmidt, Sönke Szidat, Gary Salazar, Roland Zech, Bruno Glaser, Arno Kleber, and Michael Zech
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 66, 103–108, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-66-103-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-66-103-2018, 2018
Imke K. Schäfer, Verena Lanny, Jörg Franke, Timothy I. Eglinton, Michael Zech, Barbora Vysloužilová, and Roland Zech
SOIL, 2, 551–564, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-551-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-2-551-2016, 2016
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For this study we systematically investigated the molecular pattern of leaf waxes in litter and topsoils along a European transect to assess their potential for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. Our results show that leaf wax patterns depend on the type of vegetation. The vegetation signal is not only found in the litter; it can also be preserved to some degree in the topsoil.
M. Tuthorn, R. Zech, M. Ruppenthal, Y. Oelmann, A. Kahmen, H. F. del Valle, T. Eglinton, K. Rozanski, and M. Zech
Biogeosciences, 12, 3913–3924, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-3913-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-3913-2015, 2015
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Stable water isotopes (18O/16O and 2H/1H) are invaluable proxies for paleoclimate research. Here we use a coupled 18O/16O and 2H/1H biomarker approach based on plant-derived sugars and n-alkanes. Applying this innovative approach to a topsoil transect allows for (i) calculating the deuterium-excess of leaf water as a proxy for relative humidity and (ii) calculating the plant source water isotopic composition (~precipitation). The approach is validated by the presented climate transect results.
M. Zech, R. Zech, K. Rozanski, A. Hemp, G. Gleixner, and W. Zech
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bgd-11-7823-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/bgd-11-7823-2014, 2014
Preprint withdrawn
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Max Engel, Felix Henselowsky, Fabian Roth, Annette Kadereit, Manuel Herzog, Stefan Hecht, Susanne Lindauer, Olaf Bubenzer, and Gerd Schukraft
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The late-glacial Bergstraßenneckar is a former course of the Neckar River in the Upper Rhine Graben of southwest Germany at a time when the confluence with the Rhine river was 50 km further to the north. The former river bends are still visible in topographic maps and satellite imagery. Sediment cores and geophysical measurements from the former river channels let us reconstruct the shift from a running river to silting-up meanders and permit us to date this to ca. 11 000 to 10 500 years ago.
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A loess sequence in SW Germany was investigated using a high-resolution multi-method approach. It dates to 34–27 ka and comprises layers of initial soil formation. Drier conditions and a different atmospheric circulation pattern during the time of deposition are expected as the soil layers are less strongly developed compared to similar horizons further north. Dust accumulation predates the last advance of Alpine glaciers, and no loess deposition is recorded for the time of maximum ice extent.
Marcel Lerch, Julia Unkelbach, Florian Schneider, Michael Zech, and Michael Klinge
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 71, 91–110, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-91-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-91-2022, 2022
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Charcoals and leaf waxes from vegetation accumulate in the soil and provide information about past vegetation because they are mostly resistant against physical and biological degradation. Analyzing and comparing ratios of both element types helped us to improve the evidence for vegetation reconstruction. We found that the accumulation processes and preservation of these elements depend on different environmental conditions at forest- and steppe-dominated sites in the Mongolian forest–steppe.
Lilian Reiss, Christian Stüwe, Thomas Einwögerer, Marc Händel, Andreas Maier, Stefan Meng, Kerstin Pasda, Ulrich Simon, Bernd Zolitschka, and Christoph Mayr
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 71, 23–43, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-23-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-23-2022, 2022
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We aim at testing and evaluating geochemical proxies and material for radiocarbon dating for their reliability and consistency at the Palaeolithic site Kammern-Grubgraben (Lower Austria). While carbonate and organic carbon contents are interpreted in terms of palaeoclimate variability, pedogenic carbonates turned out to be of Holocene age. As a consequence, the proxy data assessed here are differentially suitable for environmental reconstructions.
Carlos A. Góis-Marques
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 70, 197–199, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-197-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-197-2021, 2021
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Palaeobotanical research on oceanic islands has been largely ignored despite its importance for providing empirical proofs to disentangle insular plant diversity, evolution, ecology and biogeography. Here we explore the oceanic archipelagos of Madeira and the Azores to demonstrate the existence of well-preserved and palaeobiologically informative plant fossils.
Christian Zeeden, Jehangeer Ahmad Mir, Mathias Vinnepand, Christian Laag, Christian Rolf, and Reyaz Ahmad Dar
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 70, 191–195, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-191-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-191-2021, 2021
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We investigate two loess–palaeosol sequences in Kashmir. Magnetic enhancement of the loess was strong during stadial phases. Besides classical magnetic enhancement, wind vigour suggests partly strong winds. Grain sizes are dominantly in the silt range and comparable to data from central Asia, which do not suggest transport over high mountain ranges as required for non-local sources in Kashmir. Therefore, we suggest that the Kashmir loess is predominantly of local origin.
Christopher-Bastian Roettig
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 69, 161–163, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-161-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-161-2020, 2020
Joana Seguin, Pavlos Avramidis, Annette Haug, Torben Kessler, Arndt Schimmelmann, and Ingmar Unkel
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 69, 165–186, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-165-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-165-2020, 2020
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We present two new palaeolake archives of Pheneos and Kaisari, Peloponnese, and compare them with records from Stymphalia and Asea by applying the same set of analyses to all sites. We focus on different spatial scales to estimate the validity range of the proxy signals. Geochemical ratios depict hydrological variation and environmental changes over the last 5000 years. They indicate drier phases, but timing and duration vary, which may be explained by site-specific ecosystem responses.
Wolfgang Knierzinger, Ruth Drescher-Schneider, Klaus-Holger Knorr, Simon Drollinger, Andreas Limbeck, Lukas Brunnbauer, Felix Horak, Daniela Festi, and Michael Wagreich
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 69, 121–137, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-121-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-121-2020, 2020
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We present multi-proxy analyses of a 14C-dated peat core covering the past ⁓5000 years from the ombrotrophic Pürgschachen Moor. Pronounced increases in cultural indicators suggest significant human activity in the Bronze Age and in the period of the late La Tène culture. We found strong, climate-controlled interrelations between the pollen record, the humification degree and the ash content. Human activity is reflected in the pollen record and by heavy metals.
Lutz Schirrmeister, Elisabeth Dietze, Heidrun Matthes, Guido Grosse, Jens Strauss, Sebastian Laboor, Mathias Ulrich, Frank Kienast, and Sebastian Wetterich
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 69, 33–53, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-33-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-33-2020, 2020
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Late Pleistocene Yedoma deposits of Siberia and Alaska are prone to degradation with warming temperatures.
Multimodal grain-size distributions of >700 samples indicate varieties of sediment production, transport, and deposition.
These processes were disentangled using robust endmember modeling analysis.
Nine robust grain-size endmembers characterize these deposits.
The data set was finally classified using cluster analysis.
The polygenetic Yedoma origin is proved.
Michael O'Connell, Karen Molloy, and Eneda Jennings
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 69, 1–32, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-1-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-1-2020, 2020
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Long-term environmental change in Co. Mayo, on the mid-Atlantic seaboard of Ireland, is discussed. Pollen diagrams and bog pine, dated by 14C and dendrochronology, provide evidence for woodlands, farming and climate change. Intensive farming is dated to the early Neolithic (3800–3400 BC) prior to wide-scale spread of blanket bog. Construction of the peat-covered, stone-wall field system at Céide Fields occurred at this time which is unexpectedly early. Bronze and Iron Age activity is detailed.
Bruk Lemma, Betelhem Mekonnen, Bruno Glaser, Wolfgang Zech, Sileshi Nemomissa, Tamrat Bekele, Lucas Bittner, and Michael Zech
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 68, 189–200, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-189-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-189-2019, 2019
Short summary
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Chemotaxonomic identification of keystone plant species in the Bale Mountains are possible using lignin phenols. However, Erica could not be differentiated chemotaxonomically from all other investigated plants using n-alkanes. Unambiguous characteristic patterns of lignin phenols reflected in the plant samples were not sustained in the organic layers and mineral topsoils. This is due to degradation and organic matter inputs by roots. Therefore, the past extent of Erica is still speculative.
Hannes Laermanns, Simon Matthias May, Daniel Kelterbaum, Giorgi Kirkitadze, Stephan Opitz, Levan Navrozashvili, Mikheil Elashvili, and Helmut Brückner
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 68, 119–139, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-119-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-119-2019, 2019
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The landscape on the Black Sea coast of Georgia has changed significantly during the last few millennia. By using granulometric and geochemical analyses, we reconstructed significant sea level, coastline and palaeoenvironmental changes that have taken place in the surroundings of the Supsa fan since at least 4000 BCE.
Elisabeth Dietze and Michael Dietze
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 68, 29–46, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-29-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-29-2019, 2019
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Sedimentary deposits provide insights into past Earth surface dynamics via the size distribution of mineral grains documenting the erosion, transport and deposition history. This study introduces structured procedures to decipher the distinct grain-size distributions of sediment samples that were mixed during/after deposition, using the free statistical tool EMMAgeo. Compared with other algorithms, EMMAgeo is unique as it provides uncertainty estimates and allows expert knowledge to be included.
Clemens von Scheffer, Annika Lange, François De Vleeschouwer, Joachim Schrautzer, and Ingmar Unkel
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 68, 13–28, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-13-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-13-2019, 2019
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By using geochemical and pollen data, this study wanted to close knowledge gaps on the interconnection of climate, environment and human impact in the Kleinwalser Valley (Kleinwalsertal, northern central Alps) over the past 6200 years. For a long time, the Walser people were believed to be the first settlers, who cultivated the valley. However, humans have recurrently used and modified the landscape for at least 5500 years by burning or cutting down forests and practicing pasture management.
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Short summary
The study evaluates the ability of stable isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) and sugar biomarkers to distinguish Erica from the dominant vegetation of the Bale Mountains in order to reconstruct the past extent of Erica on the Sanetti Plateau. No significant differences in stable isotopes are found between the dominant plant species. Although Erica is characterized by quite high (G+M)/(A+X) ratios, it cannot be unambiguously distinguished from other plants due to degradation and soil microbial effects.
The study evaluates the ability of stable isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) and sugar biomarkers to...
