Bomb-curve radiocarbon measurement of recent biologic tissues and applications to wildlife forensics and stable isotope (paleo)ecology
Bomb-curve radiocarbon measurement of recent biologic tissues and applications to wildlife forensics and stable isotope (paleo)ecology
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DOI：
10.1073/pnas.1302226110
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发表时间：
2013-07-16
影响因子：
11.1
通讯作者：
Cerling, Thure E.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Uno, Kevin T.;Quade, Jay;Cerling, Thure E.
从1952年到1962年，地面热核武器试验几乎使大气中的放射性碳(C-14)浓度增加了一倍。因此，在此期间或之后形成的有机物质可能会使用大气中C-14浓度的突然上升和稳步下降来进行放射性碳测年，这就是所谓的炸弹曲线。我们测试了1905至2008年间在东非收集的29个食草动物和植物组织的加速器质谱仪放射性碳测年的准确性。食草动物的样本包括牙齿、象牙、软组织、毛发和角。根据组织类型的不同，1955年后形成的组织在形成后0.3-1.3y内，而1955年左右左右的组织由于Suess效应而具有很高的年龄不确定性(>；17y)。组织的碳-14测年在稳定同位素(古)生态学和野生动物取证方面有应用。我们使用另外41个样本的数据来确定象牙、臼齿和毛发的生长速度，这将改进对(古)生态学研究的系列稳定同位素数据的解释。C-14测年也可以用来计算牙齿组织中周期性组织结构所代表的时间间隔(即外周膜)，这反过来又可以用作化石牙齿的计时器。对没收的动物组织(例如，象牙雕像)的炸弹曲线C-14测年可用于确定该物品的贸易是否合法，因为许多《濒危物种国际贸易公约》的限制是以组织的年龄为基础的，因此可以作为打击动物器官非法贸易的强大法医工具。
Above-ground thermonuclear weapons testing from 1952 through 1962 nearly doubled the concentration of radiocarbon (C-14) in the atmosphere. As a result, organic material formed during or after this period may be radiocarbon-dated using the abrupt rise and steady fall of the atmospheric C-14 concentration known as the bomb-curve. We test the accuracy of accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dating of 29 herbivore and plant tissues collected on known dates between 1905 and 2008 in East Africa. Herbivore samples include teeth, tusks, soft tissue, hair, and horn. Tissues formed after 1955 are dated to within 0.3-1.3 y of formation, depending on the tissue type, whereas tissues older than ca. 1955 have high age uncertainties (>17 y) due to the Suess effect. C-14 dating of tissues has applications to stable isotope (paleo)ecology and wildlife forensics. We use data from 41 additional samples to determine growth rates of tusks, molars, and hair, which improve interpretations of serial stable isotope data for (paleo) ecological studies. C-14 dating can also be used to calculate the time interval represented in periodic histological structures in dental tissues (i.e., perikymata), which in turn may be used as chronometers in fossil teeth. Bomb-curve C-14 dating of confiscated animal tissues (e.g., ivory statues) can be used to determine whether trade of the item is legal, because many Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species restrictions are based on the age of the tissue, and thus can serve as a powerful forensic tool to combat illegal trade in animal parts.