A nitrogen isotopic shift in fish otolith-bound organic matter during the Late Cretaceous.

ABSTRACT: The nitrogen isotopes of the organic matter preserved in fossil fish otoliths (ear stones) are a promising tool for reconstructing past environmental changes. We analyzed the ¹⁵N/¹⁴N ratio (δ¹⁵N) of fossil otolith-bound organic matter in Late Cretaceous fish otoliths (of Eutawichthys maastrichtiensis, Eutawichthys zideki and Pterothrissus sp.) from three deposits along the US east coast, with two of Campanian (83.6 to 77.9 Ma) and one Maastrichtian (72.1 to 66 Ma) age. δ¹⁵N and N content were insensitive to cleaning protocol and the preservation state of otolith morphological features, and N content differences among taxa were consistent across deposits, pointing to a fossil-native origin for the organic matter. All three spe

SUBMITTER: Rao ZC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11317583 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature