Ecotoxicology & Environment

Stable Isotope Lab

Description

The Institute of Environmental Sciences’ Stable Isotope Lab provides state-of-the-art facilities to measure the delta proportions of 13C and 15N in solid and liquid samples. As mass spectrometer we use the Delta V Advantage coupled with the ConFlo IV for connection with the peripherals. Element analyses are done with a Flash 2000 HT for combustion and pyrolysis.

Besides the routine analysis of bulk samples, we are currently establishing methods for compound-specific δ13C and δ15N analyses, which will be available soon. Samples are separated on a Trace GC Ultra and combusted in the GC IsoLink before connection with the Delta MS.

Service

The Stable Isotope Lab also offers stable isotope services to other research facilities and industry. If you are interested in getting your samples measured, please follow these steps:

1. Contact us via silab(at)uni-landau.de to clarify details of the analyses. We will provide the following documents:

  • Information sheet CN-bulk analysis
  • Order form
  • Sample list (.xls file)

2. Complete the order form and sample list.

3. Send us your samples.

Equipment Available

IRMS
[Translate to Englisch:] IRMS

Delta V Advantage coupled over a ConFlo IV Interface with a

  • Flash HT elemental analyzer with SmartEA Option, AS 3000 II auto sampler for liquids and MAS200R auto sampler for solids and
  • GC IsoLink connected to a Trace GC Ultra with CombiPal auto sampler

Selected research using the Stable Isotope Lab Facilities

  • Graf, N., Battes, K. P., Cimpean, M., Entling, M. H., Frisch, K., Link, M., Scharmüller, A., Schreiner, V. C., Szöcs, E., Zubrod, J. P., & Schäfer, R. B. (2020). Relationship between agricultural pesticides and the diet of riparian spiders in the field. Environmental Sciences Europe, 32(1).
  • Pacioglu, O., Zubrod, J. P., Schulz, R., Jones, J. I., & Pârvulescu, L. (2019). Two is better than one: combining gut content and stable isotope analyses to infer trophic interactions between native and invasive species. Hydrobiologia, 839(1), 25-35.
  • Steinmetz, Z., Kurtz, M. P., Zubrod, J. P., Meyer, A. H., Elsner, M., & Schaumann, G. E. (2019). Biodegradation and photooxidation of phenolic compounds in soil—A compound-specific stable isotope approach. Chemosphere, 230, 210-218.
  • Eulaers, I., Mosbech, A., Bossi, R., Bouchard, C., Møller, E. F., Sun, J., ... & Zubrod, J. P. (2019). Can amino acid-specific stable carbon and nitrogen analysis improve quantifying arctic food web dynamics of persistent organic pollutants and mercury: A case study on the Greenland Sea food web. In 29th annual European meeting of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.
  • Eulaers, I., Dietz, R., Lepoint, G., Zubrod, J., & Mosbech, A. (2017). The use of ecogeochemical tracers to quantify food web dynamics in the North Water region. In North Water Polynya Conference (p. 60).
  • Wieczorek M.V., Kötter D., Gergs R. & Schulz R. (2015) Using stable isotope analysis in stream mesocosms to study potential effects of environmental chemicals on aquatic-terrestrial subsidies. Environmental Science and Pollution Research International.
  • Gergs R., Koester M., Schulz R.S. & Schulz R. (2014) Potential alteration of cross-ecosystem resource subsidies by an invasive aquatic macroinvertebrate: implications for the terrestrial food web. Freshwater Biology, 59, 2645-2655.

Contact