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Oxygen isotopes in terrestrial gastropod shells track Quaternary climate change in the American Southwest

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 May 2021

Jason A. Rech ,
Jeffrey S. Pigati ,
Kathleen B. Springer ,
Stephanie Bosch ,
Jeffrey C. Nekola  and
Yurena Yanes
Jason A. Rech*
Affiliation:
Department of Geology and Environmental Earth Science, Miami University, OxfordOH45056
Jeffrey S. Pigati
Affiliation:
U.S. Geological Survey, Denver Federal Center, Box 25046, MS 980, DenverCO80225
Kathleen B. Springer
Affiliation:
U.S. Geological Survey, Denver Federal Center, Box 25046, MS 980, DenverCO80225
Stephanie Bosch
Affiliation:
Department of Geology and Environmental Earth Science, Miami University, OxfordOH45056
Jeffrey C. Nekola
Affiliation:
Department of Ecology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
Yurena Yanes
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati, CincinnatiOH45221
*
*Corresponding author: Jason A. Rech, Email: rechja@miamioh.edu
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Abstract

Recent studies have shown the oxygen isotopic composition (δ18O) of modern terrestrial gastropod shells is determined largely by the δ18O of precipitation. This implies that fossil shells could be used to reconstruct the δ18O of paleo-precipitation as long as the isotopic system, including the hydrologic pathways of the local watershed and the gastropod systematics, is well understood. In this study, we measured the δ18O values of 456 individual gastropod shells collected from paleowetland deposits in the San Pedro Valley, Arizona that range in age from ca. 29.1 to 9.8 ka. Isotopic differences of up to 2‰ were identified among the four taxa analyzed (Succineidae, Pupilla hebes, Gastrocopta tappaniana, and Vallonia gracilicosta), with Succineidae shells yielding the highest values and V. gracilicosta shells exhibiting the lowest values. We used these data to construct a composite isotopic record that incorporates these taxonomic offsets, and found shell δ18O values increased by ~4‰ between the last glacial maximum and early Holocene, which is similar to the magnitude, direction, and rate of isotopic change recorded by speleothems in the region. These results suggest the terrestrial gastropods analyzed here may be used as a proxy for past climate in a manner that is complementary to speleothems, but potentially with much greater spatial coverage.

Keywords

Terrestrial gastropodsOxygen isotopesPaleoclimatePaleowetland deposits
Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 104 , November 2021 , pp. 43 - 53
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Copyright
Copyright © University of Washington. Published by Cambridge University Press, 2021

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