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The Holocene
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Carbon and oxygen isotope variations within the shell of an African land snail (Limicolaria kambeul chudeauiGermain): a high-resolution record of climate seasonality?

Melanie J. Leng

Tim H.E. Heaton

NERC Isotope Geosciences Laboratory, Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5GG, UK

Henry F. Lamb

Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences, University of Wales, Aberystwyth SY23 3DB, UK

Fred Naggs

Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK

Stable isotope analyses at high-resolution intervals along the growth axis of a shell of the land snail Limicolaria kambeul chudeaui Germain, collected in Ethiopia, show a cyclic pattern of d18O variation. The cycles have regular periodicity but vary in amplitude. The shape and amplitude of the shell d18O cycles is consistent with seasonal changes in the amount and isotopic composition of the rainfall, coupled with tempera ture and evaporative effects. The number of cycles (10) corresponds to the estimated lifespan of Limicolaria. Generally constant d13C values suggest unvarying diet, environmental CO2 influences, and metabolism throughout the snail's life, except for one interval of large variations in both d13C and d18O that may be related to the onset of reproductive activity. If similar results can be obtained for fossil shells, they may provide a high-resolution record of past seasonal climate variability.

Key Words: Stable isotopes • 13C • 18O • land snails • climatic variability • climatic seasonality • Ethiopia • Africa

The Holocene, Vol. 8, No. 4, 407-412 (1998)
DOI: 10.1191/095968398669296159
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