• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.300-306
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• 2012

This study reports the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope of mummy, the preserved human time capsule from Joseon Dynasty. The stable isotopic composition of biological tissue is expected to be a direct and constant function of diet because the stable isotope ratios do not decay or change in abundance through time. Over the past three decades, stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis has been extensively applied for archaeological topics. However, this is the first case in Korean mummy to extract palaeodietary information using stable isotope analysis. We extracted isotopic information from bone collagen and hair keratin, which reflects the lifetime average diet and short-term diet, respectively. The average values of ${\delta}^{13}C$ and ${\delta}^{15}N$ values are -19.0‰ and 11.4‰ (bone collagen), and -21.3‰ and 14.3‰ (hair keratin). Stable carbon isotope shows a mainly $C_3$-based diet from cradle to grave. On the other hand, there is significant difference in stable nitrogen isotope which implies a relatively enriched diet before death. We expect this study opens up a potential to understand the palaeodietary lifestyle in Joseon Dynasty.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.116-124
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• 2013

Differences in rates and patterns of nitrogen cycling have been correlated with nitrogen stable isotope measurements in forest ecosystems of tropical and temperate regions, but limited similar work has been conducted in sub-tropical forests. This study investigated patterns in stable N isotopic composition in a subtropical forest in Taiwan by sampling three soil profiles and overstory and understory foliage. Soil ${\delta}^{15}N$ in the forest floor ranged from -1.8 to -1.8‰. Mineral soils had higher ${\delta}^{15}N$ (4.1 to 6.0‰). Foliage ${\delta}^{15}N$ in overstory trees ranged from -6.6 to -2.0‰, and understory foliage ${\delta}^{15}N$ ranged from -5.0 to -1.2‰. There was a weak correlation between foliar % N and ${\delta}^{15}N$ ($r^2=0.214$). Compared to results from similar surveys in tropical and temperate forests, foliar ${\delta}^{15}N$ values were generally lower. These results help highlight the need for improved knowledge regarding the relationships between patterns in N stable isotopes and processes affecting rates of N cycling, especially as related to wider scale patterns in forest ecosystems within the east-Asia region.

• Proceedings of the Korean Environmental Sciences Society Conference
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.198-203
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• 2003

The effects of salmon carcasses on forest and stream ecosystems were determined by nitrogen stable isotope analysis in natural streams in Hokkaido, Northern Japan, where numerous chum salmon (Oncoryhncus keta) were migrated upstream ITom ocean to spawn in autumn. The leaves and soils surrounding riparian forest and stream dwelling invertebrates were collected before and after migration. The nitrogen stable isotope ratio $({\delta}^{15}N)$ of riparian vegetation (Salix spp.) were different depending on the presence of salmon and distance from the stream. The $({\delta}^{15}N)$ of stream dwelling invertebrates were different between salmon present and absent stream. This difference was tested using the experiment channel by implanting salmon carcasses. The nitrogen stable isotope ratio of epilithic algae and leaf shredding animals were nearly 3 higher in the salmon implanted treatment suggesting that around 20％ of salmon derived nitrogen was uptake either in algae and leaf shredding invertebrates. These results suggest that the salmon carcasses effects not only on stream primary production but also on primary consumers, which decompose leaves fertilized with nitrogen from carcasses.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.39-44
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• 2013

Origin authenticity of the animals used as food has always been a major concern to consumers around the world. In the past twenty years, a stable isotope ratio has been used for origin authentication. In this study, pork samples, both local and imported, were collected from the major markets from all around South Korea and analyzed for stable isotope ratios of nitrogen (${\delta}^{15}N$‰) and carbon (${\delta}^{13}C$‰), using Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IR-MS). A total of 599 samples with 335 Korean and 264 imported from 13 countries within America and Europe were investigated in accordance to the standard established methods for isotope ratio analysis. The results showed a significant variation related to the origin of the samples, explaining the difference in the feeding styles of the pork in each country. The stable isotope ratio values of carbon (${\delta}^{13}C$‰) were found in the decreasing order of: America ($-15.55{\pm}1.01$‰)>Korea ($-19.62{\pm}0.89$‰)>Europe ($-24.79{\pm}1.35$‰). Canada was having ${\delta}^{13}C$ ratio of $-22.87{\pm}0.92$‰, which is very low in the region of America and very close to Europe (-23.78 to -27.17‰). For nitrogen ${\delta}^{15}N$‰ the order was: America ($4.92{\pm}0.71$‰)>Europe ($4.54{\pm}0.66$‰)>Korea ($3.69{\pm}0.54$‰), with a slight variation among countries in each region studied. From the results it was concluded that the stable isotope ratio of the pork samples from different countries provide enough information about the origin and is therefore a potential tool which can be employed for origin authentication.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.485-495
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• 2018

Background: The geographical origin of Panax ginseng Meyer, a valuable medicinal plant, is important to both ginseng producers and consumers in the context of economic profit and human health benefits. We, therefore, aimed to discriminate between the cultivation regions of ginseng using the stable isotope ratios of C, N, O, and S, which are abundant bioelements in living organisms. Methods: Six Korean ginseng cultivars (3-yr-old roots) were collected from five different regions in Korea. The C, N, O, and S stable isotope ratios in ginseng roots were measured by isotope ratio mass spectrometry, and then these isotope ratio profiles were statistically analyzed using chemometrics. Results: The various isotope ratios found in P. ginseng roots were significantly influenced by region, cultivar, and the interactions between these two factors ($p{\leq}0.001$). The variation in ${\delta}^{15}N$ and ${\delta}^{13}C$ in ginseng roots was significant for discriminating between different ginseng cultivation regions, and ${\delta}^{18}O$ and ${\delta}^{34}S$ were also affected by both altitude and proximity to coastal areas. Chemometric model results tested in this study provided discrimination between the majority of different cultivation regions. Based on the external validation, this chemometric model also showed good model performance ($R^2=0.853$ and $Q^2=0.738$). Conclusion: Our case study elucidates the variation of C, N, O, and S stable isotope ratios in ginseng root depending on cultivation region. Hence, the analysis of stable isotope ratios is a suitable tool for discrimination between the regional origins of ginseng samples from Korea, with potential application to other countries.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.172-175
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• 2008

Stable isotope ratio of carbon and nitrogen ($\delta^{13}C$ & $\delta^{15}N$), and $\Delta^{9}$-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) contents were measured on 37 Korean cannabis and 10 commercial grade marijuana seized in Korea. Factors influencing on the measured values and their variations were investigated. $\delta^{13}C$ value of cannabis is specified mainly by water availability. Korean cannabis showed relatively low $\delta^{13}C$ values ranging -33.29$\sim$-27.01% (mean=-31.01%), which reflect geographic conditions of Korea where is rainy, especially during summer. $\delta^{15}N$ values, which reflect individual planting conditions, were relatively high up to -0.5$\sim$18.0% (mean=6.44%). It reflects characteristics of Korean cannabis growing wild in forest or cultivated in fertile soil. Tetrahydrocannabinol is the major hallucinogenic compound of cannabis. Ethanol extracts of cannabis leaves were derivatized by N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide (BSTFA), and the derivatives were analyzed by GC-MS in selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode. THC contents of Korean cannabis ranged 0.11$\sim$4.34% (mean=1.47%), which were relatively low compared with commercial grade marijuana.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.53-59
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• 2010

The spatial variability in the food chain structure of an estuarine environment(Nanakita estuarine, Japan) was investigated using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope. Potential organic matter sources(TP:Terrstrial Plant, MPOM:Marine particulate organic matter, BMA:Benthic microalgae, EPOM:Estuarine particulate organic matter), sedimentary organic matter and benthic invertebrates(Nuttallia olivacea and Nereidae) were sampled at four locations with different tidal flat types(e.g. sanddy, sanddy-muddy and muddy). The main objective of the present study was to determine food sources of Nuttallia olivacea and Nereidae along with small-scale spatial variability within the community of benthic invertebrates. TP(${\delta}^{13}C=-26.6{\pm}0.76$ and ${\delta}^{15}N=2.7{\pm}0.31$) and EPOM(${\delta}^{13}C=-25.5{\pm}0.13$ and ${\delta}^{15}N=5.2{\pm}0.46$) were isotopically distinct from BMA(${\delta}^{13}C=-16.3$ and ${\delta}^{15}N=6.2$) and MPOM(${\delta}^{13}C=-19.6{\pm}0.08$ and ${\delta}^{15}N=8.9{\pm}1.70$). ${\delta}^{13}C$ values of sedimentary organic matter showed a distinct gradient in the range of -27.4 to -22.8‰ with a declining trend from the upstream to the downstream stations. The stable carbon and nitrogen isotope values of benthic invertebrates in the study site was -22.8 to -18.4‰ for ${\delta}^{16}C$ and 8.1 to 11.9‰ or ${\delta}^{15}N$, respectively. Mixing model(Isosource) calculations based on stable isotope measurements showed that benthic invertebrates of Nuttallia olivacea and Nereidae were found to be dominated by MPOM and BMA in stations. Whereas, TP and EPOM showed little influence to benthic invertebrates. The current result suggests that the different contribution for benthic invertebrates should be affected by both seasonal variation and physical factor among stations.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.186-190
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• 1999

Isotope ratio ($^{15}N/^{14}N$) and nitrate-nitrogen concentration in groundwater were measured to investigate the effect of chemical fertilizer and livestock manure on temporal variations in nitrate-nitrogen concentration and to estimate the contribution of fertilizer and manure to groundwater contamination by nitrate. Four study wells from a rural area in Kyonggi province were selected. One well was located on an upper site from a livestock feedlot, and the others were situated at lower sites from the feedlot. The ${\delta}^{15}N$ values were analyzed by a stable isotope ratio mass spectrometer (Micromass, VG Optima IRMS). Reproducibility of the method and precision of the mass spectrometer were below 1.0 and 0.1‰, respectively Even though study wells were located at the same area, nitrate-nitrogen concentrations and ${\delta}^{15}N$ values differed and fluctuated during the sampling period. The ${\delta}^{15}N$ values of well located at upper site from the feedlot were extremely variable (-1.48~20.80‰). The ranges of ${\delta}^{15}N$ value of three wells situated at lower sites from the feedlot were 11.83~20.73 (ave. 16.11), 8.90~11.73 (ave.11.01), and 5.29~12.73‰ (ave. 8.21‰) with increasing distance from the feedlot. The average values of contribution proportion of nitrogen derived from livestock manure to nitrate-nitrogen in groundwater were 79% for the well closet to the feedlot, 44% for the well most distant from the feedlot, and 56% for the well in between the two wells.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.147-152
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• 2015

Nitrogen (N) loading from domestic, agricultural and industrial sources can lead to excessive growth of macrophytes or phytoplankton in aquatic environment. Many studies have used nitrogen stable isotope ratios to identify anthropogenic nitrogen in aquatic systems as a useful method for studying nitrogen cycle. In this study to evaluate the precision and accuracy of Kjeldahl processes, two reference materials (IAEA-NO-3, N-1) were analyzed repeatedly. Measured the ${\delta}^{15}N-NO_3$ and ${\delta}^{15}N-NH_4$ values of IAEA-NO-3 and IAEA-N-1 were $4.7{\pm}0.2$‰ and $0.4{\pm}0.3$‰, respectively, which are within recommended values of analytical uncertainties. Also, we investigated spatial patterns of ${\delta}^{15}N-NO_3$ and ${\delta}^{15}N-NH_4$ in effluent plumes from a waste water treatment plant in Han River, Korea. ${\delta}^{15}N-NO_3$ and ${\delta}^{15}N-NH_4$ values are enriched at downstream areas of water treatment plant suggesting that dissolved nitrogen in effluent plumes should be one of the main N sources in those areas. The current study clarifies the reliability of Kjeldahl analytical method and the usefulness of stable isotopic techniques to trace the contamination source of dissolved nitrogen such as nitrate and ammonia.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.127-134
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• 2014

Organic carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios of particulate organic matter (POM) were determined at 7 stations (6 stations in Han river and Paldang dam outflow station) from May to October 2013, in order to understand the origin of POM at the Han river. ${\delta}^{13}C$ values of POM in four stations showed significant seasonal changes season, but ${\delta}^{15}N$ values were enriched in around Kyeongan stream (K). POC, PN and Chl-a concentration showed a similar seasonal pattern in Kyeongan stream, with an apparent decrease from July to August. POC and PN concentration has a higher correlation with Chl-a concentration in Kyeongan stream (K). ${\delta}^{13}C$ and ${\delta}^{15}N$ values of POM has a lighter value during lower Chl-a concentration peroid, compared to other seasons. Our results revealed that Kyeongan stream (K) seemed to be influenced by substantial amount of organic manure or fertilizer input in 2013, compared to the previous year (2012). These results suggest that the analysis of stable isotope ratios is a simple but useful tool for the identification of organic matter origin in aquatic environments.