The structural proteins that comprise approximately 90% of animal hair have the potential to record environmentally and physiologically determined variation in delta2H and delta18O values of body water. Broad, systematic, geospatial variation in stable hydrogen and oxygen isotopes of environmental water and the capacity for rapid, precise measurement via methods such as high-temperature conversion elemental analyzer/isotope ratio mass spectrometry (TC/EA-IRMS) make these isotope systems particularly well suited for applications requiring the geolocation of hair samples. In order for such applications to be successful, however, methods must exist for the accurate determination of hair delta2H and delta18O values reflecting the primary products of biosynthesis. Here, we present the results of experiments designed to examine two potential inaccuracies affecting delta2H and delta18O measurements of hair: the contribution of non-biologic hydrogen and oxygen to samples in the form of sorbed molecular water, and the exchange of hydroxyl-bound hydrogen between hair keratin and ambient water vapor. We show that rapid sorption of molecular water from the atmosphere can have a substantial effect on measured delta2H and delta18O values of hair (comprising approximately 7.7% of the measured isotopic signal for H and up to approximately 10.6% for O), but that this contribution can be effectively removed through vacuum-drying of samples for 6 days. Hydrogen exchange between hair keratin and ambient vapor is also rapid (reaching equilibrium within 3-4 days), with 9-16% of the total hydrogen available for exchange at room temperature. Based on the results of these experiments, we outline a recommended sample treatment procedure for routine measurement of delta2H and delta18O in mammal hair.

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The radiocarbon (14C) content of simultaneously deposited substrates in lacustrine archives may differ due to reservoir and detrital effects, complicating the development of age models and interpretation of proxy records. Multi-substrate 14C studies quantifying these effects remain rare, however, particularly for large, terminal lake systems, which are excellent recorders of regional hydroclimate change. We report 14C ages of carbonates, brine shrimp cysts, algal mat biomass, total organic carbon (TOC), terrestrial macrofossils, and n-alkane biomarkers from Holocene sediments of the Great Salt Lake (GSL), Utah. 14C ages for co-deposited aquatic organic substrates are generally consistent, with small offsets that may reflect variable terrestrial organic matter inputs to the system. Carbonates and long-chain n-alkanes derived from vascular plants, however, are ∼1000–4000 14C years older than other substrates, reflecting deposition of pre-aged detrital materials. All lacustrine substrates are 14C-depleted compared to terrestrial macrofossils, suggesting that the reservoir age of the GSL was > 1200 years throughout most of the Holocene, far greater than the modern reservoir age of the lake (∼300 years). These results suggest good potential for multi-substrate paleoenvironmental reconstruction from Holocene GSL sediments but point to limitations including reservoir-induced uncertainty in 14C chronologies and attenuation and time-shifting of some proxy signals due to detrital effects.

We studied a native Australian shrub—Dodonaea viscosa, or sticky hop bush—in the wild and in a gardening experiment and found that the species can readily adapt to different environments. Our findings are interesting because the plants we used came from sites with quite different environmental conditions, although they were only short distances apart. Our findings indicate that the potential risks associated with moving plants between sites with different environmental conditions are not likely to cause negative outcomes for restoration projects using this species, which is commonly used for restoration in southern Australia.