On Tuesday, October 15, 2013 10:55:45 AM UTC-7, Simon Field wrote:
I wonder if it's possible to tell something about fertilization practices by looking at nitrogen isotopes. 15N/14N ratio tends to increase with trophic level, so you may be able to see a slight increase in 15N in plants fertilized with human feces, vs animal dung, vs unfertilized crops.
The same approach has been used with carbon isotope ratios in human remains, to see if their diet was based primarily on C4 or C3 plants, or based on marine vs freshwater fish.
Patrik
-- Measuring mineral content such as arsenic might tell you about groundwater depletion as a result of agriculture, or changes in local heavy metal concentration as a result of local mining and smelting.
I wonder if it's possible to tell something about fertilization practices by looking at nitrogen isotopes. 15N/14N ratio tends to increase with trophic level, so you may be able to see a slight increase in 15N in plants fertilized with human feces, vs animal dung, vs unfertilized crops.
The same approach has been used with carbon isotope ratios in human remains, to see if their diet was based primarily on C4 or C3 plants, or based on marine vs freshwater fish.
Patrik
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