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One thing I’m curious about is how the researchers even tell that the hybrid is a bottom dweller. They have only seen the skull, not what was inside the hybrid’
by k_sze 7y ago
One thing I’m curious about is how the researchers even tell that the hybrid is a bottom dweller. They have only seen the skull, not what was inside the hybrid’s stomach. Can some biologist shed some light here?
- k_sze 7y agoSo I was still thinking about this question while taking a shower. Did the researchers come to that conclusion by analyzing food stuff that was still lodged in the jaws? Oops, upon rereading, I just spotted “isotope analysis”. How different are isotopes between water-column diet and bottom diet?
- undersuit 7y agoThis is super interesting: "We observed a general increase in sterol δ13C signatures with depth, which is likely related to a combination of particle size effects, selective feeding on larger cells by zooplankton, and growth rate related effects" https://www.biogeosciences.net/10/2787/2013/bg-10-2787-2013.pdf https://www.biogeosciences.net/10/2787/2013/bg-10-2787-2013.... Carbon-14 is created in the atmosphere where it is C02 and photosynthetic organisms convert it to more complicated organic compounds. The rate of diffusion of the Carbon-14 through the water column is measurable.
- pvaldes 7y agoStudy of isotopes in the matherials that compose the skull.