Stable isotope ratio
Definition
The ratio of a heavy to a light stable (non-radioactive) isotope of an element, expressed as delta (delta) in per-mil notation relative to a standard. For timber forensics the key ratios are delta-D, delta-18O, delta-13C, and 87Sr/86Sr.
Related terms
- Chloroplast microsatellite (cpSSR)
- A short tandem repeat locus in the chloroplast genome. Maternally inherited and non-recombining in most trees, cpSSR haplotypes diverge geographically and are...
- ICP-MS
- Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry: the laboratory reference method for trace element quantification in food matrices. Uses high-temperature argon plasma to atomise...
- Isoscape
- A map of isotope ratio variation across a geographic area, derived from systematic sampling of soil, water, plant, or mineral material; used...
- Population assignment
- A genetic method that compares a specimen's microsatellite or SNP profile to reference databases of known-origin individuals, assigning the specimen to the...
- Swietenia
- The mahogany genus (S. macrophylla, S. mahagoni, S. humilis), listed on CITES Appendix II. The subject of well-developed cpSSR population genetic reference...
Explained in
- DNA and Isotope Methods for TimberThe ratio of a heavy to a light stable (non-radioactive) isotope of an element, expressed as delta (delta) in per-mil notation relative to a standard. For timb...