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2020 | OriginalPaper | Chapter

5. The Biosphere

Author : Paul Alexandre

Published in: Isotopes and the Natural Environment

Publisher: Springer International Publishing

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Abstract

Studying the living organisms, both plants and animals, their past and present mode of life and interactions, the way they function, can be a very complex task that broadly encompasses the sciences of biology, zoology, and ecology. This task is made very difficult by the constant and fast-paced changes and interactions between the organisms we study and their environment. The organisms also exist within a very complex framework, or web, of relationships involving energy, food, and the natural environment. At any point in this web, isotopes will fractionate and the extent of the fractionations will inform us about the processes that occurred and the conditions at which they occurred.

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Title: The Biosphere
Author: Paul Alexandre
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Book: Isotopes and the Natural Environment
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-33651-6

Electronic ISBN: 978-3-030-33652-3

Copyright Year: 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33652-3_5