Andrius Garbaras

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Recent changes in climate and environment, influenced by both global and local factors, have had profound impacts on coastal ecosystem functioning and trajectories. By examining archived samples from ongoing ecological monitoring efforts, particularly focusing on bivalves like mussels and oysters, we gain a valuable long-term perspective on how eco...

We present the first open-access, island-wide isotopic database (IsoMad) for modern biologically relevant materials collected on Madagascar within the past 150 years from both terrestrial and nearshore marine environments. Isotopic research on the island has increasingly helped with biological studies of endemic organisms, including evaluating fora...

A species' expansion beyond the native range is often assumed to be associated with an increased dietary niche breadth. However, empirical evidence remains limited due to a scarcity of studies comparing both the parental and invaded ranges. Here, we test the trophic niche expansion hypothesis by examining stable isotopes and functional morphology a...

The impact of heavy fuel oil (HFO) on the chemical and isotopic composition of submicron particulate matter (PM1) was investigated. For this purpose, we conducted an analysis of water-soluble inorganic ions (WSIIs) and multiple isotopes (δ34S, δ13C, 14C) of PM1 and SO2 collected during two heating periods: before (2021–2022) and during the use of H...

Homosporous club mosses have an archaic life cyccle, alternating two locationally, nutritionally, and physiologically independent generations. The sexual generation of club mosses – the gametophytes (or prothalli) – are among the least researched botanical objects. Little is known about the life cycle, population structure, and fitness of club moss...

Invasive species are often generalists that can take advantage of formerly unexploited resources. The existence of such vacant niches is more likely in species-poor systems like the Baltic Sea. The suspension feeding wedge clam, Rangia cuneata, native to estuarine environments in the Gulf of Mexico, was sighted for the first time in the southeaster...

Recent rapid changes in climate and environmental conditions have significantly impacted coastal ecosystem functioning. However, the complex interplay between global and local effects makes it challenging to pinpoint the primary drivers. In a multi‐ecosystem study, we analyzed pluri‐decadal trends of bivalve‐δ¹³C as recorder of global environmental...

Assessing historical environmental conditions linked to habitat colonization is important for understanding long‐term resilience and improving conservation and restoration efforts. Such information is lacking for the seagrass Zostera marina, an important foundation species across cold‐temperate coastal areas of the Northern Hemisphere. Here, we rec...

Invasive species are often generalist species that can take advantage of formerly unexploited resources. The existence of such vacant niches is more likely in species-poor systems like the Baltic Sea. The suspension-feeding wedge clam, Rangia cuneata , native to estuarine environments in the Gulf of Mexico, was sighted for the first time in the sou...

The spread of non-native species is one of the outcomes of global change, threatening many native communities through predation and competition. Freshwater ecosystems are particularly affected by species turnover with non-native species. One species that has been established in Central Europe for many decades-or even a few centuries-is the amphipod...

This paper presents the findings of a research project aimed at reconstructing the subsistence economy of the Late Bronze Age communities in eastern Lithuania. We focused on examining archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological assemblages from three hillforts alongside δ 13 C and δ 15 N stable isotope analysis of plant and animal remains. Our results s...

The fortified settlements in Lithuania attest to a long-term phenomenon representing the behaviour of early farmers after the adoption of crop cultivation ca. 1300–1250 cal. BC. Hitherto, the subsistence economy and diet of this population were primarily understood via zooarchaeological and archaeobotanical analyses, however, understudied are the f...

A species expansion beyond the native range is often assumed to be associated with an increased dietary niche breadth. However, empirical evidence remains limited due to a scarcity of studies comparing both the parental and invaded ranges. Here, we test the trophic niche expansion hypothesis by examining stable isotopes and functional morphology ac...

Simple Summary Between 2018 and 2022, we surveyed small mammals at 23 sites in Lithuania—meadows, commercial orchards and berry farms, kitchen gardens, homesteads and farms—with the aim to assess the proportion of shrews in the community and their diet using stable isotope analysis. We found that in these natural, agricultural, and commensal habita...

Cyanobacterial blooms have increased worldwide and decreases in spring blooms of diatoms in temperate aquatic ecosystems are increasingly reported. Whether such shifts in the food base positively or negatively affect primary consumer's physiological status, growth, and more broadly, ecosystem functioning, is poorly known. Here, we test how a widesp...

The house mouse (Mus musculus) is a most extensively distributed omnivorous rodent species, usually living in close association with humans. Its diet includes various vegetable matter, insects and any available human food. For the first time, we assessed the dietary niche of this species by the isotopic (δ15N and δ13C) compositions of animal hair s...

A set (n = 37) of new human bone radiocarbon accelerator mass spectrometry ( ¹⁴ C AMS) dates from 11 Lithuanian Late Roman Period–Migration Period cemeteries is presented and discussed in the light of the established schemes of archaeological chronology. The focus of the paper is on the burials of the military and social elite, which indicate the e...

We present a common-garden experiment to examine the amphipod Monoporeia affinis, a key deposit-feeder in the Baltic Sea, a low diversity system offering a good model for studying local adaptations. In the northern part of this system, the seasonal development of phytoplankton is characterized by a single diatom bloom (high nutritional quality), wh...

The wide applications of the radiocarbon (¹⁴C) approach in environmental, archeological, and geological research often necessitates the analysis of microgram-sized samples. The ability to measure low carbon samples is particularly relevant for aerosol particle filters, especially for samples from pristine environments. For this purpose, we investig...

With only periodic and incomplete studies of its diet over time, all with differing methods and conclusions, the degree of omnivory in the bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus) is not fully clear. We assessed the trophic niche of the species using isotopic (δ15N and δ13C) compositions from hair samples and analysed how C. glareolus shares trophic spa...

In recent years it has become commonplace to formalize chemostratigraphic units and identify isotopic zones (chemo­stratigraphic units) from excursions. Stable carbon isotopes have been used in solving stratigraphic problems in the Silurian for more than 30 years. δ13C data supplement other stratigraphic proxies, allowing the subdivision of geolo...

The tradition of burying horses in Lithuania lasted from the Early Roman period until the late 14th C AD. It was the longest-lasting custom in Europe, which has left about 2000 known horse burials. This paper publishes the osteometric data and age of horses found in Lithuanian cemeteries and castles of the 3rd–14th C AD, over 200 individuals in tot...

In this work, we conducted a study of the stable carbon isotope ratios of total carbon (δ¹³CTC) for submicron aerosol particles (<1 μm) that were collected year round (2014) at a hemiboreal forest site in Lithuania. Higher δ¹³CTC values characterised the seasonal variation in δ¹³CTC during the cold season (average −26.9 ± 0.7‰) with lower values ob...

Contaminant monitoring in biota is important for determining environmental status and to detect or prioritize action on hazardous substances. Predators higher up a food chain are often used for monitoring of contaminants that bioaccumulate. However, it is not always possible to find higher predators that are both abundant and have a wide distributi...

Seagrass meadows store significant carbon stocks at a global scale, but land-use change and other anthropogenic activities can alter the natural process of organic carbon (Corg) accumulation. Here, we assessed the carbon accumulation history of two seagrass meadows in Zanzibar (Tanzania) that have experienced different degrees of disturbance. The m...

share link: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1eemCAOM9zZsY We analyze concentrations of various elements in small mammals from commercial orchards and berry plantations and test differences between them depending on species, individual body mass, age, gender, type and age of crop and intensity of applied agricultural measures. Skinned front legs (mu...

Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios are increasingly used to study long-term change in food web structure and nutrient cycling. We retrospectively analyse elemental composition (C, N and P) and stable isotopes (d 13 C, d 15 N) in archived monitoring samples of two important taxa from the bottom of the food web; the filamentous ephemeral macro...

A key challenge for natural resource management is how to detect effects of environmental stress on individuals and populations before declines in abundance occur. Variability in carbon and nitrogen isotope composition (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) among consumers can provide information on the population trophic niche and how it may change in response to enviro...

Until presently, over 60 trilobate arrowheads characteristic of Asian nomads have been found in Lithuanian hillforts or their adjacent settlements, some of them in destruction layers. These finds encouraged Lithuanian archaeologists to create a narrative about the Huns severely raiding into the region in the 5th century AD. However, it is accepted...

We report source specific isotope ratios of levoglucosan, the specific biomass burning tracer, in aerosol particle from the combustion of selected woods used for domestic heating in Europe, of coals containing cellulose (lignites) as well as of corn, a C4 plant. Here, we combine compound specific δ¹³C measurements of levoglucosan with total carbon...

The graphitization of cremated bones by an online Carbonate Handling System (CHS) coupled to Automated Graphitization Equipment (AGE-3) can be complicated due to the presence of impurities in the samples. An online sulfur trap was created for the purification of CO2 during graphitization of cremated bones with the CHS-AGE-3 system for radiocarbon m...

In agricultural habitats, diets and trophic positions of syntopic granivorous small mammals are not known sufficiently. Agroecosystems may be quite complex isotopically and the most complex situation concerns the nitrogen-15 isotope as δ15N values are influenced by many internal and external fluxes. We analysed the isotopic niches of striped field...

The Mulde event was one of several significant turnover events during the Silurian. This event is mostly recognized in the fossil record of graptolites and conodonts, as well as stable carbon isotopic data. Therefore, the ostracods – a significant part of the benthos – comprise a new and important dimension in understanding this global geobiologica...

The stability of diversity of syntopic (inhabiting the same habitat in the same time) small mammals in commensal habitats, such as farmsteads and kitchen gardens, and, as a proxy of their diet, their isotopic niches, was investigated in Lithuania in 2019–2020. We tested whether the separation of species corresponds to the trophic guilds, whether th...

This study aims to characterize the irradiated RBMK-1500 nuclear graphite in terms of both structural and radiological properties. The experimental results of morphological and structural analysis of the irradiated graphite samples by using SEM, Raman spectroscopy as well as the theoretical evaluation of primary displacement damage are presented. M...

Diets and trophic positions of co-occurring animals are fundamental issues in their ecology, and these issues in syntopic rodents have been studied insufficiently. Using carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotope ratios from hair samples, we analysed the trophic niches of common (Microtus arvalis), field (M. agrestis), and root (M. oeconomus)...

Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios are increasingly used to study long-term change in food web structure and nutrient cycling. Whether isotope composition in primary producers and consumers (so-called isotope baselines) reflect environmental changes in a similar manner is largely unknown. We take advantage of long-term oceanographic monitori...

Toxin-producing cyanobacteria can be harmful to aquatic biota, although some grazers utilize them with often beneficial effects on their growth and reproduction. It is commonly assumed that gut microbiota facilitates host adaptation to the diet; however, the evidence for adaptation mechanisms is scarce. Here, we investigated the abundance of mlrA g...

Characterization of irradiated graphite in terms of ¹⁴ C activity is crucial for the optimization of treatment technology: geological disposal, landfill storage, recycling, etc. The main contributor to ¹⁴ C generation in the RBMK reactor graphite is ¹⁴ N(n, p) ¹⁴ C reaction. The generation of carbon isotopes ¹³ C and ¹⁴ C in the virgin RBMK graphit...

Human isotopic values from North Central Asia vary not only chronologically, but also spatially, which likely points to the exploitation of different resources for the subsistence. We argue that observed differences in the human isotopic ratios across North Central Asia are directly related to the animal herding strategies, which in turn were influ...

Ocean climate change strongly affects organisms and ecosystems, and the causes, consequences, and underlying mechanisms need to be documented. In the Baltic Sea, a marginal sea under severe eutrophication stress, a longer productive season, and changes in the phytoplankton community over the last few decades have likely impacted diet and condition...

Cation engineering provides a route to control the structure and properties of hybrid halide perovskites, which has resulted in the highest performance solar cells based on mixtures of Cs, methylammonium, and formamidinium. Here, we present a multi-technique experimental and theoretical study of structural phase transitions, structural phases and d...

According to ecological theory, two species cannot occupy the same niche. Using nitrogen isotope analyses (δ15N) of amino acids, we tested the extent to which two sympatric deposit-feeding amphipods, Monoporeia affinis and Pontoporeia femorata, partition their trophic resources. We found that trophic position (TP) and resynthesis index (ΣV; a proxy...

This study presents the results of stable isotope analyses performed on human tooth enamel (δ13C), bone collagen (δ13C and δ15N), and animal bone and tooth dentine collagen (δ13C and δ15N). We sampled archaeological material from Late Roman and Early Migration period settlement and burial sites in western Lithuania. Stable isotope analysis of human...

The study aimed at demonstrating the application of PAHs and δ¹³C indoor and outdoor measurements towards resolving airborne carbonaceous particle sources in wintertime. Concurrent outdoor and indoor measurements of PM2.5 and size-resolved (PM0.056-2.5) particulate matter were conducted at 6 one-family houses in Kaunas, Lithuania during January–Mar...

The partitioning of trophic niches is central for understanding the ecosystem processes associated with biological invasions. The recent successful establishment of Neogobius melanostomus in the Baltic Sea posed questions whether this invader found its own trophic niche, to what extent it competes with native benthivores, and if commercially import...

We analysed δ13C of total carbon (TC) and δ15N of total nitrogen (TN) in submicron (PM1) and size segregated aerosol particles (PM0.056–2.5) collected during a cruise in the Baltic Sea from 9 to 17 November 2012. PM1 were characterized by the highest δ13C (–26.4‰) and lowest δ15N (–0.2 and 0.8‰) values when air masses arrived from the southwest dir...

The evidence regarding BMAA occurrence in the Baltic Sea is contradictory, with benthic sources appearing to be more important than pelagic ones. The latter is counterintuitive considering that the identified sources of this compound in the food webs are pelagic primary producers, such as diatoms, dinoflagellates, and cyanobacteria. To elucidate BM...

In this study, we examined how land use and urbanization changes in adjacent areas affected biological productivity and carbon cycling in a lake ecosystem over 100 years and how these changes are reflected in carbon isotope variations. We performed radiocarbon ( ¹⁴ C) activity and stable carbon isotope ratio analysis in two organic fractions: humin...

Anthropogenic pressures, such as contaminant exposure, may affect stable isotope ratios in biota. These changes are driven by alterations in the nutrient allocation and metabolic pathways induced by specific stressors. In a controlled microcosm study with the amphipod Gammarus spp., we studied effects of the β-blocker propranolol on stable isotope...

Various studies have shown that stable isotope analysis has the potential to verify the geographic origin of foods and drinks. However, stable isotope composition is not always constant in the environment and can even change in the same area. Dairy products are of particular interest as a group of foods that play an important role in feeding the po...

Anthropogenic pressures, such as contaminant exposure, may affect stable isotope ratios in biota. These changes are driven by alterations in the nutrient allocation and metabolic pathways induced by specific stressors. In a controlled microcosm study with the amphipod Gammarus spp., we studied effects of the β-blocker propranolol on stable isotope...

We present measurements of stable carbon, nitrogen and oxygen isotope ratio values in cow milk, forage and drinking water collected in Belarus. Milk, water and forage were sampled in Brest, Gomel, Grodno, Minsk and Mogilev regions during summer and winter seasons. δ13C and δ15N values in dried milk samples ranged from –30.2 to – 20.0‰ and from +3.6...

Atmospheric particulate matter (PM) constitutes the major part of urban air pollution and is a heterogeneous mixture of solid and liquid particles of different origin, size, and chemistry. Human exposure to PM in urban areas poses considerable and significant adverse effects on the respiratory system and human health in general. Major contributors...

The evidence regarding BMAA occurrence in the Baltic Sea is contradictory, with benthic sources appearing to be more important than pelagic ones. The latter is counterintuitive considering that pelagic primary producers, such as diatoms, dinoflagellates, and cyanobacteria, are the only plausible source of this compound in the food webs. To elucidat...

Die vorliegende Studie präsentiert die Ergebnisse einer integrierten interdisziplinären Untersuchung von Rückständen verkohlten organischen Materials bzw. Lebensmittelkrusten, die auf der inneren Keramikoberfläche haften und eine wertvolle Informationsquelle für die menschliche Ernährung darstellen. FTIR und Isotopenverhältnis-Massenspektrometrie w...

In the present study, a combination of the stable carbon isotope ratio (¹³C/¹²C) with radiocarbon data (¹⁴C) allowed us to perform the aerosol source apportionment. Filter samples of PM1 were collected during the warm and cold periods in rural and urban sites in Lithuania. The ¹⁴C/¹²C ratio of total carbon (TC) was measured using the single stage a...

In this paper we analyze the radiocarbon ( ¹⁴ C) concentration changes over the whole operational period of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (INPP) including the post-shutdown decommissioning. Environmental samples from the vicinity of the INPP and a rural area as background of pine tree rings were analyzed with the single stage accelerator mass sp...