Determination of the geographical origin of marine mussels (Mytilus spp.) using 143Nd/144Nd ratios

Abstract Geographical traceabilityof marine bivalves is critical to guarantee their quality and safeguard the interest of both consumers and producers. The neodymiumisotopic ratio ( 143 Nd/ 144 Nd) of the coastal water mainly reflects the geology of its neighboring watershed, displaying the distinct and systematic variability at high level of geographical detail and thereby shedding light on its potential as a geochemical tracer. For the first time, the present study investigated the utility and robustness of 143 Nd/ 144 Nd archived in mytilid musselshells for geographical traceabilitypurposes. The reproducibility of 143 Nd/ 144 Nd ratios maintained in musselsshells from the same cohort demonstrates that the Nd isotopic ratio meets the major requirement for an ideal geochemical tracer, i.e., the biologically induced variation should be rather minimal. The distribution and variability of musselshell 143 Nd/ 144 Nd patterns were subsequently mapped along the Japanese and Chinese coastal waters. Neodymiumisotopes of musselshells record 143 Nd/ 144 Nd variations among local regions and between the two countries, which are rather compatible with the ages and lithology of the continental bedrocks. These findings highlight the great potential of 143 Nd/ 144 Nd for tracing the geographical origin of marine bivalves.