Conodont biogenic apatite has become a preferred analytical target for oxygen isotope
studies investigating ocean temperature and palaeoclimate changes in the Palaeozoic.
Despite the growing application in geochemically-based palaeoenvironmental
reconstructions, the paucity or absence of conodont fossils in certain facies necessitates
greater flexibility in selection of robust oxygen-bearing compounds for analysis. Vertebrate
microfossils (teeth, dermal denticles, spines) offer a potential substitute for conodonts from …

… Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) analysis was applied to test whether all vertebrate
microfossil tissues are equally prone or resistant to alteration of their O-isotopic ratios. In order
to establish the validity of vertebrate microfossil δ18O signatures and their potential use as
palaeoclimatic indicators, the oxygen isotope ratios of vertebrate microfossils were compared
with those of co-occurring conodonts. Both GIRMS and SIMS analyses were undertaken on
Frasnian (Upper Devonian) conodont samples as well as multiple Famennian (Upper …