There is an urgent need for a method of provenance determination of biosecurity samples, insect incursions in particular. Biogeochemical markers, which are non-inherited but linked to geographic variation, are presently the only viable option for this. However, the existing techniques are not fit-for-purpose, as they are too slow, expensive, and lack the required analytical sensitivity. A new method of Sr isotope analysis has been developed that allows for 88Sr/86Sr ratios to be obtained with 99.8% precision on 2-4 ng of Sr using a Thermo iCap TQ ICP-MS in MS-MS mode. In this study, David Murphy from the Queensland University of Technology assessed how variation in feeding styles affects the concentration of the provenance sensitive elements Sr and Pb in insects, and therefore if there were limits to the use of single specimens for measurement of their isotopes. The study (PBSF010) is now complete, and the report can be found on our Projects page, and a Journal paper is in preparation.
