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Moubtahij Z, McCormack J, Bourgon N, Trost M, Sinet-Mathiot V, Fuller BT, Smith GM, Temming H, Steinbrenner S, Hublin JJ, Bouzouggar A, Turner E, Jaouen K. Isotopic evidence of high reliance on plant food among Later Stone Age hunter-gatherers at Taforalt, Morocco. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:1035-1045. [PMID: 38684738 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02382-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
The transition from hunting-gathering to agriculture stands as one of the most important dietary revolutions in human history. Yet, due to a scarcity of well-preserved human remains from Pleistocene sites, little is known about the dietary practices of pre-agricultural human groups. Here we present the isotopic evidence of pronounced plant reliance among Late Stone Age hunter-gatherers from North Africa (15,000-13,000 cal BP), predating the advent of agriculture by several millennia. Employing a comprehensive multi-isotopic approach, we conducted zinc (δ66Zn) and strontium (87Sr/86Sr) analysis on dental enamel, bulk carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) and sulfur (δ34S) isotope analysis on dentin and bone collagen, and single amino acid analysis on human and faunal remains from Taforalt (Morocco). Our results unequivocally demonstrate a substantial plant-based component in the diets of these hunter-gatherers. This distinct dietary pattern challenges the prevailing notion of high reliance on animal proteins among pre-agricultural human groups. It also raises intriguing questions surrounding the absence of agricultural development in North Africa during the early Holocene. This study underscores the importance of investigating dietary practices during the transition to agriculture and provides insights into the complexities of human subsistence strategies across different regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zineb Moubtahij
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
- Géosciences Environnement Toulouse, UMR 5563, CNRS, Observatoire Midi Pyrénées, Toulouse, France.
| | - Jeremy McCormack
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Institute of Geosciences, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Nicolas Bourgon
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- IsoTROPIC Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany
| | - Manuel Trost
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Virginie Sinet-Mathiot
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- PACEA, UMR 5199, CNRS, Université de Bordeaux, Ministère de la Culture, Pessac, France
- CBMN, UMR 5248 and Bordeaux Proteome Platform, Bordeaux INP, CNRS, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Benjamin T Fuller
- Géosciences Environnement Toulouse, UMR 5563, CNRS, Observatoire Midi Pyrénées, Toulouse, France
| | - Geoff M Smith
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Heiko Temming
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sven Steinbrenner
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jean-Jacques Hublin
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Chaire de Paléoanthropologie, CIRB (UMR 7241-U1050), Collège de France, Paris, France
| | - Abdeljalil Bouzouggar
- Institut National des Sciences de l'Archéologie et du Patrimoine, Origin and Evolution of Homo Sapiens Cultures, Rabat, Morocco
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Elaine Turner
- Monrepos Archaeological Research Centre and Museum for Human Behavioural Evolution, LEIZA, Neuwied, Germany
| | - Klervia Jaouen
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Géosciences Environnement Toulouse, UMR 5563, CNRS, Observatoire Midi Pyrénées, Toulouse, France
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2
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Dean MC, Garrevoet J, Van Malderen SJM, Santos F, Mirazón Lahr M, Foley R, Le Cabec A. The Distribution and Biogenic Origins of Zinc in the Mineralised Tooth Tissues of Modern and Fossil Hominoids: Implications for Life History, Diet and Taphonomy. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:1455. [PMID: 38132281 PMCID: PMC10740576 DOI: 10.3390/biology12121455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Revised: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Zinc is incorporated into enamel, dentine and cementum during tooth growth. This work aimed to distinguish between the processes underlying Zn incorporation and Zn distribution. These include different mineralisation processes, the physiological events around birth, Zn ingestion with diet, exposure to the oral environment during life and diagenetic changes to fossil teeth post-mortem. Synchrotron X-ray Fluorescence (SXRF) was used to map zinc distribution across longitudinal polished ground sections of both deciduous and permanent modern human, great ape and fossil hominoid teeth. Higher resolution fluorescence intensity maps were used to image Zn in surface enamel, secondary dentine and cementum, and at the neonatal line (NNL) and enamel-dentine-junction (EDJ) in deciduous teeth. Secondary dentine was consistently Zn-rich, but the highest concentrations of Zn (range 197-1743 ppm) were found in cuspal, mid-lateral and cervical surface enamel and were similar in unerupted teeth never exposed to the oral environment. Zinc was identified at the NNL and EDJ in both modern and fossil deciduous teeth. In fossil specimens, diagenetic changes were identified in various trace element distributions but only demineralisation appeared to markedly alter Zn distribution. Zinc appears to be tenacious and stable in fossil tooth tissues, especially in enamel, over millions of years.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Christopher Dean
- Centre for Human Evolution Research, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Jan Garrevoet
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany; (J.G.); (S.J.M.V.M.)
| | - Stijn J. M. Van Malderen
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany; (J.G.); (S.J.M.V.M.)
| | - Frédéric Santos
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Ministère de la Culture, PACEA, UMR 5199, F-33600 Pessac, France; (F.S.); (A.L.C.)
| | - Marta Mirazón Lahr
- Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies, Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Street, Cambridge CB2 1QH, UK; (M.M.L.); (R.F.)
| | - Robert Foley
- Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies, Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Street, Cambridge CB2 1QH, UK; (M.M.L.); (R.F.)
| | - Adeline Le Cabec
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Ministère de la Culture, PACEA, UMR 5199, F-33600 Pessac, France; (F.S.); (A.L.C.)
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3
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McCormack J, Karnes M, Haulsee D, Fox D, Kim SL. Shark teeth zinc isotope values document intrapopulation foraging differences related to ontogeny and sex. Commun Biol 2023; 6:711. [PMID: 37433835 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05085-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Trophic ecology and resource use are challenging to discern in migratory marine species, including sharks. However, effective management and conservation strategies depend on understanding these life history details. Here we investigate whether dental enameloid zinc isotope (δ66Znen) values can be used to infer intrapopulation differences in foraging ecology by comparing δ66Znen with same-tooth collagen carbon and nitrogen (δ13Ccoll, δ15Ncoll) values from critically endangered sand tiger sharks (Carcharias taurus) from Delaware Bay (USA). We document ontogeny and sex-related isotopic differences indicating distinct diet and habitat use at the time of tooth formation. Adult females have the most distinct isotopic niche, likely feeding on higher trophic level prey in a distinct habitat. This multi-proxy approach characterises an animal's isotopic niche in greater detail than traditional isotope analysis alone and shows that δ66Znen analysis can highlight intrapopulation dietary variability thereby informing conservation management and, due to good δ66Znen fossil tooth preservation, palaeoecological reconstructions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy McCormack
- Institute of Geosciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Molly Karnes
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of California Merced, Merced, CA, 95343, USA
- Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Danielle Haulsee
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
- Hubbs-Seaworld Research Institute, San Diego, CA, 92109, USA
| | - Dewayne Fox
- Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Delaware State University, Dover, DE, USA
| | - Sora L Kim
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of California Merced, Merced, CA, 95343, USA
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A Neandertal dietary conundrum: Insights provided by tooth enamel Zn isotopes from Gabasa, Spain. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2109315119. [PMID: 36252021 PMCID: PMC9618064 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2109315119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The characterization of Neandertals' diets has mostly relied on nitrogen isotope analyses of bone and tooth collagen. However, few nitrogen isotope data have been recovered from bones or teeth from Iberia due to poor collagen preservation at Paleolithic sites in the region. Zinc isotopes have been shown to be a reliable method for reconstructing trophic levels in the absence of organic matter preservation. Here, we present the results of zinc (Zn), strontium (Sr), carbon (C), and oxygen (O) isotope and trace element ratio analysis measured in dental enamel on a Pleistocene food web in Gabasa, Spain, to characterize the diet and ecology of a Middle Paleolithic Neandertal individual. Based on the extremely low δ66Zn value observed in the Neandertal's tooth enamel, our results support the interpretation of Neandertals as carnivores as already suggested by δ15N isotope values of specimens from other regions. Further work could help identify if such isotopic peculiarities (lowest δ66Zn and highest δ15N of the food web) are due to a metabolic and/or dietary specificity of the Neandertals.
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Trophic position of Otodus megalodon and great white sharks through time revealed by zinc isotopes. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2980. [PMID: 35641494 PMCID: PMC9156768 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30528-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Diet is a crucial trait of an animal's lifestyle and ecology. The trophic level of an organism indicates its functional position within an ecosystem and holds significance for its ecology and evolution. Here, we demonstrate the use of zinc isotopes (δ66Zn) to geochemically assess the trophic level in diverse extant and extinct sharks, including the Neogene megatooth shark (Otodus megalodon) and the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias). We reveal that dietary δ66Zn signatures are preserved in fossil shark tooth enameloid over deep geologic time and are robust recorders of each species' trophic level. We observe significant δ66Zn differences among the Otodus and Carcharodon populations implying dietary shifts throughout the Neogene in both genera. Notably, Early Pliocene sympatric C. carcharias and O. megalodon appear to have occupied a similar mean trophic level, a finding that may hold clues to the extinction of the gigantic Neogene megatooth shark.
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6
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Rodiouchkina K, Rodushkin I, Goderis S, Vanhaecke F. Longitudinal isotope ratio variations in human hair and nails. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 808:152059. [PMID: 34863743 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2021] [Revised: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Due to the straightforward and non-invasive sampling, ease of transport and long-term storage and access to time-resolved information, determination of element concentrations and isotope ratios in hair and nails finds increasing use. Multi-isotopic information preserved in keratinous tissues allows one to reveal dietary, physiological and environmental influences, but progress in this area is still limited by complicated and time-consuming analytical procedures and challenges in accuracy assessment. In this study, longitudinal distributions of δ34S, 87Sr/86Sr, 207,208Pb/206Pb, δ66Zn, δ56Fe, δ65Cu, δ26Mg, and δ114Cd were obtained for hair and nails collected from nine subjects with different age, biological sex, diet and/or place of residence. For S and Zn, the distribution along hair strands revealed a trend towards a heavier isotopic signature from the proximal to the distal end, with a maximum difference within the hair of a single subject of 1.2‰ (Δ34S) and 0.4‰ (Δ66Zn). For Fe, Cu, Mg and Cd, a shift towards either a lighter (Cu) or heavier (Fe, Mg and Cd) isotopic composition is accompanied by increasing concentration towards the distal hair end, indicating possible isotope fractionation during deposition or external contamination with a different isotopic composition. Pb and Sr isotope ratios are relatively stable throughout the hair strands despite notable concentration increases towards the distal end, likely reflecting external contamination. The isotopic composition of Sr points to tap water as a probable main source, explaining the relative stability of the ratio for individuals from the same geographical location. For Pb, isotopic compositions suggest tap water and/or indoor dust as possible sources. Similar δ34S, 87Sr/86Sr, 207,208Pb/206Pb, δ66Zn, δ56Fe, and δ65Cu observed for hair, fingernails and toenails sampled from the same individual suggest that keratinous tissues are conservative receivers of internal and external inputs and can be used complementary. Seasonal variation in δ34S, 207,208Pb/206Pb, and δ65Cu was observed for fingernails.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katerina Rodiouchkina
- Ghent University, Department of Chemistry, Atomic and Mass Spectrometry (A&MS) research group, Campus Sterre, Krijgslaan 281 - S12, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Ilia Rodushkin
- ALS Scandinavia AB, ALS Laboratory Group, Aurorum 10, S-977 75 Luleå, Sweden
| | - Steven Goderis
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Department of Chemistry, Analytical, Environmental and Geo-Chemistry (AMGC) research group, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Frank Vanhaecke
- Ghent University, Department of Chemistry, Atomic and Mass Spectrometry (A&MS) research group, Campus Sterre, Krijgslaan 281 - S12, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
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7
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Humann-Ziehank E, Wolf C, Schüler S, Gerst K. Preanalytical errors on zinc concentrations caused by single-use gloves. J Trace Elem Med Biol 2021; 68:126871. [PMID: 34655964 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtemb.2021.126871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Revised: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Preanalytical errors causing specimen contamination with zinc (Zn) are disastrous for routine medical diagnostics or scientific studies. The aim of the study presented here is to simulate contamination possibilities when using single-use gloves. The ability to release Zn into the specimen was tested using nitril (A), vinyl (B) and latex (C) gloves with 15 (14) replications. In our first approach, a 1 × 1 cm piece of the glove's fingertip was incubated for 10 min with serum. Our second approach imitated a very short contact of serum to the glove's material by letting serum run over the glove from a pipette for 3 cm distance into a tube. The effect of gloves' contact to liver tissue was examined using glove C only: a block of liver tissue was touched once at one side producing an experimental fingerprint. Zn was analyzed in serum and liver wet weight (ww) using ICP-MS; the basal serum/liver Zn concentration was set as zero for calculation. The calculated addition of Zn is given as median (p25 - p75). The first approach led to distinct contamination with Zn (in μg/L) being evident from all three types of gloves, but depended markedly from the type of material: A: 176.5 (129.7-204); B: 975.1 (663.6-1164.3); C: 2112 (1685-2516). Imitating a very short contact of serum to the glove's surface resulted in an additional Zn concentration of 105.7 (70.4-168.8), 56.2 (-13.5-121.4) and 955.7 (746-1159) μg/L using gloves A, B and C, respectively. A single fingerprint on liver tissue using glove C resulted an addition of 3995 (861-6435) μg Zn/kg liver ww. The data underline that the dimension of preanalytical contamination of blood and tissue samples for Zn analysis via single-use gloves is relevant for routine diagnostics and scientific studies. Critical steps and possibilities to minimize these effects should be considered seriously for specimen handling in routine laboratory diagnostics as well as in scientific studies to avoid preanalytical errors and, finally, misinterpretation of the data.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Carola Wolf
- Landesamt für Landwirtschaft, Lebensmittelsicherheit und Fischerei Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Thierfelderstraße 18, D-18059, Rostock, Germany
| | - Stefanie Schüler
- Landesamt für Landwirtschaft, Lebensmittelsicherheit und Fischerei Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Thierfelderstraße 18, D-18059, Rostock, Germany
| | - Kirsten Gerst
- Landesamt für Landwirtschaft, Lebensmittelsicherheit und Fischerei Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Thierfelderstraße 18, D-18059, Rostock, Germany
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8
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Bourgon N, Jaouen K, Bacon AM, Dufour E, McCormack J, Tran NH, Trost M, Fiorillo D, Dunn TE, Zanolli C, Zachwieja A, Duringer P, Ponche JL, Boesch Q, Antoine PO, Westaway KE, Joannes-Boyau R, Suzzoni E, Frangeul S, Crozier F, Aubaile F, Patole-Edoumba E, Luangkhoth T, Souksavatdy V, Boualaphane S, Sayavonkhamdy T, Sichanthongtip P, Sihanam D, Demeter F, Shackelford LL, Hublin JJ, Tütken T. Trophic ecology of a Late Pleistocene early modern human from tropical Southeast Asia inferred from zinc isotopes. J Hum Evol 2021; 161:103075. [PMID: 34655947 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.103075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Tam Pà Ling, a cave site in northeastern Laos, has yielded the earliest skeletal evidence of Homo sapiens in mainland Southeast Asia. The reliance of Pleistocene humans in rainforest settings on plant or animal resources is still largely unstudied, mainly due to poor collagen preservation in fossils from tropical environments precluding stable nitrogen isotope analysis, the classical trophic level proxy. However, isotopic ratios of zinc (Zn) in bioapatite constitute a promising proxy to infer trophic and dietary information from fossil vertebrates, even under adverse tropical taphonomic conditions. Here, we analyzed the zinc isotope composition (66Zn/64Zn expressed as δ66Zn value) in the enamel of two teeth of the Late Pleistocene (63-46 ka) H. sapiens individual (TPL1) from Tam Pà Ling, as well as 76 mammal teeth from the same site and the nearby Nam Lot cave. The human individual exhibits relatively low enamel δ66Zn values (+0.24‰) consistent with an omnivorous diet, suggesting a dietary reliance on both plant and animal matter. These findings offer direct evidence of the broad utilization of resources from tropical rainforests by one of the earliest known anatomically modern humans in Southeast Asia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Bourgon
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Applied and Analytical Palaeontology, Institute of Geosciences, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55099 Mainz, Germany; Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique: Sociétés, Pratiques, Environnements (AASPE), UMR 7209, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, 75005 Paris, France.
| | - Klervia Jaouen
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Géosciences Environnement Toulouse, Observatoire Midi Pyrénées, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - Anne-Marie Bacon
- UMR 8045 BABEL, CNRS, Université de Paris, Faculté de Chirurgie Dentaire, 92120 Montrouge, France
| | - Elise Dufour
- Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique: Sociétés, Pratiques, Environnements (AASPE), UMR 7209, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Jeremy McCormack
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - N-Han Tran
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Manuel Trost
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Denis Fiorillo
- Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique: Sociétés, Pratiques, Environnements (AASPE), UMR 7209, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Tyler E Dunn
- Department of Medical Education, School of Medicine, Creighton University, Omaha, NE 68178, USA
| | - Clément Zanolli
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, MCC, PACEA, UMR 5199, 33615 Pessac, France
| | - Alexandra Zachwieja
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Medical School, University of Minnesota, Duluth, MN 55812-3031, USA
| | - Philippe Duringer
- Ecole et Observatoire des Sciences de la Terre (EOST), Institut de Physique du Globe de Strasbourg (IPGS), UMR 7516 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, 67084 Strasbourg, France
| | - Jean-Luc Ponche
- Image Ville et Environnement, UMR 7362, Institut de Géographie, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Quentin Boesch
- Ecole et Observatoire des Sciences de la Terre (EOST), Institut de Physique du Globe de Strasbourg (IPGS), UMR 7516 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, 67084 Strasbourg, France
| | - Pierre-Olivier Antoine
- Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution de Montpellier, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, Institut de Recherche et de Développement (IRD), Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (EPHE), 34090 Montpellier, France
| | - Kira E Westaway
- Traps-MQ Luminescence Dating Facility, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Renaud Joannes-Boyau
- Geoarchaeology and Archaeometry Research Group (GARG), Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW 2480, Australia; Centre for Anthropological Research, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, South Africa
| | - Eric Suzzoni
- Spitteurs Pan, Technical Cave Supervision and Exploration, 26420 La Chapelle en Vercors, France
| | - Sébastien Frangeul
- Spitteurs Pan, Technical Cave Supervision and Exploration, 26420 La Chapelle en Vercors, France
| | | | - Françoise Aubaile
- Laboratoire d'Eco-Anthropologie UMR 7206, CNRS, MNHN, Université de Paris, 75016 Paris, France
| | | | - Thonglith Luangkhoth
- Department of Heritage, Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, Vientiane, Lao Democratic People's Republic
| | - Viengkeo Souksavatdy
- Department of Heritage, Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, Vientiane, Lao Democratic People's Republic
| | - Souliphane Boualaphane
- Department of Heritage, Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, Vientiane, Lao Democratic People's Republic
| | - Thongsa Sayavonkhamdy
- Department of Heritage, Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, Vientiane, Lao Democratic People's Republic
| | - Phonephanh Sichanthongtip
- Department of Heritage, Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, Vientiane, Lao Democratic People's Republic
| | - Daovee Sihanam
- Department of Heritage, Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, Vientiane, Lao Democratic People's Republic
| | - Fabrice Demeter
- Laboratoire d'Eco-Anthropologie UMR 7206, CNRS, MNHN, Université de Paris, 75016 Paris, France; Lundbeck Foundation, GeoGenetics Centre, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, 1350 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Laura L Shackelford
- Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Jean-Jacques Hublin
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Paléoanthropologie, Collège de France, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Thomas Tütken
- Applied and Analytical Palaeontology, Institute of Geosciences, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55099 Mainz, Germany
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9
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Zinc isotopes from archaeological bones provide reliable tropic level information for marine mammals. Commun Biol 2021; 4:683. [PMID: 34083709 PMCID: PMC8175341 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02212-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
In marine ecology, dietary interpretations of faunal assemblages often rely on nitrogen isotopes as the main or only applicable trophic level tracer. We investigate the geographic variability and trophic level isotopic discrimination factors of bone zinc 66Zn/64Zn ratios (δ66Zn value) and compared it to collagen nitrogen and carbon stable isotope (δ15N and δ13C) values. Focusing on ringed seals (Pusa hispida) and polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from multiple Arctic archaeological sites, we investigate trophic interactions between predator and prey over a broad geographic area. All proxies show variability among sites, influenced by the regional food web baselines. However, δ66Zn shows a significantly higher homogeneity among different sites. We observe a clear trophic spacing for δ15N and δ66Zn values in all locations, yet δ66Zn analysis allows a more direct dietary comparability between spatially and temporally distinct locations than what is possible by δ15N and δ13C analysis alone. When combining all three proxies, a more detailed and refined dietary analysis is possible.
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