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Habinger SG, Chavasseau O, Jaeger JJ, Chaimanee Y, Soe AN, Sein C, Bocherens H. Evolutionary ecology of Miocene hominoid primates in Southeast Asia. Sci Rep 2022; 12:11841. [PMID: 35821257 PMCID: PMC9276763 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15574-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolutionary history and palaeoecology of orangutans remains poorly understood until today. The restricted geographic distribution of extant Pongo indicates specific ecological needs. However, it is not clear whether these needs were shared by the great diversity of fossil pongines known from the Miocene to the Pleistocene. Here we show how niche modelling of stable carbon and oxygen isotope data of the carbonate fraction of dental enamel can be used to reconstruct the paleoecology of fossil and modern pongines and associated mammal communities. We focus on Khoratpithecus ayeyarwadyensis, a Late Miocene pongine from Myanmar and the sister clade to extant orangutans, and compare it to its associated mammal fauna and other fossil and extant pongines. The results are consistent with a vertical position high up in the canopy of a forested habitat with purely C3 vegetation for K. ayeyarwadyensis as well as the contemporaneous Sivapithecus. Although their positions in the modelled isotopic niche space look similar to the ecological niche occupied by modern Pongo, a comparison of the modelled niches within the pongine clade revealed possible differences in the use of microhabitats by the Miocene apes.
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Affiliation(s)
- S G Habinger
- Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany. .,Laboratoire PALEVOPRIM, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France.
| | - O Chavasseau
- Laboratoire PALEVOPRIM, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France
| | - J-J Jaeger
- Laboratoire PALEVOPRIM, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France
| | - Y Chaimanee
- Laboratoire PALEVOPRIM, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France
| | - A N Soe
- Mandalay University of Distance Education, Mandalay, Myanmar
| | - C Sein
- Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Higher Education, Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar
| | - H Bocherens
- Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.,Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment at the University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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A chimpanzee enamel-diet δ 13C enrichment factor and a refined enamel sampling strategy: Implications for dietary reconstructions. J Hum Evol 2021; 159:103062. [PMID: 34536662 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.103062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2020] [Revised: 08/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Reconstructing diets from stable carbon isotopic signals in enamel bioapatite requires the application of a δ13C enamel-diet enrichment factor, or the isotopic offset between diet and enamel, which has not been empirically determined for any primate. In this study, an enamel-diet enrichment factor (ε∗enamel-diet) of 11.8 ± 0.3‰ is calculated for chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) at Ngogo in Kibale National Park, Uganda, based on a comprehensive isotopic assessment of previously analyzed dietary plant data and new isotopic analyses of enamel apatite. Different enamel sampling methods are evaluated to determine the potential influence of weaning on isotopic enamel values and dietary interpretations. The new chimpanzee enrichment factor and a sampling strategy that excludes teeth that formed before weaning completion are applied to all known chimpanzee δ13Cenamel data, either previously published or newly derived in this study, resulting in a dietary range of almost 6‰ across all chimpanzees sampled. This new chimpanzee enamel-diet enrichment factor is then used to reassess dietary reconstructions of 12 fossil hominin species whose isotopic enamel signatures have been determined. Results reveal hominin diets that are isotopically more positive than previously reconstructed, highlighting the widespread contribution of 13C-enriched C4/crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) resources in fossil hominin diets and emphasizing the broad use of these resources during human evolution. These findings stress the importance of ascertaining and employing an appropriate enrichment factor for dietary reconstructions of specific taxa as well as standardizing the sampling protocol for tooth enamel in isotopic paleodietary reconstructions.
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Jiang Q, Zhao L, Guo L, Hu Y. First direct evidence of conservative foraging ecology of early Gigantopithecus blacki (~2 Ma) in Guangxi, southern China. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2021; 176:93-108. [PMID: 33964022 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Revised: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Gigantopithecus blacki, the largest hominoid known, is one of the representative Pleistocene mammals in southern China and northern Southeast Asia. Here we investigate the feeding ecology of G. blacki in its core habitat (Guangxi, Southern China) during the early Early Pleistocene, which was the early period in its evolution. MATERIALS AND METHODS The stable isotopic (C, O) analysis of tooth enamel of the fauna associated with G. blacki (n = 58), including the largest number of G. blacki teeth (n = 12) to date from the Liucheng Gigantopithecus Cave (~2 Ma), Guangxi, China, is undertaken. RESULTS The δ13 C values of Liucheng fauna range from -12.9 to -19.0‰ with an average of -16.1 ± 1.3‰ (n = 58) and the δ18 O values range from -4.3 to -9.6‰ with an average of -6.9 ± 1.2‰ (n = 58). The δ13 C values of G. blacki range from -15.9‰ to -17.0‰ with an average of -16.5 ± 0.4‰ (n = 12), and the δ18 O values vary from -5.9‰ to -7.5‰ with an average of -6.6 ± 0.5‰ (n = 12). CONCLUSIONS The isotopic data show Guangxi was characterized by closed C3 forest and humid climate in the early Early Pleistocene. Niche partitioning is found among G. blacki, Sinomastodon, Ailuropoda and Stegodon, the typical megafauna in South China in the early Early Pleistocene. This could be one of the important factors for them to co-exist until the Middle Pleistocene. Smallest isotopic variations of G. blacki are found compared with those of contemporary animals, indicating a conservative foraging ecology i.e., limited foraging area and/or narrow dietary flexibility. Furthermore, the more confined foraging ecology of G. blacki is also seen in comparison with fossil and extant large-bodied primates. However, the unique dietary pattern of G. blacki does not seem to have hindered its survival. The environment in Guangxi during the early Early Pleistocene offered the suitable conditions for G. blacki to become one of the typical species in the faunal assemblages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quyi Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Zhejiang Provincial Office of Cultural Relics Authentication, Hangzhou, China
| | - Lingxia Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, China
| | - Lin Guo
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, China.,College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yaowu Hu
- Department of Cultural Heritage and Museology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.,Institute of Archaeological Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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Martínez LM, Estebaranz-Sánchez F, Ferràndez-Cañadell C, Romero A, Ribot F, Galbany J, Gibert L, Pérez-Pérez A. Buccal dental-microwear and feeding ecology of Early Pleistocene Theropithecus oswaldi from Cueva Victoria (Spain). J Hum Evol 2020; 142:102736. [PMID: 32193025 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.102736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2018] [Revised: 11/11/2019] [Accepted: 11/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Despite the scarcity of fossil specimens of Theropithecus oswaldi in Eurasia, its presence out of Africa attests to the great dispersal of this Papionini genus during the Early Pleistocene. In the present study, we analyze the buccal dental microwear of T. oswaldi (T. o. leakeyi) fossil specimens from Cueva Victoria (Southeastern Spain). This analysis is the first characterization of the feeding ecology of T. oswaldi in Europe. The buccal microwear pattern of the molar and premolar teeth of T. oswaldi from Cueva Victoria shows great similarities to that observed for the extant frugivorous forest-dwelling Mandrillus sphinx and mangabeys (Cercocebus sp.)-both species adapted to durophagous dietary habits-while significantly different from that observed for the gramnivorous Theropithecus gelada. These results suggest that T. oswaldi from Cueva Victoria could have exploited both hard-shelled fruits or seeds and succulent fruits from open and forested Mediterranean ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- L M Martínez
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Secció de Zoologia i Antropologia Biològica, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08014, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - F Estebaranz-Sánchez
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Secció de Zoologia i Antropologia Biològica, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08014, Barcelona, Spain; Departament de Biologia Animal, Biologia Vegetal i Ecologia, Unitat d'Antropologia Biològica, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Campus de Bellaterra, 08193, Bellaterra - Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - C Ferràndez-Cañadell
- Departament Dinàmica de la Terra i de l'Oceà, Facultat de Ciències de la Terra, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí Franquès s/n, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - A Romero
- Departamento de Biotecnología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Alicante, 99, 03080, Alicante, Spain
| | - F Ribot
- Museo Municipal de Prehistoria y Paleontología, Calle Las Tiendas s/n, 18858, Orce, Granada, Spain
| | - J Galbany
- Departament de Psicologia Clínica i Psicobiologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Facultat de Psicologia, Passeig de la Vall d'Hebron, 171, 08035, Barcelona, Spain; Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington DC, USA
| | - L Gibert
- Departament de Mineralogia, Petrologia i Geologia Aplicada, Facultat de Ciències de la Terra, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí Franquès s/n, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - A Pérez-Pérez
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Secció de Zoologia i Antropologia Biològica, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08014, Barcelona, Spain
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Gilbert CC, Patel BA, Singh NP, Campisano CJ, Fleagle JG, Rust KL, Patnaik R. New sivaladapid primate from Lower Siwalik deposits surrounding Ramnagar (Jammu and Kashmir State), India. J Hum Evol 2016; 102:21-41. [PMID: 28012462 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2016.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2016] [Revised: 10/10/2016] [Accepted: 10/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Over the past century, numerous vertebrate fossils collected near the town of Ramnagar, India, have proven to be important for understanding the evolution and biogeography of many mammalian groups. Primates from Ramnagar, though rare, include a number of hominoid specimens attributable to Sivapithecus, as well as a single published mandibular fragment preserving the P4-M1 of the Miocene adapoid Sivaladapis palaeindicus. Since 2010, we have renewed fossil prospecting in the Lower Siwalik deposits near Ramnagar in an attempt to better understand the evolution, biogeographic timing, and paleoclimatic context of mammalian radiations in Asia, with a particular focus on primates. Our explorations have resulted in the identification of new fossil localities, including the site of Sunetar. The age of Sunetar and the Ramnagar region, in general, is tentatively dated between 14 and 11 Ma. In 2014, a partial right mandible of a sivaladapid primate was recovered at Sunetar, preserving the corpus with P4 roots and worn M1-M3 dentition. Although sivaladapids are known by numerous specimens of two genera (Sivaladapis and Indraloris) at Lower Siwalik sites on the Potwar Plateau (Pakistan) and at the Middle Siwalik locality of Haritalyangar (India), this new specimen is just the second sivaladapid recovered from the Ramnagar region. Our analyses suggest that the new specimen is distinct from all other sivaladapids, and we therefore describe it as a new genus and species close to the base of the Sivaladapinae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher C Gilbert
- Department of Anthropology, Hunter College of the City University of New York, 695 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA; PhD Programs in Anthropology and Biology, Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue, NY 10016, USA; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Biren A Patel
- Department of Cell and Neurobiology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA; Human and Evolutionary Biology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - N Premjit Singh
- Department of Geology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160 014, India
| | - Christopher J Campisano
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - John G Fleagle
- Department of Anatomical Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Kathleen L Rust
- Department of Anthropology, Hunter College of the City University of New York, 695 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Rajeev Patnaik
- Department of Geology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160 014, India
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