Compound-specific δD–δ13C analyses of n-alkanes extracted from terrestrial and aquatic plants

Chikaraishi, Yoshito; Naraoka, Hiroshi

doi:10.1016/s0031-9422(02)00749-5

Cited by 419 publications

(293 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…For comparison, the modern totora reed sample, collected by the Heyerdahl expedition in 1956, has a carbon isotopic composition (–25.6‰), similar to the archaeological sample when corrected for the δ 13 C value of atmospheric CO 2 in 1956 based on measured ice core CO 2 δ 13 C values from 1948 to 1962 (+0.5‰ correction, Francey et al, 1999). The archaeological totora reed carbon isotope ratio is also similar to δ 13 C values of modern taro and yam grown in agricultural plots in Oceania and Hawaii (taro = −25.2 ± 1.3‰, n = 17; yam = −26.8 ± 2.2‰, n = 9; Supporting Information Tables S1 and S2 (Allen & Craig, 2009; Chikaraishi & Naraoka, 2003; Kinaston et al, 2014)) when corrected for a Suess effect of +1.4‰ (Francey et al, 1999). …”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 56%

Diet of the prehistoric population of Rapa Nui (Easter Island, Chile) shows environmental adaptation and resilience

Jarman

Larsen²,

Hunt

et al. 2017

American J Phys Anthropol

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ObjectivesThe Rapa Nui “ecocide” narrative questions whether the prehistoric population caused an avoidable ecological disaster through rapid deforestation and over‐exploitation of natural resources. The objective of this study was to characterize prehistoric human diets to shed light on human adaptability and land use in an island environment with limited resources.Materials and methodsMaterials for this study included human, faunal, and botanical remains from the archaeological sites Anakena and Ahu Tepeu on Rapa Nui, dating from c. 1400 AD to the historic period, and modern reference material. We used bulk carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses and amino acid compound specific isotope analyses (AA‐CSIA) of collagen isolated from prehistoric human and faunal bone, to assess the use of marine versus terrestrial resources and to investigate the underlying baseline values. Similar isotope analyses of archaeological and modern botanical and marine samples were used to characterize the local environment.ResultsResults of carbon and nitrogen AA‐CSIA independently show that around half the protein in diets from the humans measured came from marine sources; markedly higher than previous estimates. We also observed higher δ15N values in human collagen than could be expected from the local environment.DiscussionOur results suggest highly elevated δ15N values could only have come from consumption of crops grown in substantially manipulated soils. These findings strongly suggest that the prehistoric population adapted and exhibited astute environmental awareness in a harsh environment with nutrient poor soils. Our results also have implications for evaluating marine reservoir corrections of radiocarbon dates.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 56%

Diet of the prehistoric population of Rapa Nui (Easter Island, Chile) shows environmental adaptation and resilience

Jarman

Larsen²,

Hunt

et al. 2017

American J Phys Anthropol

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“…The δ 13 C wax is primarily used to distinguish between plants using C 3 and C 4 photosynthetic pathways (16) because C 4 plants use a CO 2 -concentrating mechanism that improves their photorespiration and water-use efficiency relative to C 3 plants (17). The δ 13 C of epicuticular waxes from C 4 plants, which are mainly tropical and warm season grasses, typically range from −14‰ to −26‰, and waxes from C 3 plants range between about −29‰ and −38‰ (18)(19)(20). Precipitation is the dominant control on the distribution of C 3 and C 4 plants through much of the tropics, such that δ 13 C wax has been widely used to reconstruct past changes in tropical hydroclimate (21,22).…”

Section: Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

Glacial forcing of central Indonesian hydroclimate since 60,000 y B.P.

Russell

Vogel

Konecky

et al. 2014

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

138

188

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The Indo-Pacific warm pool houses the largest zone of deep atmospheric convection on Earth and plays a critical role in global climate variations. Despite the region's importance, changes in Indo-Pacific hydroclimate on orbital timescales remain poorly constrained. Here we present high-resolution geochemical records of surface runoff and vegetation from sediment cores from Lake Towuti, on the island of Sulawesi in central Indonesia, that continuously span the past 60,000 y. We show that wet conditions and rainforest ecosystems on Sulawesi present during marine isotope stage 3 (MIS3) and the Holocene were interrupted by severe drying between ∼33,000 and 16,000 y B.P. when Northern Hemisphere ice sheets expanded and global temperatures cooled. Our record reveals little direct influence of precessional orbital forcing on regional climate, and the similarity between MIS3 and Holocene climates observed in Lake Towuti suggests that exposure of the Sunda Shelf has a weaker influence on regional hydroclimate and terrestrial ecosystems than suggested previously. We infer that hydrological variability in this part of Indonesia varies strongly in response to high-latitude climate forcing, likely through reorganizations of the monsoons and the position of the intertropical convergence zone. These findings suggest an important role for the tropical western Pacific in amplifying glacial-interglacial climate variability.tropical Pacific | paleoclimate | geochemistry | paleoecology

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“…The isotopes of carbon have been most fully explored (1), but following a decade of advances in compound-specific deuterium analysis (2,3), the relative abundance of the hydrogen isotopes protium ( 1 H) and deuterium ( 2 H or D) has received increasing attention. Most commonly these analyses are used to track past changes of climate and aridity, enabled by the strong correlation of deuterium content between plant-derived lipids and source water (4)(5)(6)(7)(8). In this issue of PNAS, Zhang et al (9) move in a new direction and lay the groundwork for a proxy of cellular metabolism based on lipid deuterium.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Isotopic remembrance of metabolism past

Valentine

2009

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Compound-specific δD–δ13C analyses of n-alkanes extracted from terrestrial and aquatic plants

Cited by 419 publications

References 31 publications

Diet of the prehistoric population of Rapa Nui (Easter Island, Chile) shows environmental adaptation and resilience

Diet of the prehistoric population of Rapa Nui (Easter Island, Chile) shows environmental adaptation and resilience

Glacial forcing of central Indonesian hydroclimate since 60,000 y B.P.

Isotopic remembrance of metabolism past

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