Isotopic paleoecology (δ13C, δ18O) of a late Pleistocene vertebrate community from the Brazilian Intertropical Region

Abstract

Isotopes are one of the best tools to reconstruct the paleoecology of extinct taxa, allowing us to evaluate their diet (through carbon; C 3 and C 4 plants), their niche breadth (B A ) and the environment in which they lived. In the present work we go deeper in the use of isotopes, and explore a mathematical mixing model with the stable isotopic composition of one (carbon) and two elements (carbon and oxygen) to evaluate (i) the relative contributions of three types of food resources (leaves, fruits and C 4 grass) for meso-and megaherbivores (body mass > 100 kg) that lived during the late Pleistocene in Sergipe, Brasil, and (ii) which of these herbivores (together with some faunivorous taxa) could be potential preys for Smilodon populator and Caiman latirostris. Finally, we reconstructed the paleoenvironment in which the vertebrate community of Sergipe lived and concluded that the environment of Sergipe was a closer and drier landscape than African savannah nowadays, at least between 27 ka to 11 ka.

Isotopic paleoecology (δ13C, δ18O) of late Quaternary herbivorous mammal assemblages from southwestern Amazon

“…major coprolites from BIR in Bahia state strengthens the inference of a browser diet (Marcolino et al, 2012). Stable isotope data from that region indicates significant consumption of C3 plants (δ 13 C = − 7.34 ‰; Dantas et al, 2020), therefore in a predominantly open landscape the species probably could inhabit forest edges (Marcolino et al, 2012). Accordingly, browser habits could be a predominant behavior for this camelid.…”

“…Despite the efficiency in consuming more abrasive vegetation, the previous inference supports that the taxon was not a strictly grazer. A mixed C3-C4 diet of woody and grassy plants was suggested by stable isotope analysis for H. paulacoutoi species that inhabited the BIR during the late Pleistocene (δ 13 C = − 6.05 ‰; Dantas et al, 2020), indicating that these cingulates could also have a more generalist diet. Holmesina is associated with wetter and warmer climate environments when compared to the pampatheriid Pampatherium from arid and cold environments (Vizcaíno et al, 1998;De Iuliis et al, 2001;Scillato-Yané et al, 2005), and may corresponds with the occurrence in more forested landscapes in southwestern Amazonia.…”

“…Acronym: BM = Body mass. References: a: Dantas et al (2020), b: Dantas (2019), c: Padilla andDowler (1994), d: Ghizzoni (2014), e: Duarte and Jorge (1996).…”

Mammal Taphonomy in a Cave Deposit From Quaternary of Brazil

“…It is noteworthy that E. laurillardi and Glyptotherium sp. have body masses over 1,000 Kg (Dantas et al, 2017) and 700 Kg (Dantas et al, 2020), respectively, and the teeth of a putative predator (S. populator, Cerdocyon thous, Panthera onca, or Protocyon troglodytes; see Araújo-Júnior and Porpino, 2011;Araújo-Júnior et al, 2017a) could not have reached the bone of such large-sized preys. This would be possible only if the animals were dead and in a state of necrolysis (see Haynes, 1980Haynes, , 1982Haynes, , 1983Araújo-Júnior et al, 2017a), suggesting that the tooth marks have a postmortem origin.…”

Could Eremotherium laurillardi (Lund, 1842) (Megatheriidae, Xenarthra) be an Omnivore Species?

“…Based on carbon (δ 13 C bioapatite ) and oxygen (δ 18 O) stable isotope data, and stereomicrowear analysis of fossils from the late PLeistocene of Brazilian Intertropical Region -BIR, Eremotherium laurillardi (Lund, 1842) is recognized as a generalist species, with a wide niche breadth (B A = 0.77 ± 0.25), being able to live in several habitats, since low-density forests to open savanna habitats, feeding on fruits, leaves and C 4 grasses (Dantas et al, 2017(Dantas et al, , 2020Oliveira et al, 2020).…”