Middle Pleistocene dynamics of southern Africa's winter rainfall zone from δ13C and δ18O values of Hoedjiespunt faunal enamel

Hare, Vincent; Sealy, Judith

doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2013.01.006

Cited by 17 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…Grey shaded rectangle indicates approximate range of values for C 3 ‐consuming browsers. The positive end of this range, at −10‰, is the error‐propagated 1σ boundary of the predicted δ 13 C values of pure C 3 consumers, based on δ 13 C values of modern C 3 plants (Kohn, ), adjusted to a value of −6.84 for atmospheric δ 13 CO 2 (Leuenberger et al ., ) (Hare and Sealy, ). Bayesian modelled age estimates for each member are provided alongside, reported at 1σ rounded outwards to 50 years (see Supplementary Material for model results and structure).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 74%

“…These may account for some of the within-layer Grey shaded rectangle indicates approximate range of values for C 3 -consuming browsers. The positive end of this range, at À10‰, is the error-propagated 1s boundary of the predicted d 13 C values of pure C 3 consumers, based on d 13 C values of modern C 3 plants (Kohn, 2010), adjusted to a value of À6.84 for atmospheric d 13 CO 2 (Leuenberger et al, 1992) (Hare and Sealy, 2013 variation in isotope values. The interpretations offered below focus on differences between layers, where we have been able to identify robust patterning.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 70%

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Late Quaternary environmental change in the Southern Cape, South Africa, from stable carbon and oxygen isotopes in faunal tooth enamel from Boomplaas Cave

Sealy

Lee‐Thorp

Loftus

et al. 2016

J Quaternary Science

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Pleistocene palaeoclimates and palaeoenvironments of southernmost Africa are important for understanding southern hemisphere climate dynamics and for reconstructing human evolution and early human settlement in this region. Measurements of δ13C in tooth enamel of 136 faunal specimens from the archaeological site of Boomplaas Cave, South Africa, show significant shifts in proportions of C3 and C4 vegetation from the earliest deposits, probably dating to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5, to the late Holocene. Vegetation communities during the Last Glacial Maximum were strongly C3‐dominated, indicating an eastward expansion of the winter rainfall zone at this time. This is consistent with climate models postulating northwards shift and/or intensification of the circumpolar westerly frontal systems during glacials. Winter rainfall and lower temperatures, both of which favour C3 grasses, were clearly more important than lower pCO2 (which favours C4 grasses) in determining the nature of the vegetation. The intervals 40–36 and 17–14k cal a BP supported substantial quantities of C4 grasses, indicating a greater proportion of summer rainfall at these times. These two intervals correspond with warmer climates as reflected in Antarctic ice cores. δ13C of an as yet unnamed caprine indicate that these animals were primarily C3 grazers.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 74%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 70%

Late Quaternary environmental change in the Southern Cape, South Africa, from stable carbon and oxygen isotopes in faunal tooth enamel from Boomplaas Cave

Sealy

Lee‐Thorp

Loftus

et al. 2016

J Quaternary Science

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“…Analytical precision as indicated by multiple replicates was better than 0.1‰ for both 13 C/ 12 C and 18 O/ 16 O. Results for laboratory standards from the University of Cape Town and Bradford have been compared showing that values for the internal standard BES, and for NBS 18 and NBS 19 are comparable within error (e.g., ± 0.1‰) (Hare and Sealy, ; Pellegrini et al, ; Pellegrini, personal communication).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Isotopic evidence for divergent diets and mobility patterns in the Atacama Desert, northern Chile, during the Late Intermediate Period (AD 900–1450)

Santana‐Sagredo

Lee‐Thorp

Uribe

2014

American J Phys Anthropol

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The decline of the Tiwanaku state saw the emergence of two new cultures-Pica-Tarapacá and Atacama-during the Late Intermediate Period in northern Chile. Archeological evidence suggests that both groups practised maize agriculture and pastoralism, but that their interaction zones differed significantly. Marine resources are common at Pica-Tarapacá sites, even those far from coast, while Atacama sites in the desert oases and precordilleran area seem to have directed their networks towards the highlands. Here we apply stable carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen isotope analysis on human bone and enamel to test dietary patterns and residential mobility at two sites, Pica 8 and Quitor 6, representing the Pica-Tarapacá and Atacama cultures, respectively. Our results show that diet at the two sites indeed differed: significant but variable consumption of marine resources and maize is indicated at Pica 8, despite being an inland site, while diet at Quitor 6 was based mainly on terrestrial resources. The use of seabird guano and llama dung as fertilizers and extreme aridity may have contributed to the high nitrogen isotope values observed in Pica 8 humans. The δ(18) O values in Pica 8 individuals are generally lower than for Quitor in spite of its greater distance from the Andes. All three isotopes suggest the presence of at least five nonlocals in the 30 measured at Pica 8. This evidence for human mobility is consistent with the high levels of trade and interaction observed in the archeological record, and begins to quantify the degree of movement of specific individuals.

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“…Stable carbon isotope analysis is routinely used to reconstruct consumer resource use patterns in modern, archeological, and paleontological contexts (Ben-David & Flaherty, 2012;Cerling & Harris, 1999;Cerling et al, 2015;Crawford, McDonald, & Bearhop, 2008;Hare & Sealy, 2013). Indeed, the approach provides arguably the most direct evidence for diet and habitat use among fossil animals.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Within trophic level shifts in collagen–carbonate stable carbon isotope spacing are propagated by diet and digestive physiology in large mammal herbivores

Codron

Clauss

Codron

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

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Stable carbon isotope analyses of vertebrate hard tissues such as bones, teeth, and tusks provide information about animal diets in ecological, archeological, and paleontological contexts. There is debate about how carbon isotope compositions of collagen and apatite carbonate differ in terms of their relationship to diet, and to each other. We evaluated relationships between δ13Ccollagen and δ13Ccarbonate among free‐ranging southern African mammals to test predictions about the influences of dietary and physiological differences between species. Whereas the slopes of δ13Ccollagen–δ13Ccarbonate relationships among carnivores are ≤1, herbivore δ13Ccollagen increases with increasing dietary δ13C at a slower rate than does δ13Ccarbonate, resulting in regression slopes >1. This outcome is consistent with predictions that herbivore δ13Ccollagen is biased against low protein diet components (13C‐enriched C4 grasses in these environments), and δ13Ccarbonate is 13C‐enriched due to release of 13C‐depleted methane as a by‐product of microbial fermentation in the digestive tract. As methane emission is constrained by plant secondary metabolites in browse, the latter effect becomes more pronounced with higher levels of C4 grass in the diet. Increases in δ13Ccarbonate are also larger in ruminants than nonruminants. Accordingly, we show that Δ13Ccollagen‐carbonate spacing is not constant within herbivores, but increases by up to 5 ‰ across species with different diets and physiologies. Such large variation, often assumed to be negligible within trophic levels, clearly cannot be ignored in carbon isotope‐based diet reconstructions.

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Middle Pleistocene dynamics of southern Africa's winter rainfall zone from δ13C and δ18O values of Hoedjiespunt faunal enamel

Cited by 17 publications

References 60 publications

Late Quaternary environmental change in the Southern Cape, South Africa, from stable carbon and oxygen isotopes in faunal tooth enamel from Boomplaas Cave

Late Quaternary environmental change in the Southern Cape, South Africa, from stable carbon and oxygen isotopes in faunal tooth enamel from Boomplaas Cave

Isotopic evidence for divergent diets and mobility patterns in the Atacama Desert, northern Chile, during the Late Intermediate Period (AD 900–1450)

Within trophic level shifts in collagen–carbonate stable carbon isotope spacing are propagated by diet and digestive physiology in large mammal herbivores

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