Oxygen and carbon isotope signatures in late Neogene horse teeth from Spain and application as temperature and seasonality proxies

Dam, Jan A. van; Reichart, Gert‐Jan

doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2008.12.022

Cited by 54 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 85 publications

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“…The composite nature of the dataset, which includes several taxa having potentially distinct ecology and physiology, may have scrambled the isotopic signal in terms of climatic record. However, the absence of any isotopic trend identified by Matson and Fox (2010), as well as van Dam and Reichart (2009), is congruent with our hypothesis that the climate variable did not play the main and unique role upon the major faunal turnover observed in the sedimentary record throughout the Vallesian-Turolian boundary.…”

Section: Continental Climate and Environmental Dynamicssupporting

confidence: 88%

“…Domingo et al (2009) performed their isotopic measurements on seven species of hipparionines from the Terruel basin (NE Spain) including the large-size Hipparion primigenium Bonis et al, 1992a andFortelius et al, 1996). Matson and Fox (2010) and van Dam and Reichart (2009) failed to identify any significant trends in δ 18 O values from the early Vallesian to the latest Turolian although large sample with a high specific diversity was analyzed. The composite nature of the dataset, which includes several taxa having potentially distinct ecology and physiology, may have scrambled the isotopic signal in terms of climatic record.…”

Section: Continental Climate and Environmental Dynamicsmentioning

confidence: 96%

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Late Miocene climatic and environmental variations in northern Greece inferred from stable isotope compositions (δ18O, δ13C) of equid teeth apatite

Rey

Amiot

Lécuyer

et al. 2013

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

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Section: Continental Climate and Environmental Dynamicssupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Continental Climate and Environmental Dynamicsmentioning

confidence: 96%

Late Miocene climatic and environmental variations in northern Greece inferred from stable isotope compositions (δ18O, δ13C) of equid teeth apatite

Rey

Amiot

Lécuyer

et al. 2013

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

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“…Robust estimates of MAP thus require averaging over multiple taxa in a single locality, just as strong correlations between global plant δ 13 C and MAP require averaging (4; this study). Some studies analyze numerous taxa (27,32) and are well suited for estimating MAP, whereas others focus on specific ecological or climatic questions with only a few taxa or even just one taxon (19,30,33,34), and MAP estimates are more tentative. Dry environments may contain wet microhabitats, e.g., along rivers or at springs, and flora may exhibit relatively low δ 13 C values either seasonally or in an unusually wet year.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carbon isotope compositions of terrestrial C3 plants as indicators of (paleo)ecology and (paleo)climate

Kohn

2010

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

1,125

799

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A broad compilation of modern carbon isotope compositions in all C3 plant types shows a monotonic increase in δ 13 C with decreasing mean annual precipitation (MAP) that differs from previous models. Corrections for temperature, altitude, or latitude are smaller than previously estimated. As corrected for altitude, latitude, and the δ 13 C of atmospheric CO 2 , these data permit refined interpretation of MAP, paleodiet, and paleoecology of ecosystems dominated by C3 plants, either prior to 7-8 million years ago (Ma), or more recently at mid-to high latitudes. Twenty-nine published paleontological studies suggest preservational or scientific bias toward dry ecosystems, although wet ecosystems are also represented. Unambiguous isotopic evidence for C4 plants is lacking prior to 7-8 Ma, and hominid ecosystems at 4.4 Ma show no isotopic evidence for dense forests. Consideration of global plant biomass indicates that average δ 13 C of C3 plants is commonly overestimated by approximately 2‰.aridity | carbon cycle | closed canopy | paleoprecipitation P lants exhibiting C3 photosynthesis have dominated the history of terrestrial vegetation, as CAM plants occupy only a small percentage of typical ecosystems (e.g., 1), and C4 plants became abundant in grasslands only within the last 7-8 million years (2). C3 plants exhibit a large range of carbon isotope compositions (−20 to −37‰, V-PDB; Fig. 1), generally reflecting a physiological response to aridity (anomalously high δ 13 C) and a combination of low light levels plus leaf litter recycling (anomalously low δ 13 C; 3). Past studies have conflicted on the dependence of δ 13 C on mean annual precipitation (MAP). Most studies support a negative correlation (e.g., 4), but some have reported no correlation (5) or even a positive correlation (6).This study explores carbon isotope systematics of C3 plants through a comprehensive compilation of literature data, minimizing local differences that have given rise to disparate interpretations. This work directly benefits paleodietary and paleoecological studies by providing estimates of MAP in ancient environments as well as clearer boundaries for identifying the understory of closed-canopy forests and the contribution of non-C3 plants to diet, which is used to gain insights into C4 origins (2). The new compilation also helps refine models of the modern carbon cycle by providing a better estimate of global C3 δ 13 C values (7). The present analysis differs from a recent investigation of correlations between tree þ shrub δ 13 C and MAP or plant functional type (8) in that it is several times larger on a site-by-site basis, spans the full range of plant growth forms (including trees, bushes, grasses, and herbs), averages data from each site to minimize sampling bias (4), and regresses an arguably more appropriate function to the data. Selection criteria of climate and isotopic data also differ slightly. This broader approach of considering all C3 plants and averaging compositions is important when evaluating herbivore paleodiets, whic...

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“…The nearest living relative principle justifies the use of modern horse as an analogue for its ancestors and allows the extrapolation of proxy relationships established on modern horses for the interpretation of fossil equid tooth records (e.g. [37] [38] [39]). This makes horses an interesting modern analogue taxon potentially enabling terrestrial paleo-climate reconstruction from the Early Eocene up to modern times ([13] [37] [38] [40] [41]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In seasonally migrating taxa, seasonal stable carbon and oxygen isotope profiles from tooth enamel are expected to be in phase as migration changes the provenance and type of diet as well as the local environment of the animal, affecting both stable isotope proxies synchronously ([37] [70]). However, as shown by earlier studies, in domestic taxa these proxies need not be in phase since a seasonal change in diet can lag or lead the environmental seasonality ([2] [20] [71])…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal Cyclicity in Trace Elements and Stable Isotopes of Modern Horse Enamel

2016

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The study of stable isotopes in fossil bioapatite has yielded useful results and has shown that bioapatites are able to faithfully record paleo-environmental and paleo-climatic parameters from archeological to geological timescales. In an effort to establish new proxies for the study of bioapatites, intra-tooth records of enamel carbonate stable isotope ratios from a modern horse are compared with trace element profiles measured using laboratory micro X-Ray Fluorescence scanning. Using known patterns of tooth eruption and the relationship between stable oxygen isotopes and local temperature seasonality, an age model is constructed that links records from six cheek upper right teeth from the second premolar to the third molar. When plotted on this age model, the trace element ratios from horse tooth enamel show a seasonal pattern with a small shift in phase compared to stable oxygen isotope ratios. While stable oxygen and carbon isotopes in tooth enamel are forced respectively by the state of the hydrological cycle and the animal’s diet, we argue that the seasonal signal in trace elements reflects seasonal changes in dust intake and diet of the animal. The latter explanation is in agreement with seasonal changes observed in carbon isotopes of the same teeth. This external forcing of trace element composition in mammal tooth enamel implies that trace element ratios may be used as proxies for seasonal changes in paleo-environment and paleo-diet.

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Oxygen and carbon isotope signatures in late Neogene horse teeth from Spain and application as temperature and seasonality proxies

Cited by 54 publications

References 85 publications

Late Miocene climatic and environmental variations in northern Greece inferred from stable isotope compositions (δ18O, δ13C) of equid teeth apatite

Late Miocene climatic and environmental variations in northern Greece inferred from stable isotope compositions (δ18O, δ13C) of equid teeth apatite

Carbon isotope compositions of terrestrial C3 plants as indicators of (paleo)ecology and (paleo)climate

Seasonal Cyclicity in Trace Elements and Stable Isotopes of Modern Horse Enamel

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