Trophic ecology of a Late Pleistocene early modern human from tropical Southeast Asia inferred from zinc isotopes

Bourgon, Nicolas; Jaouen, Klervia; Bacon, Anne-Marie; Dufour, Élise; McCormack, Jeremy; Tran, N.-Han; Trost, Manuel; Fiorillo, Denis; Dunn, Tyler; Zanolli, Clément; Zachwieja, Alexandra; Ponche, Jean-Luc; Boesch, Quentin; Antoine, Pierre‐Olivier; Westaway, Kira; Joannes‐Boyau, Renaud; Suzzoni, Eric; Frangeul, Sébastien; Crozier, Françoise; Aubaile, Françoise; Patole-Edoumba, Élise; Luangkhoth, Thonglith; Souksavatdy, Viengkeo; Boualaphane, Souliphane; Sayavonkhamdy, Thongsa; Sichanthongtip, Phonephanh; Sihanam, Daovee; Demeter, Fabrice; Shackelford, Laura; Hublin, Jean‐Jacques; Tütken, Thomas

doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.103075

Cited by 27 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 99 publications

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“…This trophic, dietary Zn isotope signal is incorporated into bioapatite forming enamel or enameloid of teeth, a hard tissue, which is highly resistant to alteration and likely provides better long-term preservation than organic collagen-bound nitrogen 11 , the most commonly used isotopic trophic tracer to date. However, there are no published reports on δ 66 Zn values of non-mammalian vertebrate bioapatite, except for enamel and bone of three African crocodilians 9 , nor of any fossil teeth older than the Late Pleistocene 11 , 12 .…”

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confidence: 99%

Trophic position of Otodus megalodon and great white sharks through time revealed by zinc isotopes

et al. 2022

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Diet is a crucial trait of an animal’s lifestyle and ecology. The trophic level of an organism indicates its functional position within an ecosystem and holds significance for its ecology and evolution. Here, we demonstrate the use of zinc isotopes (δ66Zn) to geochemically assess the trophic level in diverse extant and extinct sharks, including the Neogene megatooth shark (Otodus megalodon) and the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias). We reveal that dietary δ66Zn signatures are preserved in fossil shark tooth enameloid over deep geologic time and are robust recorders of each species’ trophic level. We observe significant δ66Zn differences among the Otodus and Carcharodon populations implying dietary shifts throughout the Neogene in both genera. Notably, Early Pliocene sympatric C. carcharias and O. megalodon appear to have occupied a similar mean trophic level, a finding that may hold clues to the extinction of the gigantic Neogene megatooth shark.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trophic position of Otodus megalodon and great white sharks through time revealed by zinc isotopes

et al. 2022

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“…S14 ). In the modern Koobi Fora savannah food web, δ 66 Zn enamel differences have been observed between browsers and grazers ( 35 ), but this pattern was not seen in any of the three Pleistocene Asian forest food webs ( 36 , 37 ). Among modern and historical human populations, historically documented diets relying on plants are associated with higher δ 66 Zn values than those that include a substantial quantity of animal products ( 41 – 44 ).…”

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confidence: 96%

“…Previous studies have demonstrated that δ 66 Zn enamel decreases by ca. 0.30 to 0.60 ‰ with each step in archeological and modern food webs ( 34 – 38 ) and that δ 66 Zn values associated with breastfeeding are higher than postweaning-associated values ( 39 ). While the main source of variation of δ 66 Zn enamel values is diet, local geology can also likely influence the isotope ratio of a given animal ( 36 , 39 ).…”

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confidence: 97%

“…This study aims to investigate if the Zn isotope proxy could help elucidate the dietary behaviors of Neandertals and the source of their δ 15 N peculiarity, specifically by studying a Late Pleistocene Iberian food web where the presence of mammoth has not been documented ( 33 ). The development of Zn isotope analysis ( 66 Zn/ 64 Zn, expressed as δ 66 Zn) has proven that trophic level information can be retrieved from mammalian tooth enamel (δ 66 Zn enamel ) ( 34 , 35 ), including fossil samples from Pleistocene food webs where organic matter is typically not preserved ( 36 , 37 ). Previous studies have demonstrated that δ 66 Zn enamel decreases by ca.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…While the main source of variation of δ 66 Zn enamel values is diet, local geology can also likely influence the isotope ratio of a given animal ( 36 , 39 ). To date, three modern assemblages from Koobi Fora (Kenya), Kruger Park, and the western Cape (South Africa) ( 40 ), a few animals from a historical site (Rennes, France) ( 41 ), and three Late Pleistocene sites (Tam Hay Marklot, Nam Lot, and Tam Pa Ling, Laos) ( 36 , 37 ) are the only terrestrial food webs for which Zn isotope data in teeth and/or bones have been published ( SI Appendix , Fig. S14 ).…”

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A Neandertal dietary conundrum: Insights provided by tooth enamel Zn isotopes from Gabasa, Spain

Jaouen

Villalba-Mouco

Smith

et al. 2022

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

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The characterization of Neandertals’ diets has mostly relied on nitrogen isotope analyses of bone and tooth collagen. However, few nitrogen isotope data have been recovered from bones or teeth from Iberia due to poor collagen preservation at Paleolithic sites in the region. Zinc isotopes have been shown to be a reliable method for reconstructing trophic levels in the absence of organic matter preservation. Here, we present the results of zinc (Zn), strontium (Sr), carbon (C), and oxygen (O) isotope and trace element ratio analysis measured in dental enamel on a Pleistocene food web in Gabasa, Spain, to characterize the diet and ecology of a Middle Paleolithic Neandertal individual. Based on the extremely low δ 66 Zn value observed in the Neandertal’s tooth enamel, our results support the interpretation of Neandertals as carnivores as already suggested by δ 15 N isotope values of specimens from other regions. Further work could help identify if such isotopic peculiarities (lowest δ 66 Zn and highest δ 15 N of the food web) are due to a metabolic and/or dietary specificity of the Neandertals.

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Zinc isotope composition of enameloid, bone and muscle of gilt-head seabreams (Sparus aurata) raised in pisciculture and their relation to diet

McCormack,

Jaouen,

Bourgon

et al. 2024

Mar Biol

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The isotope ratios of zinc (66Zn/64Zn expressed as δ66Zn), a vital nutrient, increasingly demonstrate trophic discrimination among vertebrates, making δ66Zn a valuable dietary proxy for ecological, archaeological, and palaeontological studies. Given the novelty of the methodology, tissue-diet and tissue-tissue zinc isotope fractionation factors remain poorly understood and have so far only been studied in a few terrestrial mammals. Here, we investigate δ66Zn compositions of enameloid, bone, and white muscle of seven artificially-fed pisciculture gilt-head seabreams (Sparus aurata) from offshore Israel, in comparison to the Zn isotope composition of their diet. In addition, we also analysed δ66Zn values in the same tissues of wild-caught S. aurata, bluespotted seabream (Pagrus caeruleostictus) and grey triggerfish (Balistes capriscus) caught off the coast of Israel. We determine a tissue-diet δ66Zn offset for Sparus aurata of − 0.04 ± 0.09 ‰ (2SD) for bone, − 0.29 ± 0.06 ‰ (2SD) for enameloid, and − 0.45 ± 0.07 ‰ (2SD) for white muscle. Wild-caught fish have much higher among-individual δ66Zn variability with values distinct from the pisciculture S. aurata, documenting a much more isotopically heterogeneous diet consumed by the wild individuals. Still, tissue–tissue δ66Zn differences in wild-caught individuals are close to those observed in the pisciculture ones with progressively lower δ66Zn values in the order bone > enameloid > white muscle. Our results demonstrate predictable tissue-diet and tissue-tissue δ66Zn differences among fish hard and soft tissues and can be applied to identify the δ66Zn values of dietary input, thereby informing trophic (palaeo)ecological reconstructions.

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Trophic ecology of a Late Pleistocene early modern human from tropical Southeast Asia inferred from zinc isotopes

Cited by 27 publications

References 99 publications

Trophic position of Otodus megalodon and great white sharks through time revealed by zinc isotopes

Trophic position of Otodus megalodon and great white sharks through time revealed by zinc isotopes

A Neandertal dietary conundrum: Insights provided by tooth enamel Zn isotopes from Gabasa, Spain

Zinc isotope composition of enameloid, bone and muscle of gilt-head seabreams (Sparus aurata) raised in pisciculture and their relation to diet

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