δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N Variability in Modern Guanaco (Lama guanicoe) Assemblages in Southern Patagonia: Implications for Zooarchaeological Studies

Abstract

We study the isotopic variability of modern social groups of guanacos (Lama guanicoe) and discuss the implications of these results for the analysis of archaeofaunas from archaeological sites of Patagonia. The aim of this work is to evaluate whether the study of the isotope composition of carbon and nitrogen from collagen (δ13C and δ15N) is a methodology that allows the discussion of hunting strategies – individual versus mass – carried out by human populations in this particular case of the guanaco from southern Patagonia. Samples come from five modern assemblages of guanacos located in the west margin of the Cardiel Lake and are the result of a catastrophic mortality episode produced by winter stress. The isotopic variability of these samples is compared with that of a mesoregional attritional assemblage built from multiple sites and chronologies. The results indicate, in the first place, that there is no differentiation between males and females, second, that the offspring show no increase of signals when compared to the other age categories and finally, juveniles recorded the lowest δ15N values. In relation to the main purpose of this research, measurements of variability from modern assemblages and the attritional groups have been compared. The three assemblages with lower variability are modern ones. However, the two remaining modern assemblages record a variability higher than or equal to the attritional groups. Thus, for southern Patagonian guanacos, the hypothesis that proposes that the isotopic variability of a herd would be lower than the one obtained from multiple populations and different hunting events is rejected. Finally, we analyze the possible causes for these results together with situations in which δ13C and δ15N can be used in the study of the guanaco hunting strategies in southern Patagonia. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Stable isotope ecology and human palaeodiet in the northern coast of Santa Cruz (Argentine Patagonia)

“…In the same sense, in the terrestrial environment, the guanacos analysed here register higher values in the δ 15 N if we compare them with those studied in the inland of the province at similar latitude distant about 400 km from the NCSC, with a mean of 6.1‰ in the δ 15 N. The differences are statistically significant ( p ≤ .05; Tessone, ; Tessone, Rindel, Belardi, Panarello, & Goñi, ). A possible cause of the difference would be the influence of the marine spray on the terrestrial trophic chains.…”

δ13C and δ15N Characterization of Modern Huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus) from the Patagonian Andean Forest. Scope and Limitations of Their Use as a Geographical Marker

“…Guanaco collected in the Nahuel Huapi NP (Limay area) had δ 13 C −20.5‰ and δ 15 N 5.9‰, and those from Tecka showed a δ 13 C −19.1‰, and a δ 15 N 5.0‰ (Table ). These results are similar to the sample of 70 guanacos from the centre‐west of Santa Cruz (Tessone, ; Tessone et al ., ). All together, these samples have a mean δ 13 C of −19.4‰ ± 0.9‰ and δ 15 N of 6.2‰ ± 1.4‰ (Table ), with a non‐outlier range between −21.2‰/−18.0‰ and 3.8‰/8.0‰, respectively.…”

δ13C Y δ15N de fauna proveniente de sitios arqueológicos del macizo del deseado, Santa Cruz, Argentina

“…Como ya fue planteado para el Holoceno se obtuvo una media de 6,4‰ ± 0,4‰. Al realizar una comparación con los valores disponibles se observan dos cuestiones (Tessone, 2010;Tessone et al 2014;Zilio et al 2018). Por un lado, es similar a la media obtenida para el centro oeste de la mencionada provincia, de δ 15 N de 6,1‰ (Tessone, 2010;Tessone et al 2014), mientras que por otro se diferencia de los valores obtenidos en guanacos de distintos sitios de costa, con valores de δ 15 N de 8,5‰ ± 1‰ (Zilio et al 2018); en relación a la primera área la distancia es ca.…”

“…Los análisis de isótopos estables del carbono y nitrógeno en Patagonia se han dedicado principalmente al estudio de las dietas y la subsistencia en las sociedades cazadoras-recolectoras (Barberena, 2002;Panarello et al 2006;Fernández & Tessone, 2014;Kochi, 2017;Zilio et al 2018). Asimismo, se realizaron trabajos tendientes a evaluar la variabilidad isotópica de especies faunísticas a partir de restos zooarqueológicos (Barberena et al 2009(Barberena et al , 2011Tessone et al 2014;Zangrando et al 2014Zangrando et al , 2016. La mayoría de estos trabajos tomaron al Holoceno como escala temporal de análisis (posteriores a 10 ka AP), siendo aún pocos los estudios que analizan material óseo del Pleistoceno final o de la transición Pleistoceno/Holoceno (Steele & Politis, 2009;Prevosti & Martin, 2013;Rabanus-Wallace et al 2017;Paunero et al 2017).…”