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Brief communication: Tissue isotopic enrichment associated with growth depression in a pig: Implications for archaeology and ecology
Author(s) -
Warinner Christina,
Tuross Noreen
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
american journal of physical anthropology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.146
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1096-8644
pISSN - 0002-9483
DOI - 10.1002/ajpa.21222
Subject(s) - juvenile , famine , ecology , delta , biology , zoology , geography , archaeology , aerospace engineering , engineering
Stressors such as fasting or poor diet quality are thought to potentially alter the nitrogen and carbon isotopic values of animal tissues. In this study, we demonstrate an inverse correlation between growth rate and multiple tissue enrichment of δ 15 N, δ 13 C, and, to a lesser degree, δ 18 O in a juvenile pig. A more complex pattern is observed with respect to tissue δD and growth rate. The observed association between growth rate and tissue isotopic fractionation has important implications for paleodietary and migratory reconstructions of archaeological populations that may have been affected by famine, malnutrition, seasonal variation in food availability, and/or other factors that can affect childhood growth rates. Am J Phys Anthropol 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.