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Multiproxy diet analysis of the last meal of an early Holocene Yakutian bison
Author(s) -
VAN GEEL BAS,
PROTOPOPOV ALBERT,
BULL IAN,
DUIJM ELZA,
GILL FIONA,
LAMMERS YOURI,
NIEMAN ALINE,
RUDAYA NATALIA,
TROFIMOVA SVETLANA,
TIKHONOV ALEXEI N.,
VOS RUTGER,
ZHILICH SNEZHANA,
GRAVENDEEL BARBARA
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of quaternary science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.142
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1099-1417
pISSN - 0267-8179
DOI - 10.1002/jqs.2698
Subject(s) - macrofossil , biology , pollen , ecology , botany
Pollen, botanical macrofossils, chemical components and ancient DNA were studied in samples from the rumen of a frozen Yakutian bison ( Bison priscus ) that lived ca. 10,500 cal a BP. The dialkyl glycerol ether lipid archaeol (2,3‐di‐ O ‐phytanyl‐ sn ‐glycerol) was detected and is interpreted to have been derived from methanogenic Archaea in the rumen. This is the oldest reported occurrence of archaeol attributed to digestive tract Archaea. Remains of shrubs ( Alnus , Betula , Salix ) and Poaceae indicate that the animal probably lived in a landscape of predominantly dry soils, intermixed with wetlands containing herbaceous plant species, as indicated by remains of Comarum palustre , Caltha palustris , Eriophorum , Sparganium , Menyanthes trifoliata and Utricularia . All recorded taxa still occur in the present‐day Yakutian tundra vegetation. We discuss the representativeness in space and time of the methods used. Both the botanical microfossil and the macrofossil records may be biased because of differences in pollen production and dispersal between species, the food choice of the bison, and the season of death of the animal. Similarities and differences are discussed to highlight pitfalls of the individual analytical techniques. We highlight the power of data integration.