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What do stable isotopes tell us about hominid dietary and ecological niches in the pliocene?
Author(s) -
LeeThorp J. A.,
Sponheimer M.,
van der Merwe N. J.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
international journal of osteoarchaeology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1099-1212
pISSN - 1047-482X
DOI - 10.1002/oa.659
Subject(s) - woodland , ecological niche , fauna , ecology , grassland , stable isotope ratio , isotope analysis , invertebrate , pleistocene , isotopes of strontium , period (music) , isotopes of oxygen , herbivore , isotopes of carbon , geography , biology , paleontology , strontium , geology , chemistry , total organic carbon , habitat , physics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics , acoustics , geochemistry
By now a reasonable set of carbon and oxygen isotope data from tooth enamel has been accumulated for South African Plio‐Pleistocene hominids and associated fauna. Almost all individuals measured, independent of species and importantly, environment, show significant C 4 dietary inputs with some individuals showing very substantial C 4 inputs. This implies interactions with grassy environments for a period of well over a million years, a period that saw environments in southern Africa shift from closed woodlands to more open, grassy landscapes. Carbon isotope analysis alone is unable to permit the important distinction between direct consumption of grasses, or indirect consumption via grass‐eating animals, such as small vertebrates and invertebrates. Other chemical tools provide ambiguous results. For instance, hominid strontium/calcium distributions at Swartkrans have been interpreted as supporting omnivory, but other explanations are equally plausible. Relatively low oxygen isotope values for all hominids in comparison to associated fauna show similarities with suids, monkeys and carnivores, but the causes of these similarities are as yet poorly understood. On present evidence hominid interaction with grassland foods is secure although their exact nature remains elusive. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.