Isotopic insights on ecological interactions between humans and woolly mammoths during the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic in Europe

Carbon and nitrogen isotopic composition of bone collagen in woolly mammoths, coeval her- bivores and predators, as well as hominins, allow researchers to quantify the proportion of meat consumed by late Neanderthals and early mod- ern humans in Europe. The proportions of con- sumed mammoth meat were found to be very high for late Neanderthals in sites from western France and Belgium between 45 and 40 ka, and for early modern humans from Belgium, Czech Republic, Crimea and western Russia, between 40 and 30 ka. A possible contribution of fresh- water resources was excluded in Belgium and Crimea using a novel approach based on single compound amino acid nitrogen isotopes and confirmed that mammoth consumption was the source of the high nitrogen isotopic ratio of ancient hominins in these sites. The impact of mammoth hunting on the Late Pleistocene eco- systems could be detected by a shift of isotopic values of horses onto those found for mammoth, suggesting that horses could use part of the eco- logical niche of mammoth probably due to a decrease of the proboscidean population. More- over, isotopic tracking of predator diet suggests that the mammoth carcasses left by humans were also exploited by scavengers, such as fox, wol- verine and brown bear. Therefore, stable isotopic tracking is a very useful approach to decipher the trophic interaction between hominins and mammoths and their possible ecological conse- quences.The symposium and the volume "Human-elephant interactions: from past to present" were funded by the Volkswagen Foundation

Dietary adaptations of early and middle Pleistocene equids from the Anagni basin (Frosinone, Central Italy)

The intermontane Anagni Basin (Frosinone, central Italy) is an important region for Italian biochronology and paleoecology due to the presence of two rich fossil assemblages dated to the Early (Coste San Giacomo) and Middle Pleistocene (Fontana Ranuccio). Thesesiteshaveyieldedavastcollectionoflargefossilmammalswithawell-documented presence of fossil equids in both localities (represented mostly by isolated teeth). Coste San Giacomo is dated to around 2.1Ma, thereby having recorded the effects of the onset of the Quaternary glacial cycles, which led to a gradual trend toward colder and more arid conditions in the Northern Hemisphere. The fossil equids of this site belong to the first group of grazing stenonid equids of the genus Equus that spread to the Italian Peninsula during the so called "Elephant- Equus" event, which marked the appearance of new large mammals living in herds in open and arid environments. The site of Fontana Ranuccio is dated to around 400 ka, close to the MIS 12-11 succession (the "Mid-Brunhes event"), which marked the end of the Middle Pleistocene Transition. The fossil horses from Fontana Ranuccio represent one of the oldest caballoid (or "true horses") populations of the Italian Peninsula. The Anagni Basin, thus, provides important data to investigate paleoecological adaptations of these groups of equids in response to two critical environmental and climatic shifts of the Pleistocene. We explore their niche occupation by examining long-term dental wear patterns and tooth enamel carbon and oxygen stable isotopic composition. Both taxa appear to have exhibited a narrow dietary niche, displaying a clear abrasive (highly specialized) grass-rich diet. In particular, caballoid equids from Fontana Ranuccio show a more abrasion-dominated mesowear signature. Stenonid equids from Coste San Giacomo exploited broader and more diverse landscapes during the Early Pleistocene, whereas caballoid horses from Fontana Ranuccio appeared to have limited their dietary adaptations to a stricter grazing behavior in more closed environments

La grotte de Kulna : analyses physico-chimique et radiométrique des os et dentines de grands mammifères des niveaux du Paléolithique moyen

Le site de Kulna est situé en Moravie au nord de Brno (République tchèque). Des fouilles conduites par Valoch, de 1961 à 1976, ont livré des dépôts du Paléolithique supérieur et moyen. L’examen visuel de l’ensemble des restes fauniques récoltés dans les niveaux du Paléolithique moyen (industrie micoquienne et taubachienne) et conservés au Musée Moravské zemské à Brno, montre une large variété de couleur. Treize échantillons de faune plus ou moins colorés ont été analysés par différentes méthodes physico-chimiques et par spectrométrie alpha pour une tentative de datation U-Th. La matière organique et la phase minérale apatite des restes fauniques sont bien conservées. La coloration des échantillons est liée à la présence d’oxydes de manganèse et de fer contaminants. Les âges U-Th déterminés en supposant un système fermé sont dispersés, ce qui ne permet pas d’apporter un résultat chronologique convenable en comparaison avec les résultats ESR et C-14 publiés par ailleurs.The Kulna site is located in Moravia about 30 km North of Brno (Czech Republic). Excavations conducted by Valoch between 1961-1976, revealed Middle and Upper Paleolithic levels. A visual examination of the faunal remains collected from the Middle Paleolithic (micoquian and taubachian industries) and preserved at the Moravské zemské Museum, in Brno, display a wide range of colours. Thirteen samples of faunal remains with different colours, were analysed by using several physicochemical methods and by alpha spectrometry for a U-Th dating assessment. The organic matter and the mineral part of the faunal remains are well preserved. The colouring of the samples is due to the presence of manganese and iron oxides. The U-Th ages calculated by assuming a closed system are dispersed, that yield not to a credible chronological result in comparison to the ESR and C-14 results published by other authors

Thriving or surviving? The isotopic record of the Wrangel Island woolly mammoth population

The world's last population of woolly mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius) lived on Wrangel Island persisting well into the Holocene, going extinct at ca. 4000 cal BP. According to the frequency of 'radiocarbon dated mammoth remains from the island, the extinction appears fairly abrupt. This study investigates the ecology of the Wrangel Island mammoth population by means of carbon, nitrogen and sulfur isotope analyses. We report new isotope data on 77 radiocarbon dated mammoth specimens from Wrangel Island and Siberia, and evaluate them in relation to previously published isotope data for Pleistocene mammoths from Beringia and lower latitude Eurasia, and the other insular Holocene mammoth population from St. Paul Island. Contrary to prior suggestions of gradual habitat deterioration, the nitrogen isotope values of the Wrangel Island mammoths do not support a decline in forage quality/quantity, and are in fact very similar to their north Beringian forebears right to the end. However, compared to Siberian mammoths, those from Wrangel Island show a difference in their energy economy as judged by the carbon isotope values of structural carbonate, possibly representing a lower need of adaptive strategies for survival in extreme cold. Increased mid-Holocene weathering of rock formations in the central mountains is suggested by sulfur isotope values. Scenarios related to water quality problems stemming from increased weathering, and a possibility of a catastrophic starvation event as a cause of, or contributing factor in their demise are discussed. (C) 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.Peer reviewe

South American giant short-faced bear (Arctotherium angustidens) diet: evidence from pathology, morphology, stable isotopes, and biomechanics

Fil: Soibelzon, Leopoldo Héctor. División Paleontología Vertebrados. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Universidad Nacional de La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Grinspan, Gustavo A.. Núcleo de Biomecánica. Espacio Interdisciplinario. Universidad de la República. Montevideo; UruguayFil: Bocherens, Hervé. Department of Geosciences. Biogeology. University Tübingen. Tübingen; GermanyFil: Acosta, Walter G.. Cátedra de Semiología. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Universidad Nacional de La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Jones, Washington. Núcleo de Biomecánica. Espacio Interdisciplinario. Universidad de la República. Montevideo; UruguayFil: Blanco, Ernesto R.. nstituto de Física. Facultad de Ciencias. Universidad de la República. Montevideo; UruguayFil: Prevosti, Francisco. División Mastozoología. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales Bernardino Rivadavia. Buenos Aires; Argentin

The dIANA database – Resource for isotopic paleodietary research in the Baltic Sea area

Paleodietary research is a complex field, which requires large sets of background information. Owing to increasing interest and activity in the field, a substantial amount of archaeological isotope baseline data exist for Northern Europe, consisting mainly of animal bone collagen δ13C, δ15N, and δ34S values. However, the data are scattered into dozens of publications written in multiple languages and less-accessible formats, making the data laborious to use. This article presents the first compilation work of this data, the open access dIANA database (Dietary Isotopic baseline for the Ancient North; https://www.oasisnorth.org/diana.html), aimed to support (paleo)dietary research in the Baltic Sea area. The database work is complemented with new analyses of archaeological and (pre-)modern domestic and wild fauna from Finland and Russia broadening the selection of analysed species in the database. We present and discuss data examples, which on one hand show existing spatiotemporal isotope patterns related to diet and differences in the environmental carbon sources and on the other, also visualize the current status of baseline research and the need for further analyses in the circum-Baltic area.Paleodietary research is a complex field, which requires large sets of background information. Owing to increasing interest and activity in the field, a substantial amount of archaeological isotope baseline data exist for Northern Europe, consisting mainly of animal bone collagen δ13C, δ15N, and δ34S values. However, the data are scattered into dozens of publications written in multiple languages and less-accessible formats, making the data laborious to use. This article presents the first compilation work of this data, the open access dIANA database (Dietary Isotopic baseline for the Ancient North; https://www.oasisnorth.org/diana.html), aimed to support (paleo)dietary research in the Baltic Sea area. The database work is complemented with new analyses of archaeological and (pre-)modern domestic and wild fauna from Finland and Russia broadening the selection of analysed species in the database. We present and discuss data examples, which on one hand show existing spatiotemporal isotope patterns related to diet and differences in the environmental carbon sources and on the other, also visualize the current status of baseline research and the need for further analyses in the circum-Baltic area.Peer reviewe

Consumption of canid meat at the Gravettian Předmostí site, the Czech Republic

Germonpré, Mietje, Lázničková-Galetová, Martina, Jimenez, Elodie-Laure, Losey, Robert, Sablin, Mikhail, Bocherens, Hervé, Van Den Broeck, Martine (2017): Consumption Of Canid Meat At The Gravettian Předmostí Site, The Czech Republic. Fossil Imprint 73 (3-4): 360-382, DOI: 10.2478/if-2017-0020, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/if-2017-002

Isotopic niche modelling of the Pondaung mammal fauna (middle Eocene, Myanmar) shows microhabitat differences. Insights into paleoecology and early anthropoid primate habitats

The late Middle Eocene Pondaung Fm. is a window to understand the environment and ecosystem dynamics of a past greenhouse world and the paleoenvironments where modern mammal clades such as anthropoid primates originated. Previous studies focused on the overall climate and vegetation of this Eocene habitat and provided first evidence for an early monsoon onset before the orogenesis of the Himalayan-Tibetan range. Here, we wanted to investigate how the mammal fauna used this habitat and which different ecological niches and microhabitats they occupied. We analyzed the carbonate fraction of dental enamel of a fossil mammal assemblage from various localities of the Pondaung Fm. in Myanmar. Bayesian niche modelling of the δ13C and δ18O values allowed us to quantify aspects of the ecological core niches occupied by these taxa, to calculate niche overlap and to use these data to infer directional competition potential in this mammal assemblage. Furthermore, comparison of different areas of the Pondaung Fm. revealed two different microhabitats whose distribution is consistent with existing vegetation models. Most primate taxa were found in both described environments, which gives a first indication about their ecological flexibility