scholarly journals Re-approaching palaeodiet in the Andes: use and application of sulphur isotope analysis in reconstructing Peruvian palaeodiet

COMPASS ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine G. Bishop
Keyword(s):  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Bone Collagen ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Sulphur Isotope ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
The Andes ◽  
Direct Indication ◽  
Application Potential ◽  
Isotope Studies

This research critically examines palaeodietary analyses in ancient Peru. Research is often approached using ceramics, flora, and faunal remains to examine human diet and behaviour prior to written records however these remains may not be indicative of items used exclusively for subsistence. More directed approaches employ stable isotope analyses of human remains as these data can provide direct indication of foods consumed during life. Peruvian isotope studies focus on 13C-enrichment patterns, and follow the premise that maize (corn) was the main source of 13C-enrichment recorded in bone collagen. Recent studies in Peru have identified other dietary sources that cause similar enrichment patterns, including kiwicha (pseudocereal), marine protein (e.g. shellfish, fish, and seals), and mococho (seaweed). As a result, additional methodologies must be employed to more sufficiently identify sources of subsistence in ancient Peru. I propose that stable sulphur isotope methodology may be used to overcome the issues presented. By critically reviewing previous palaeodietary analyses of Peru I examine current limitations and overview the application potential of carbon and nitrogen isotope studies complemented with sulphur isotope analysis of human and faunal remains within a Peruvian context. Ultimately I advocate for a more comprehensive approach to Peruvian palaeodiet.

scholarly journals Diet uniformity at an early farming community in northwest Anatolia (Turkey): carbon and nitrogen isotope studies of bone collagen at Aktopraklık

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 2123-2135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chelsea Budd ◽  
Necmi Karul ◽  
Songül Alpaslan-Roodenberg ◽  
Alfred Galik ◽  
Rick Schulting ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Bone Collagen ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Farming Community ◽  
Early Farming ◽  
Isotope Studies

scholarly journals Early Neolithic diets at Baijia, Wei River valley, China: stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of human and faunal remains

2011 ◽  
Vol 38 (10) ◽  
pp. 2811-2817 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pia Atahan ◽  
John Dodson ◽  
Xiaoqiang Li ◽  
Xinying Zhou ◽  
Songmei Hu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
River Valley ◽  
Stable Carbon ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Early Neolithic ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope Analysis ◽  
Wei River

scholarly journals Ancient Beringian paleodiets revealed through multiproxy stable isotope analyses

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (36) ◽  
pp. eabc1968
Author(s):  
Carrin M. Halffman ◽  
Ben A. Potter ◽  
Holly J. McKinney ◽  
Takumi Tsutaya ◽  
Bruce P. Finney ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Native Americans ◽  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Tooth Enamel ◽  
Isotope Composition ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Essential Amino Acids ◽  
Bone Collagen ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Isotope Analyses

The earliest Native Americans have often been portrayed as either megafaunal specialists or generalist foragers, but this debate cannot be resolved by studying the faunal record alone. Stable isotope analysis directly reveals the foods consumed by individuals. We present multi-tissue isotope analyses of two Ancient Beringian infants from the Upward Sun River site (USR), Alaska (~11,500 years ago). Models of fetal bone turnover combined with seasonally-sensitive taxa show that the carbon and nitrogen isotope composition of USR infant bone collagen reflects maternal diets over the summer. Using comparative faunal isotope data, we demonstrate that although terrestrial sources dominated maternal diets, salmon was also important, supported by carbon isotope analysis of essential amino acids and bone bioapatite. Tooth enamel samples indicate increased salmon use between spring and summer. Our results do not support either strictly megafaunal specialists or generalized foragers but indicate that Ancient Beringian diets were complex and seasonally structured.

scholarly journals Modern Freshwater Reservoir Offsets in the Eurasian Steppe: Implications for Archaeology

Radiocarbon ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 59 (5) ◽  
pp. 1597-1607 ◽  
Author(s):  
Svetlana V Svyatko ◽  
Paula J Reimer ◽  
Rick Schulting
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Lena River ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Eurasian Steppe ◽  
Pike Perch ◽  
Freshwater Reservoir

AbstractThis paper presents the results of the first broad-scale study of modern freshwater reservoir effects (FREs) in various regions of the Eurasian Steppe, associated with archaeological sites. The aim of this work was not only to demonstrate the widespread variability of modern FREs in the region, but also to draw the attention of specialists working in the area to the necessity of taking into account this important and still not fully understood factor involving radiocarbon dating of human and some faunal remains from archaeological sites. To identify modern FREs, modern fish of different species from 10 regions of Siberia and Kazakhstan have been subjected to accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon (AMS 14C) dating and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis, and the results are compared with the existing data from previous research. Freshwater reservoir offsets have been detected in all analyzed regions, with the exception of Kharga Lake (Buryatia, Russia) and Kyzylkoi River (central Kazakhstan), varying not only between, but also within regions depending on fish species. The most significant offset in this study has been recorded for the Chuya River basin (Altai Mountains, 1097±40 14C yr), though not as high as observed in previous research for the Caspian lowlands (1477±52 and 1037±52 14C yr) and Upper Lena River basin (Lake Baikal area, 1981±30 14C yr). Both δ13C and δ15N values have been measured with the majority of samples reflecting C3 ecology of local reservoirs and δ15N depending on the diet of particular species, with predatory species such as pike, perch, and burbot demonstrating the highest δ15N. No general relationship has been observed between freshwater reservoir offsets and either δ13C or δ15N values of the samples.

The sensitivity of Neotoma to climate change and biodiversity loss over the late Quaternary

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Catalina P. Tomé ◽  
S. Kathleen Lyons ◽  
Seth D. Newsome ◽  
Felisa A. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Climatic Variability ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Bone Collagen ◽  
Cam Plants ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Terminal Pleistocene

Abstract The late Quaternary in North America was marked by highly variable climate and considerable biodiversity loss including a megafaunal extinction event at the terminal Pleistocene. Here, we focus on changes in body size and diet in Neotoma (woodrats) in response to these ecological perturbations using the fossil record from the Edwards Plateau (Texas) across the past 20,000 years. Body mass was estimated using measurements of fossil teeth and diet was quantified using stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen from fossil bone collagen. Prior to ca. 7000 cal yr BP, maximum mass was positively correlated to precipitation and negatively correlated to temperature. Independently, mass was negatively correlated to community composition, becoming more similar to modern over time. Neotoma diet in the Pleistocene was primarily sourced from C3 plants, but became progressively more reliant on C4 (and potentially CAM) plants through the Holocene. Decreasing population mass and higher C4/CAM consumption was associated with a transition from a mesic to xeric landscape. Our results suggest that Neotoma responded to climatic variability during the terminal Pleistocene through changes in body size, while changes in resource availability during the Holocene likely led to shifts in the relative abundance of different Neotoma species in the community.

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