Paleodietary reconstruction using stable isotopes and abundance analysis of bovids from the Shungura Formation of South Omo, Ethiopia

Journal of Human Evolution
Enquye W NegashZelalem K Bedaso

Abstract

Preservation of the stable carbon isotopic composition of fossil tooth enamel enables us to estimate the relative proportion of C3 versus C4 vegetation in an animal's diet, which, combined with analysis of faunal abundance, may provide complementary methods of paleoenvironmental reconstruction. To this end, we analyzed stable carbon isotopic composition (δ(13)C values) of tooth enamel from four bovid tribes (Tragelaphini, Aepycerotini, Reduncini, and Alcelaphini) derived from six members of the Shungura Formation (Members B, C, D, F, G, and L; ages from ca. 2.90-1.05 Ma (millions of years ago) in the Lower Omo Valley of southwestern Ethiopia. The bovids show a wide range of δ(13)C values within taxa and stratigraphic members, as well as temporal changes in the feeding strategies of taxa analyzed throughout the middle to late Pliocene and early Pleistocene. Such variation suggests that the use of actualistic approaches for paleoenvironmental reconstruction may not always be warranted. Alcelaphini was the only taxon analyzed that retained a consistent dietary preference throughout the sequence, with entirely C4-dominated diets. Reduncini had a mixed C3/C4 to C4-dominated diet prior to 2.4 Ma, after which this taxon shifted to a l...Continue Reading

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Citations

Aug 16, 2017·Nature Ecology & Evolution·Joshua R RobinsonKaye E Reed
Aug 26, 2020·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Enquye W NegashJonathan G Wynn
Nov 18, 2020·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Tinsley H Davis
Dec 26, 2018·Journal of Human Evolution·René Bobe, Susana Carvalho
Sep 1, 2020·Journal of Human Evolution·Amelia VillaseñorAnna K Behrensmeyer

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