Hominin palaeoecology in Late Pliocene Malawi: First insights from isotopes (13C, 18O) in mammal teeth
Carbon-13 and oxygen-18 abundances were measured in large mammal skeletal remains (tooth enamel, dentine and bone) from the Chiwondo Beds in Malawi, which were dated by biostratigraphic correlation to ca. 2.5 million years ago. The biologic isotopic patterns, in particular the difference in carbon-1...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Academy of Science of South Africa
2011-03-01
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| Series: | South African Journal of Science |
| Online Access: | http://192.168.0.118/index.php/sajs/article/view/9868 |
| _version_ | 1798023709024321536 |
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| author | Herv é Bocherens Oliver Sandrock Ottmar Kullmer Friedemann Schrenk |
| author_facet | Herv é Bocherens Oliver Sandrock Ottmar Kullmer Friedemann Schrenk |
| author_sort | Herv é Bocherens |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Carbon-13 and oxygen-18 abundances were measured in large mammal skeletal remains (tooth enamel, dentine and bone) from the Chiwondo Beds in Malawi, which were dated by biostratigraphic correlation to ca. 2.5 million years ago. The biologic isotopic patterns, in particular the difference in carbon-13 abundances between grazers and browsers and the difference in oxygen-18 abundances between semi-aquatic and terrestrial herbivores, were preserved in enamel, but not in dentine and bone. The isotopic results obtained from the skeletal remains from the Chiwondo Beds indicate a dominance of savannah habitats with some trees and shrubs. This environment was more arid than the contemporaneous Ndolanya Beds in Tanzania. The present study confirms that robust australopithecines were able to live in relatively arid environments and were not confined to more mesic environments elsewhere in southern Africa. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T17:50:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2afdc6f8c00a4edeb2dfe7afa0692d24 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1996-7489 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T17:50:37Z |
| publishDate | 2011-03-01 |
| publisher | Academy of Science of South Africa |
| record_format | Article |
| series | South African Journal of Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-2afdc6f8c00a4edeb2dfe7afa0692d242022-12-22T04:11:06ZengAcademy of Science of South AfricaSouth African Journal of Science1996-74892011-03-011073/4Hominin palaeoecology in Late Pliocene Malawi: First insights from isotopes (13C, 18O) in mammal teethHerv é Bocherens0Oliver Sandrock1Ottmar Kullmer2Friedemann Schrenk3Universität TübingenHessisches Landesmuseum DarmstadtForschungsinstitut Senckenberg, PalaeoanthropologieJohann Wolfgang Goethe-UniversitätCarbon-13 and oxygen-18 abundances were measured in large mammal skeletal remains (tooth enamel, dentine and bone) from the Chiwondo Beds in Malawi, which were dated by biostratigraphic correlation to ca. 2.5 million years ago. The biologic isotopic patterns, in particular the difference in carbon-13 abundances between grazers and browsers and the difference in oxygen-18 abundances between semi-aquatic and terrestrial herbivores, were preserved in enamel, but not in dentine and bone. The isotopic results obtained from the skeletal remains from the Chiwondo Beds indicate a dominance of savannah habitats with some trees and shrubs. This environment was more arid than the contemporaneous Ndolanya Beds in Tanzania. The present study confirms that robust australopithecines were able to live in relatively arid environments and were not confined to more mesic environments elsewhere in southern Africa.http://192.168.0.118/index.php/sajs/article/view/9868 |
| spellingShingle | Herv é Bocherens Oliver Sandrock Ottmar Kullmer Friedemann Schrenk Hominin palaeoecology in Late Pliocene Malawi: First insights from isotopes (13C, 18O) in mammal teeth South African Journal of Science |
| title | Hominin palaeoecology in Late Pliocene Malawi: First insights from isotopes (13C, 18O) in mammal teeth |
| title_full | Hominin palaeoecology in Late Pliocene Malawi: First insights from isotopes (13C, 18O) in mammal teeth |
| title_fullStr | Hominin palaeoecology in Late Pliocene Malawi: First insights from isotopes (13C, 18O) in mammal teeth |
| title_full_unstemmed | Hominin palaeoecology in Late Pliocene Malawi: First insights from isotopes (13C, 18O) in mammal teeth |
| title_short | Hominin palaeoecology in Late Pliocene Malawi: First insights from isotopes (13C, 18O) in mammal teeth |
| title_sort | hominin palaeoecology in late pliocene malawi first insights from isotopes 13c 18o in mammal teeth |
| url | http://192.168.0.118/index.php/sajs/article/view/9868 |
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