Oxygen isotopes in orangutan teeth reveal recent and ancient climate variation
Studies of climate variation commonly rely on chemical and isotopic changes recorded in sequentially produced growth layers, such as in corals, shells, and tree rings, as well as in accretionary deposits—ice and sediment cores, and speleothems. Oxygen isotopic compositions (δ18O) of tooth enamel are...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
eLife Sciences Publications Ltd
2024-03-01
|
| Series: | eLife |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://elifesciences.org/articles/90217 |
| _version_ | 1797268107697324032 |
|---|---|
| author | Tanya M Smith Manish Arora Christine Austin Janaína Nunes Ávila Mathieu Duval Tze Tshen Lim Philip J Piper Petra Vaiglova John de Vos Ian S Williams Jian-xin Zhao Daniel R Green |
| author_facet | Tanya M Smith Manish Arora Christine Austin Janaína Nunes Ávila Mathieu Duval Tze Tshen Lim Philip J Piper Petra Vaiglova John de Vos Ian S Williams Jian-xin Zhao Daniel R Green |
| author_sort | Tanya M Smith |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Studies of climate variation commonly rely on chemical and isotopic changes recorded in sequentially produced growth layers, such as in corals, shells, and tree rings, as well as in accretionary deposits—ice and sediment cores, and speleothems. Oxygen isotopic compositions (δ18O) of tooth enamel are a direct method of reconstructing environmental variation experienced by an individual animal. Here, we utilize long-forming orangutan dentitions (Pongo spp.) to probe recent and ancient rainfall trends on a weekly basis over ~3–11 years per individual. We first demonstrate the lack of any consistent isotopic enrichment effect during exclusive nursing, supporting the use of primate first molar teeth as environmental proxies. Comparisons of δ18O values (n=2016) in twelve molars from six modern Bornean and Sumatran orangutans reveal a high degree of overlap, with more consistent annual and bimodal rainfall patterns in the Sumatran individuals. Comparisons with fossil orangutan δ18O values (n=955 measurements from six molars) reveal similarities between modern and late Pleistocene fossil Sumatran individuals, but differences between modern and late Pleistocene/early Holocene Bornean orangutans. These suggest drier and more open environments with reduced monsoon intensity during this earlier period in northern Borneo, consistent with other Niah Caves studies and long-term speleothem δ18O records in the broader region. This approach can be extended to test hypotheses about the paleoenvironments that early humans encountered in southeast Asia. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-25T01:27:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cca9f2a3ff1a4ac2bae34e24435296af |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2050-084X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-25T01:27:13Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | eLife Sciences Publications Ltd |
| record_format | Article |
| series | eLife |
| spelling | doaj.art-cca9f2a3ff1a4ac2bae34e24435296af2024-03-08T17:27:10ZengeLife Sciences Publications LtdeLife2050-084X2024-03-011210.7554/eLife.90217Oxygen isotopes in orangutan teeth reveal recent and ancient climate variationTanya M Smith0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8175-8208Manish Arora1Christine Austin2Janaína Nunes Ávila3https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0035-6309Mathieu Duval4Tze Tshen Lim5Philip J Piper6Petra Vaiglova7https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9468-8138John de Vos8Ian S Williams9Jian-xin Zhao10Daniel R Green11Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Griffith University, Southport, Australia; Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University, Southport, AustraliaDepartment of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United StatesDepartment of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United StatesGriffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Griffith University, Southport, Australia; School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, AustraliaAustralian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University, Southport, Australia; Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Burgos, Spain; Palaeoscience Labs, Department of Archaeology and History, La Trobe University, Melbourne, AustraliaDepartment of Geology, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaSchool of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University, Canberra, AustraliaGriffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Griffith University, Southport, Australia; Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University, Southport, Australia; School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University, Canberra, AustraliaDepartment of Geology, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, NetherlandsResearch School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University, Canberra, AustraliaRadiogenic Isotope Facility, School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, AustraliaAustralian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University, Southport, Australia; Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, United StatesStudies of climate variation commonly rely on chemical and isotopic changes recorded in sequentially produced growth layers, such as in corals, shells, and tree rings, as well as in accretionary deposits—ice and sediment cores, and speleothems. Oxygen isotopic compositions (δ18O) of tooth enamel are a direct method of reconstructing environmental variation experienced by an individual animal. Here, we utilize long-forming orangutan dentitions (Pongo spp.) to probe recent and ancient rainfall trends on a weekly basis over ~3–11 years per individual. We first demonstrate the lack of any consistent isotopic enrichment effect during exclusive nursing, supporting the use of primate first molar teeth as environmental proxies. Comparisons of δ18O values (n=2016) in twelve molars from six modern Bornean and Sumatran orangutans reveal a high degree of overlap, with more consistent annual and bimodal rainfall patterns in the Sumatran individuals. Comparisons with fossil orangutan δ18O values (n=955 measurements from six molars) reveal similarities between modern and late Pleistocene fossil Sumatran individuals, but differences between modern and late Pleistocene/early Holocene Bornean orangutans. These suggest drier and more open environments with reduced monsoon intensity during this earlier period in northern Borneo, consistent with other Niah Caves studies and long-term speleothem δ18O records in the broader region. This approach can be extended to test hypotheses about the paleoenvironments that early humans encountered in southeast Asia.https://elifesciences.org/articles/90217orangutanPongo abeliiPongo pygmaeuspaleoenvironment |
| spellingShingle | Tanya M Smith Manish Arora Christine Austin Janaína Nunes Ávila Mathieu Duval Tze Tshen Lim Philip J Piper Petra Vaiglova John de Vos Ian S Williams Jian-xin Zhao Daniel R Green Oxygen isotopes in orangutan teeth reveal recent and ancient climate variation eLife orangutan Pongo abelii Pongo pygmaeus paleoenvironment |
| title | Oxygen isotopes in orangutan teeth reveal recent and ancient climate variation |
| title_full | Oxygen isotopes in orangutan teeth reveal recent and ancient climate variation |
| title_fullStr | Oxygen isotopes in orangutan teeth reveal recent and ancient climate variation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Oxygen isotopes in orangutan teeth reveal recent and ancient climate variation |
| title_short | Oxygen isotopes in orangutan teeth reveal recent and ancient climate variation |
| title_sort | oxygen isotopes in orangutan teeth reveal recent and ancient climate variation |
| topic | orangutan Pongo abelii Pongo pygmaeus paleoenvironment |
| url | https://elifesciences.org/articles/90217 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT tanyamsmith oxygenisotopesinorangutanteethrevealrecentandancientclimatevariation AT manisharora oxygenisotopesinorangutanteethrevealrecentandancientclimatevariation AT christineaustin oxygenisotopesinorangutanteethrevealrecentandancientclimatevariation AT janainanunesavila oxygenisotopesinorangutanteethrevealrecentandancientclimatevariation AT mathieuduval oxygenisotopesinorangutanteethrevealrecentandancientclimatevariation AT tzetshenlim oxygenisotopesinorangutanteethrevealrecentandancientclimatevariation AT philipjpiper oxygenisotopesinorangutanteethrevealrecentandancientclimatevariation AT petravaiglova oxygenisotopesinorangutanteethrevealrecentandancientclimatevariation AT johndevos oxygenisotopesinorangutanteethrevealrecentandancientclimatevariation AT ianswilliams oxygenisotopesinorangutanteethrevealrecentandancientclimatevariation AT jianxinzhao oxygenisotopesinorangutanteethrevealrecentandancientclimatevariation AT danielrgreen oxygenisotopesinorangutanteethrevealrecentandancientclimatevariation |