Trophic Enrichment Factor (TEF) is the main parameter used in isotopic trophic ecology. TEF values can be derived from specimens subjected to experimental feeding or from free-ranging specimens whose ...dietary behavior is well monitored, and it can be measured for different tissues of animal body. Direct collagen-to-collagen TEF is a key parameter for fossil material and needs to be well constrained in order to ascertain the reliability of the palaeodietary models. In this paper, we present isotopic results for a subfossil bone accumulation related to red fox (Vulpes vulpes) activity, discovered in an abandoned mine in Potok-Senderki (Poland). The objective was to report δ13C and δ15N collagen data for red foxes and their prey. These data were used to calculate a prey-predator collagen-to-collagen TEF and provided important information for interpreting stable isotope fractionation in terrestrial food webs. We used different taphonomic indexes to calculate the fox mean diet. The presence of juvenile and adult individuals of fox allowed us to specify the difference in isotopic enrichment according to the age class of the predator. Δ13C and Δ15N values calculated here for fox were similar to TEF values presented previously for wolf and lynx, but characterized by wider standard deviation.
•An accumulation of bones from subfossil red fox den was analyzed.•δ13C and δ15N were measured in bone collagen of red foxes and their prey.•Trophic enrichment factors (TEFs) for C and N stable isotopes in red fox are presented.•Collagen-to-collagen TEFs similar among mammalian carnivores.
A cave site Shelter in Smoleń III (southern Poland) contains an approximately 2-m-thick stratified sequence of Upper Pleistocene and Holocene clastic sediments, unique for Central Europe. The ...sequence contents abundant fossil fauna, including mollusk, rodent and bat remains. The cave sites with long profiles of subfossil fauna present a great value for reconstructions of regional terrestrial paleoenvironment. We explore the stratigraphy of this site through analyses of the lithology and geochemistry of sediments, radiocarbon dating of faunal and human remains and charcoals, and archaeological study, as well as the paleoecology derived from the taxonomic composition of fossil faunal assemblages. Our data show that the entire period of the Holocene is recorded in the rockshelter, which makes that site an exceptional and highly valuable case. We present paleoenvironmental reconstructions of regional importance, and we propose to regard Shelter in Smoleń III as a regional stratigraphic stratotype of Holocene clastic cave sediments.
Collagen, the organic fraction of bone, records the isotopic parameters of consumed food for carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N). This relationship of isotopic signature between diet and tissue is an ...important tool for the study of dietary preferences of modern and fossil animal species. Since the first information on the isotopic signature of cave bear was reported, numerous data from Europe have become available. The goal of this work is to track the geographical variation of cave bear collagen isotopic values in Europe during Marine Isotopic Stage 3 (about 60,000–25,000 yr BP). In this study the results of new δ13C and δ15N isotopic analyses of cave bear collagen from four Central-Eastern European sites are presented, as well as a review of all published isotopic data for cave bears of the same period. The main conclusion is a lack of geographical East-West pattern in the variations of δ13C and δ15N values of cave bear collagen. Moreover, no relationship was found between cave bear taxonomy and isotopic composition. The cave bears from Central-Eastern Europe exhibit δ13C and δ15N values near the average of the range of Central, Western and Southern European cave bears. Despite the fact that most cave bear sites follow an altitudinal gradient, separate groups of sites exhibit shift in absolute values of δ13C, what disturbs an altitude-related isotopic pattern. The most distinct groups are: high Alpine sites situated over 1500 m a.s.l. – in terms of δ13C; and two Romanian sites Peştera cu Oase and Urşilor – in case of δ15N. Although the cave bear isotopic signature is driven by altitude, the altitudinal adjustment of isotopic data is not enough to explain the isotopic dissimilarity of these cave bears. The unusually high δ15N signature of mentioned Romanian sites is an isolated case in Europe. Cave bears from relatively closely situated Central-Eastern European sites and other Romanian sites are more similar to Western European than to Romanian populations in terms of isotopic composition, and probably ecology.
•δ13C/δ15N of MIS 3 European cave bear exhibits no geographical East-West pattern.•Cave bear isotopic signature follows altitudinal gradient.•There are isotopically different groups of cave bear sites.•The unusual nitrogen isotopic values from Urşilor and Peştera cu Oase caves are isolated cases.•Cave bears of different genetic types exhibit similar isotopic pattern during MIS 3.
Since the beginning of 21st century, a new stage began in investigations of the Central Asian Palaeolithic. The main concern is to re-study the key regional sites, applying modern excavation ...techniques and up-to-date laboratory methods (including chronometric dating) in order to clarify the rationale and chronology of the local cultural sequences. This research allowed some crucial corrections about the chronological and cultural interpretations of the lithic industries in western Central Asia. This paper presents the first results obtained during our reexcavation of Sel’Ungur cave – usually assumed to be one of the earliest Paleolithic sites in Central Asia, described in the late 1980s as belonging to the early Acheulian technocomplex. Sel’Ungur cave is among the most important pre-Upper Palaeolithic site for our understanding of the Pleistocene inhabitants of Central Asia, as did not only yield rich lithic collections found stratified context but also numerous fossil faunal and even some hominin remains. Re-started at 2014, the new excavations at the site have provided enough evidence to refuse an Acheulian interpretation of site's assemblages. Based on detailed technological and typological analyses of the new lithic collection we argue that Sel’Ungurian complex fits better into the early stage of the regional Middle Paleolithic cultural variability. The previously available U-series date of around 126 ka (albeit without a reliable stratigraphic and spatial context), the new TL date 112 ± 19 ka establishing the lower limit, paleontological analyses of newly obtained material as well as the re-examination of the available information on macro- and microfaunal remains excavated in the earlier excavations, as well as the re-study of the anthropological finds support this assessment.
Rationale
The trophic enrichment factor (TEF) is a parameter reflecting the difference in isotopic ratio between a consumer's tissues and diet, used in isotopic ecology and paleoecology to track ...dietary habits. The TEF of sulfur is believed to be low, but was, until now, only documented in a limited number of taxa. In this study we use a subfossil accumulation of bones from a red fox (Vulpes vulpes) den to verify the TEF for sulfur in fox bone collagen.
Methods
Collagen was extracted from 30 samples of subfossil bones, including foxes and their prey. The δ34S values of the bone collagen samples were measured with an elemental analyzer connected to an isotope ratio mass spectrometer. The TEF was calculated as Δ34S = (mean δ34S in predator) – (mean δ34S in prey), using taphonomic indices to estimate the mean diet, and calculated separately for different age classes of the predator.
Results
We modeled 12 variants of TEF for different estimations of the diet composition and for three fox age classes (adult, subadult, and juvenile). The estimated TEF values range from −0.54 to +0.03‰ and are similar to TEFs known for other mammals. Absolute TEF values are nearly equal to or lower than the analytical error, which is ±0.4‰.
Conclusions
For the first time, we present direct δ34S data for the bone collagen of a free‐living predator and its naturally selected prey. Our results indicate very low or even slightly negative TEF values for sulfur. Furthermore, according to our results, the δ34S value should not be considered a reliable indicator of trophic position in terrestrial food webs but rather, it should be used to disentangle different food webs based on different primary producers.
Abstract
The domestic cat is the world's most popular pet and one of the most detrimental predators in terrestrial ecosystems. Effective protection of wildlife biodiversity demands detailed tracking ...of cat trophic ecology, and stable isotopes serve as a powerful proxy in dietary studies. However, a variable diet can make an isotopic pattern unreadable in opportunistic predators. To evaluate the usefulness of the isotopic method in cat ecology, we measured C and N isotope ratios in hundreds of archaeological cat bones. We determined trends in cat trophic paleoecology in northern Europe by exploiting population-scale patterns in animals from diverse locations. Our dataset shows a high variability of isotopic signals related to the socio-economic and/or geomorphological context. This points toward regularities in isotopic patterns across past cat populations. We provide a generalized guide to interpret the isotopic ecology of cats, emphasizing that regional isotopic baselines have a major impact on the isotopic signal.
This paper presents the results of a large-scale fieldwork project of interdisciplinary studies on the Middle Paleolithic settlement in the western Tian Shan piedmont. A complex of newly discovered ...“loess Paleolithic” open-air sites near Yangiobod (Uzbekistan), Katta Sai, was excavated. The excavations allowed identification of a new variant of human adaptation in the regional Middle Paleolithic. In the light of the newest anthropological and genetic data, this new archaeological sites fit to the current studies on the relations between different human species during the Middle and Early Upper Paleolithic in Central Asia. Geoarchaeological investigation of the sites has shown that the Paleolithic assemblages of Katta Sai are not preserved in situ. Cultural levels suffered from rill erosion, and most of the artifacts were re-deposited by water flow, and accumulated in secondary positions on the bottom of the branched rill system. This paper aims to reconstruct the subsequent processes of the site formation and to present the complicated geological situation of the studied sites of the Katta Sai complex, with implication for the archaeological interpretation of Paleolithic assemblages of the region.
ABSTRACT
Accumulations of cave bear bones are common in Pleistocene cave sediments. The reasons for the deposition are usually clear, and believed to be associated with the hibernation behavior of ...bears. Although they are common, little is known about the post‐sedimentary processes that affect the assemblages. The cave bear bone accumulations from the Lower Weichselian layers of Biśnik Cave, Poland, represent an interesting case of intensive post‐depositional bone destruction. Bones are highly fragmented and rounded, although no traces of water currents have been detected in the stratigraphic series. In this paper we use the case of Biśnik Cave as an example of cave bear strata, to describe the taphonomic features of the abraded‐like bones and to recognize the underlying processes. We present a micromorphological study of rounded bones and surrounding sediments to increase knowledge of the depositional context in the cave environment. Micromorphological analysis of the sediments indicated in situ disintegration of bones rather than abrasion. The factor responsible here was internal stress, as opposed to the external pressure of mineral grains in the case of abrasion. We indicate frost action as a possible factor responsible for the post‐depositional bone disintegration.
The paper focuses on the Pleistocene deposits in Perspektywiczna Cave, southern Poland, related to cave hyena (Crocuta crocuta). We used direct radiocarbon dating of hyena fossils supported by ...genetic and stable isotope analyses to infer the paleobiology of this population. Radiocarbon dating of 19 hyena remains suggests long inhabitation of the region during early MIS 3, around 50–34 ky cal BP. The youngest among our dates, 34,355–33,725 cal BP (1σ, combined of two dates for the same specimen) points out the latest appearance of a cave hyena north to Carpathians. Beside this long period of occupation, the Perspektywiczna Cave hyenas stayed ecologically stable, but their genetic structure changed. Two mtDNA haplogroups were present, one typical for other Late Pleistocene European populations and the other one known so far only from recent African populations.
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