Isotopic calcium biogeochemistry of MIS 5 fossil vertebrate bones: application to the study of the dietary reconstruction of Regourdou 1 Neandertal fossil - HAL-SHS - Sciences de l'Homme et de la Société Accéder directement au contenu
Article Dans Une Revue Journal of Human Evolution Année : 2021

Isotopic calcium biogeochemistry of MIS 5 fossil vertebrate bones: application to the study of the dietary reconstruction of Regourdou 1 Neandertal fossil

Biochimie des isotopes du calcium d'ossements de fossiles de vertébrés du MIS 5 : application à l'étude de la reconstitution de la stratégie alimentaire du néandertalien Regourdou 1

Résumé

The calcium isotopic composition (δ44/42Ca) of bone and tooth enamel can be used for dietary reconstructions of extant and extinct mammals. In natural conditions, the δ44/42Ca value of bone and teeth varies according to dietary intake with a constant isotopic offset of about −0.6‰. Owing to the poor conservation of collagen, carbon (C), and nitrogen (N) isotopic compositions of the Regourdou Mousterian site (MIS 5, Dordogne, France) previously failed to provide any paleodietary information. Therefore, to reconstruct the trophic chain, we have measured calcium (Ca) isotopes from fossil bone samples of the fauna from the Regourdou site, as well as from three bone samples of the Regourdou 1 Neandertal specimen. The results show a taxon-dependent patterning of the Ca isotopic compositions: herbivores generally have higher δ44/42Ca values than carnivores. All the δ44/42Ca values of Regourdou 1 are low (<-1.6‰), placing this specimen amid carnivores. Using a bone-muscle Ca isotopic offset determined on extant animals, we further show that the δ44/42Ca value of the Regourdou 1 diet, and that of most carnivores, cannot be accounted for by the consumption of meat only, as plants and meat have indistinguishable δ44/42Ca values. Mass balance calculations indicate that the low δ44/42Ca values of the Neandertal's carnivorous diet are explained by the ingestion of bone marrow containing as little as 1% trabecular bone. Our results show that the Regourdou 1 Neanderthal consumed a mixture of various herbivorous prey, as well as trabecular bone, which probably occurred when marrow was ingested, by accident or intentionally
Fichier principal
Vignette du fichier
Dodat Balter Maureille et al Calcium Regourdou Neandertal JHE 2021.pdf (2.22 Mo) Télécharger le fichier
Origine : Fichiers produits par l'(les) auteur(s)

Dates et versions

hal-03235421 , version 1 (25-05-2021)

Identifiants

Citer

Pierre-Jean Dodat, Théo Tacail, Emmanuelle Albalat, Asier Gómez-Olivencia, Christine Couture-Veschambre, et al.. Isotopic calcium biogeochemistry of MIS 5 fossil vertebrate bones: application to the study of the dietary reconstruction of Regourdou 1 Neandertal fossil. Journal of Human Evolution, 2021, 151, pp.102925. ⟨10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102925⟩. ⟨hal-03235421⟩
361 Consultations
107 Téléchargements

Altmetric

Partager

Gmail Facebook X LinkedIn More