Carbon and Oxygen Isotope Analysis of Modern Cattle (Bos indicus) Molars from the Central Narmada Valley, India

Sonika Sandhu,Vijay Sathe,Parth R Chauhan,Supriyo Chakraborty,Kalyan Sekhar Chakarborty

doi:10.5334/aa.210

Abstract

The carbon and oxygen isotopic composition of tooth enamel is connected to the diet and environment in which it develops. Enamel is invariably preserved for a long time and hence provides the best material for chemical analysis. Teeth are known to reflect a record of dietary and environmental changes taking place during their growth. This paper presents the results of intra-tooth oxygen and carbon isotope values (δ18O,δ13C) of first, second and third molars obtained from five modern cattle collected from two locations: Dhansi and Hathnora from the Central Narmada Valley, India. The specimens chosen for this study are individuals presumed to have died naturally and/or disposed of by local farmers. The isotopic analysis of tooth enamel is broadly indicative of a C3 diet with values of δ13C (enamel bioapatite) ranging from –6.4‰ VPDB to –27.31‰ VPDB with an average of –16.68‰ VPDB. The δ18O values measured in the enamel samples range between of 1.76‰ to 25.15‰ with a mean value of 22.17‰ VSMOW. These present day dental enamel values of modern cattle were compared against the published enamel isotope values of Bos namadicus, that occupied this region during the Pleistocene era, in order to understand the possible shift in diet and environment and their inter-relationship between the modern and the Pleistocene Era. The fossil sample produced enriched values of carbon isotopes compared to the modern taxa, indicating a C4 rich diet, while the diet of the modern cattle is extensively dominated by C3 type vegetation. We also observed an enriched oxygen isotope values for the fossil sample compared to the modern samples, indicating a possible effect of diagenesis and/or a shift in the temperature and rainfall.

Highlights

IntroductionIsotopes of other elements are routinely used to interpret changes in the animal dietary habits, their migration patterns, past climate conditions from hypsodont tooth enamel, and ecological background to ancient settlements and sites
Four mandibles and one maxilla from five individuals were collected from the two locations (Figure 1C) Dhansi and Hathnora, the collections were made from the surface, assuming the animals were locally available
Limited by the isotopically unexplored rich skeletal record of humans and animals from excavations in India (Mahajan & Sathe 2020), isotope analyses with special reference to modern descendants/ representative taxa will provide a continuum of dietary and ecological data, which is desideratum today. The results of this preliminary study indicate that the modern cattle (Bos indicus) from the middle Narmada Valley region were fed primarily a C3 dominated diet that is considerably different from the Pleistocene Era when C4 type vegetation dominated the landscape

Summary

Introduction

Isotopes of other elements are routinely used to interpret changes in the animal dietary habits, their migration patterns, past climate conditions from hypsodont tooth enamel, and ecological background to ancient settlements and sites Important isotopic inferences were drawn using bioapatite from tooth enamel as well, that helped in the reconstruction of past diet and its impact on the environment, but provided valuable information on ecology, climate, species tropic level and seasonal pattern of birth (e.g.; Lee-Thorp & van der Merwe 1987; Lee-Thorp et al 1989a, 1989b; van der Merwe et al 1990; Vogel et al 1990; Bocherens et al 1996; MacFadden & Cerling 1996; Cerling et al 1997)

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