Dietary traits and habitats of the reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) during the Late Glacial of Northern Europe

Abstract

Among other large mammals, the reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) is a species widely documented during the Late Glacial in Northern Europe. It is present at many archeological sites and has the potential to provide information about environmental conditions through analysis of the paleodiet. Among other techniques, tooth wear analyses allow for the inference of the dietary traits of a population and its habitat (and more largely the environmental context) at the time of death. In this study, tooth microwear and mesowear analyses were used to characterize the diet and habitat of the reindeer populations from Stellmoor and Meiendorf (Northern Germany) and Verberie (Paris Basin). We use tooth wear analyses to estimate the dependence of reindeer on lichen between the early Late Glacial interstadial (GI-1e) and the cold episode of the Younger Dryas (GS-1), which are both characterized by tundra vegetation. New radiocarbon dates were obtained on selected materials from the two northern sites in order to confirm the chronological attribution to either the GI-1e or the GS-1. We observed significant differences between the two periods, with an increase of lichen in the diet in the populations from the Younger Dryas. These fit with the results obtained on the collagen isotopic signature (δ13C, δ15N) of the reindeer from the same sites. The steppic cold conditions during the Younger Dryas created favorable conditions for greater lichen availability and permitted the return of the reindeer to Northern Europe.