Distribution patterns of elements in dental enamel of G. blacki: a preliminary dietary investigation using SRXRF

Abstract

We measured the elemental mappings in dental enamel of Gigantopithecus blacki (n=3) using synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence (SRXRF) to understand the dietary variation during the time of tooth eruption. In order to account for the effects of diagenesis on the variation of elements in these fossil teeth, we compared the Fe and Mn elemental distribution and levels in dental enamel of G. blacki with that of a single modern pig tooth and found no differences. The observation of the variations of Sr, Ca and RE (rare earth elements) distribution in the incremental lines reveals that the plant foods utilized by G. blacki from the early Pleistocene or the middle Pleistocene had varied during the formation of dental enamel, possibly caused by the change of living environment or food resources. The variations of elemental distribution in different incremental lines are very promising to understand the nutritional and physical stress of G. blacki during the tooth eruption and environmental adaptations.