Palaeoecological reconstruction of Plio-Pleistocene herbivores from the Ahl al Oughlam site (Casablanca, Morocco): Insights from dental wear and stable isotopes

Abstract

In this article, we use a multiproxy approach based on stable isotope analyses (δ18O and δ13C), mesowear, and microwear dental analysis to reconstruct the climate, diet, and habitat of Plio-Pleistocene herbivores at the site of Ahl al Oughlam in western Morocco. This study has been conducted on teeth from several taxa (Sivatherium maurusium, Hipparion pomeli, Metridiochoerus phacochoeroides, Gazella sp., Alcelaphini and Anancus osiris), enabling a robust ecological reconstruction. Our isotopic results suggest a predominance of C3 plant consumption for all analyzed species, while dental wear indicates a varied diet, with evidence for both browsing and grazing behavior being present. The combination of proxies indicates a landscape dominated by open C3 grasslands in an arid climate, as supported by the Mean Annual Precipitation (MAP) results. These findings contribute to the ongoing debate on the ecological context that facilitated the Plio-Pleistocene dispersal, occupation, and evolution of mammals and hominins in northern Africa, for which limited information is available.