Bone Stable Isotope Research Articles

A model of long-term population growth with an application to Central West Argentina.

We propose an Ideal Specialization Model to help explain the diversity of population growth trajectories exhibited across archaeological regions over thousands of years. The model provides a general set of expectations useful for guiding empirical research, and we provide a concrete example by conducting a preliminary evaluation of three expectations in Central West Argentina. We use kernel density estimates of archaeological radiocarbon, estimates of paleoclimate, and human bone stable isotopes from archaeological remains to evaluate three expectations drawn from the model's dynamics. Based on our results, we suggest that innovations in the production of food and social organization drove demographic transitions and population expansion in the region. The consistency of population expansion in the region positively associates with changes in diet and, potentially, innovations in settlement and social integration.

Stable isotope chemistry reveals plant-dominant diet among early foragers on the Andean Altiplano, 9.0-6.5 cal. ka.

Current models of early human subsistence economies suggest a focus on large mammal hunting. To evaluate this hypothesis, we examine human bone stable isotope chemistry of 24 individuals from the early Holocene sites of Wilamaya Patjxa (9.0-8.7 cal. ka) and Soro Mik'aya Patjxa (8.0-6.5 cal. ka) located at 3800 meters above sea level on the Andean Altiplano, Peru. Contrary to expectation, Bayesian mixing models based on the isotope chemistry reveal that plants dominated the diet, comprising 70-95% of the average diet. Paleoethnobotanical data further show that tubers may have been the most prominent subsistence resource. These findings update our understanding of earliest forager economies and the pathway to agricultural economies in the Andean highlands. The findings furthermore suggest that the initial subsistence economies of early human populations adapting to new landscapes may have been more plant oriented than current models suggest.

Bone stable isotope data of the Late Roman population (4th–7th centuries CE) from Mondragones (Granada): A dietary reconstruction in a Roman villa context of south-eastern Spain

The aim of this study is to examine the diet, using bone stable isotope analysis (δ13C and δ15N), of a Late Roman population (4th–7th centuries CE) from the Roman villa of Mondragones (Granada, Spain). This archaeological site presents an exceptionally high number (n = 121) of well-preserved skeletal remains (adults and non-adults), giving the opportunity to study for the first time the nutritional and health conditions of a Late Roman population by the analysis of stable isotopes and pathologies in the context of the south-eastern Iberian Peninsula. Stable isotopes ratios of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) were analysed in 46 individuals (21 adults and 25 non-adults) as well as in 7 faunal samples (2 cows/ox, 2 goats/sheep, and 3 large mammals). Frequencies of cariogenic lesions, dental calculus, dental enamel hypoplasia, porotic hyperostosis, and cribra orbitalia were also explored. The anthropological study revealed a high presence of dental caries and calculus in adults, which are related to a diet rich in starch and carbohydrates, and non-specific stress markers in non-adults, probably pointing to the weaning process or childhood diseases. Collagen isotope ratios suggested that the population of Mondragones had a diet rich in C3 plants, with some meat intake from terrestrial herbivores. There were significant differences between non-adults and adults, but no differences were detected by sex. The youngest non-adults (aged 1 year ± 4 months) showed the δ15N mean value almost 4‰ above the adult female one, which could reflect the breastfeeding period.

Lama guanicoe bone collagen stable isotope (C and N) indicate climatic and ecological variation during Holocene in Northwest Patagonia

This paper explores how significant are the ecological and climatic variables to influence the stable isotopes of guanacos. Lama guanicoe bone collagen carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios are assumed as a macro regional average value in west Argentina, mostly as a baseline to model archaeological human diet. If stable isotopes on mammals reflex ecology and climate, we need to know how those variables influence mammals bone stable isotope ratio. This paper analyses the 13C/12C and 15 N/14N ratio on bone collagen on 122 guanacos from Northwest Patagonia during the Holocene. The results confirm significant variation in both isotopes between Monte and Andean-Patagonian specimens. Guanacos from Monte shows higher δ13C and δ15N than those from Andean-Patagonian. Temporal trends indicate variation through Holocene but this variation is not spatially homogeneous. In this paper we suggest that Medieval Climatic Anomaly had stronger effect in Monte desert than in Patagonia desert, generating driest and/or hottest conditions between 1250 and 600 years BP. Those variations need to be considered to reconstruct human diet at least during the second part of the Holocene.

Social food here and hereafter: Multiproxy analysis of gender-specific food consumption in conversion period inhumation cemetery at Kukruse, NE-Estonia

Current approaches in diet-related bioarchaeological research focus on establishing major developments in ancient societies, whilst small-scale and high-resolution studies of social constituents of past food consumption have gained far less attention. We conducted a multiproxy study of ancient diet in the 12th–13th century AD cemetery at Kukruse, NE-Estonia, in order to address the question of socially constrained food in the past. Two different food related archaeological sources – ceramic vessels and human bones – were investigated by applying organic residue (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), bulk isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS), gas chromatography-combustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-C-IRMS)), and plant microfossil analysis for the first, and human bone stable isotope (IRMS) analysis for the latter. Results show that there was a gender and to some extent also age-specific food consumption by different community members at Kukruse: male (and some older female) diet was based on more aquatic and higher trophic level organisms, whilst younger females tend to feed on lower trophic level and potentially more herbivorous animals and their products. The paper emphasises the concept of past diet as a social phenomenon, the aspects of which can be best revealed with the help of multiproxy bioarchaeological analysis.

Stable isotope discrimination factors and between-tissue isotope comparisons for bone and skin from captive and wild green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas).

The ecological application of stable isotope analysis (SIA) relies on taxa- and tissue-specific stable carbon (Δ13 C) and nitrogen (Δ15 N) isotope discrimination factors, determined with captive animals reared on known diets for sufficient time to reflect dietary isotope ratios. However, captive studies often prohibit lethal sampling, are difficult with endangered species, and reflect conditions not experienced in the wild. We overcame these constraints and determined the Δ13 C and Δ15 N values for skin and cortical bone from green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) that died in captivity and evaluated the utility of a mathematical approach to predict discrimination factors. Using stable carbon (δ13 C values) and nitrogen (δ15 N values) isotope ratios from captive and wild turtles, we established relationships between bone stable isotope (SI) ratios and those from skin, a non-lethally sampled tissue, to facilitate comparisons of SI ratios among studies using multiple tissues. The mean (±SD) Δ13 C and Δ15 N values (‰) between skin and bone from captive turtles and their diet (non-lipid-extracted) were 2.3 ± 0.3 and 4.1 ± 0.4 and 2.1 ± 0.6 and 5.1 ± 1.1, respectively. The mathematically predicted Δ13 C and Δ15 N values were similar (to within 1‰) to the experimentally derived values. The mean δ15 N values from bone were higher than those from skin for captive (+1.0 ± 0.9‰) and wild (+0.8 ± 1.0‰) turtles; the mean δ13 C values from bone were lower than those from skin for wild turtles (-0.6 ± 0.9‰), but the same as for captive turtles. We used linear regression equations to describe bone vs skin relationships and create bone-to-skin isotope conversion equations. For sea turtles, we provide the first (a) bone-diet SI discrimination factors, (b) comparison of SI ratios from individual-specific bone and skin, and (c) evaluation of the application of a mathematical approach to predict stable isotope discrimination factors. Our approach opens the door for future studies comparing different tissues, and relating SI ratios of captive to wild animals.

A Younger Dryas signature in bison bone stable isotopes from the southern Plains of North America

Stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope ratios from bison bone collagen recovered from Paleoindian bison kill sites provide a record of the B/A, YD, and EH climates in the North American southern Plains. This record is compared to the stable C isotopes derived from previously published, dated paleosols from the region. Together these data sources define a local response of the southern Plains grassland structure to the changing climatic conditions, specifically temperature and precipitation, during the Pleistocene/Holocene transition, including a Clovis drought and late Folsom warmup and drying.

A rodent model of caloric restriction using bone mass, microarchitecture, and stable isotope ratios: implications for revealing chronic food insufficiency in archaeological populations

ABSTRACTOne important question with respect to past health and disease is the identification of patterns of caloric inadequacies. Given the substantial literature (animal and human) linking caloric inadequacy to reduced bone mass, microarchitectural deterioration, and changes in stable isotope values, we utilized a rodent model to examine whether integrating these data might help discern episodes of caloric insufficiency. Bone stable isotope values and bone morphometric data were analyzed from a sample of adult male rats in a controlled feeding study. Three-dimensional micro-computed tomography revealed substantial impacts to femoral bone mass and microarchitecture among calorie-restricted animals compared to controls, and we found significant correlations between those parameters and δ13Capatite values. Results support consideration of caloric inadequacy in differential diagnoses of bone loss within archaeological populations, and suggest that similar relationships among stable isotope signatures and bone morphometric parameters delineated within past human populations may help illuminate periods of food insufficiency.

Brackish water foraging: isotopic landscapes and dietary reconstruction in Suisun Marsh, Central California

While bone stable isotope signatures of humans foraging in open coastal and fully terrestrial environments have been relatively well documented, the signature of foraging near brackish-water estuaries is less well known. This study examines the Central California isotopic landscape, or isoscape, showing how foods in different ecosystems have distinctive isotopic compositions. We present new bone collagen and apatite stable isotope data from two Late Holocene sites (CA-SOL-11 and CA-SOL-69) near Suisun Marsh, a low salinity brackish water estuary upstream from San Francisco Bay. Faunal remains at the sites include significant numbers of aquatic resources including fish and shellfish, in addition to terrestrial mammals, while paleobotanical remains suggest mainly terrestrial nuts and seeds. Stable isotope data at the population level corroborate this finding and show consumption of significant levels of brackish water nutrients, including both dietary protein and dietary carbohydrates and fats, paired with terrestrial foods. This dietary focus generates a unique brackish-water isotopic signature that is distinct from others in Central California. The documentation of an isoscape with strong regional gradients can be of tremendous help in reconstructing ancient patterns in subsistence, migration, and trade.

Pig diet in medieval York: carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes

This study investigates bone stable isotopes from pigs from medieval York, to characterise the pigs' diet and to explore their contribution to isotopic values from contemporary human bones. Pig bones from the Swinegate (N = 9) and Coppergate (N = 14) sites were used for carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis to test the hypothesis that the majority of pigs in medieval York were yard-kept and fed on scraps and fish waste, elevating their nitrogen ratios. The results show that the Swinegate and Coppergate pigs gave nitrogen isotope values similar to contemporary sheep and therefore that animal protein made little or no dietary contribution. One sample showed C and N results consistent with more animal protein in the diet, and we propose that this could have been a yard-kept pig consuming human refuse. The majority of the data indicate that the pigs were eating a largely herbivorous diet and that pigs in medieval York may have been raised in rural or woodland locations rather than in the city.

An investigation of diet in early Anglo-Saxon England using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis of human bone collagen

The principal aim of this work is to investigate whether protein sources in human diets in early Anglo-Saxon (5th–7th century AD) England varied with geographic location, or with respect to age or sex. The methodology used was analysis of δ15N and δ13C in human bone collagen from 76 adult skeletons from a total of 18 different cemeteries located in inland, riverine and coastal environments. In order to control for the possible effects of socio-economic status on diet, only high status individuals, as identified by grave goods, were studied. Data were analysed using statistical manipulation of the raw results and using IsoSource (Phillips and Gregg, 2003), a mathematical treatment which models the composition of the protein part of human diets using bone stable isotope ratios when the isotopic values for potential protein sources are known or can reasonably be inferred. The results suggest that protein sources varied little according to geographic location and that terrestrial foods dominated at all locations. However there were some subtle patterns. Slightly elevated δ13C in skeletons from coastal locations, and δ15N in those from riverine sites may indicate that communities in these locations made greater use of marine and freshwater resources respectively. If this is correct then it demonstrates that 5th–7th century communities made some use of wild resources even within a predominantly agrarian economy. In general the analysis of the raw data and the IsoSource results were mutually supportive, and this work demonstrates the value of this twin-pronged approach to analysis of human bone stable isotope data.

Infant and child diet in Neolithic hunter‐fisher‐gatherers from cis‐baikal, Siberia: Intra‐long bone stable nitrogen and carbon isotope ratios

Analysis of stable nitrogen and carbon isotopes (δ(15) N and δ(13) C) from subadults and adults allows for assessment of age-related dietary changes, including breastfeeding and weaning, and adoption of an adult diet. In one of the first studies of hunter-fisher-gatherer subadults from Eurasia, three Neolithic (8,800-5,200 calBP) mortuary sites from southwestern Siberia are analyzed to evaluate hypothesized differences in weaning age between Early versus Late Neolithic groups. An intra-individual sampling methodology is used to compare bone formed at different ages. Collagen samples (n = 143) from three different growth areas of long bones-the proximal metaphysis, diaphysis, and distal metaphysis-were obtained from 49 subadults aged birth to 10 years. In infants (birth to 3 years, n = 23) contrasting the δ(15) N values of the metaphysis, which contains newer bone, to the δ(15) N values of the diaphysis, which contains older bone, permits a more precise determination of breastfeeding-weaning status. In Early and Late Neolithic groups breast milk was the major protein source until the age of 2-3 years. However, there are differences in the age of weaning completion and duration: Early Neolithic groups weaned their infants at a later age and over a shorter amount of time. Differences may have affected infant morbidity and mortality, and female fecundity and inter-birth intervals. Stable isotope values in older subadults (4-10 years, n = 26) do not differ from adults suggesting the absence of age-based food allocation.

Assessing the life history of an andean traveller through biogeochemistry: Stable and radiogenic isotope analyses of archaeological human remains from Northern Chile

ABSTRACTBioarchaeology and biogeochemistry can elucidate aspects of individual life histories that are often lost in the archaeological record. Here, we use stable and radiogenic isotope analyses of enamel, bone and hair to reconstruct paleodiet and paleomobility in an adult male interred along a pre‐Columbian route connecting the northern Chilean coast to the inland Loa River Valley. Although this well‐preserved burial included mortuary goods typical of coastal cultures, it was discovered in a vast, uninhabited part of northern Chile's hyper‐arid Atacama Desert.Variation in carbon and nitrogen isotopes reflects dietary differences, while strontium and oxygen isotopes vary geologically and geographically. We use these data to examine paleodiet and paleomobility and to assess whether this was a coastal traveller seeking provisions from the interior orvice versa. Enamel stable isotope analysis is consistent with the consumption of a mixture of terrestrial and marine resources during the first years of life. Bone stable isotope analyses indicate habitual consumption of marine foodstuffs over the last 10–30 years of this individual's life. Interestingly, stable isotope analysis of hair samples provides more fine‐grained information on this individual, suggesting movements between the coast and highlands in the months before his death. Radiogenic strontium isotope data are consistent with residence on the coast or in the Atacama Desert, but are lower than strontium isotope values from higher altitudes. These dietary and geological patterns are reconcilable with coastal residency; the isotopic data are consistent with foodstuffs and textiles found with the burial. Therefore, we argue that this individual was regularly moving from the coast to inland areas, crossing the hyper‐arid Atacama Desert by following strategic interzonal routes that provided access to particular resources. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Ontogenic dietary changes in South American sea lions

AbstractStable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen in the skull bones of South American sea lions Otaria flavescens from the Chubut province (Argentina) were analysed to determine whether their feeding habits change during ontogeny. The stable isotope analysis showed that δ13C steadily increased in males and females with their developmental stage (young, first adult, adult and senile), except in senile males whose δ13C decreased to a value close to that of first adults. Pairwise comparison of bone stable isotope ratio in each developmental stage revealed differences between males and females only for the δ13C values relative to first adults and adults. Overall, results indicate that the contribution of benthic prey items to the diet of both sexes increases with the developmental stage, except in senile males, and that first adult and adult males have a more benthic diet than females at the same developmental stage. No differences exist between males and females at younger and older developmental stages. With respect to δ15N, the only difference was in young female skulls, which were more enriched than those of any other group. Consequently, the trophic level of sea lions is roughly the same throughout life, independent of the developmental stage and sex, except for young females. The growth curve analysis revealed statistically significant differences in the condylobasal length of the skull between the sea lions in both sexes of the young stage and those of the other three developmental stages considered here but not among the individuals of the three later stages. This result indicates that the dietary differences between individuals in the young stage and those in the successive stages is likely due to differences in body size, whereas dietary differences among individuals of the later three stages might be due to different foraging skills that are progressively acquired during their life span.

Predicting diet, trophic level and palaeoecology from bone stable isotope analysis: a comparative study of five red deer populations

C and N stable isotope ratios of red deer (Cervus elaphus) bone collagen (154 individuals) from five modern populations occupying geographically different habitats are reported. No significant difference was observed between deer occupying forested and non-forested environments subject to similar climatic conditions suggesting a simple "canopy effect" is not observed. Mean population delta13C is negatively correlated with temperature whereas mean population delta15N is positively correlated with temperature. A weak but significant positive correlation was observed between deer age and collagen delta13C values from the Isle of Rum population (Scotland). The amount of intra-population isotope variability is not consistent among populations; thus significant numbers of individuals from each species are required for modern food web studies, for palaeodietary baseline data, and for palaeoecological studies.

Bone stable isotope evidence for infant feeding in Mediaeval England

This paper is a first study of duration of breastfeeding using bone stable isotopes in infants in a British palaeopopulation, from the deserted Mediaeval village of Wharram Percy, England. Nitrogen stable isotope analysis suggests cessation of breastfeeding between 1 and 2 years of age. Comparison with Mediaeval documentary sources suggests that recommendations of physicians regarding infant feeding may have influenced common practice in this period.

Diet, Body Size, and Landscape Use among Holocene People in the Southern Cape, South Africa

Diet, Body Size, and Landscape Use among Holocene People in the Southern Cape, South Africa

Diet, Body Size, and Landscape Use among Holocene People in the Southern Cape, South Africa

Diet, Body Size, and Landscape Use among Holocene People in the Southern Cape, South Africa

Bone stable isotope studies in archaeology

Stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen in bone have become increasingly frequent inclusions in archaeological reports over the past few decades. The majority of such studies has been done in North America, where the use of marine foods and the introduction of maize have been monitored. Similar questions have been addressed in Mesoamerica and South America. In Europe, stable isotope ratios have documented the shift from marine fishing and gathering to agriculture in coastal areas and the introduction of millet in parts of eastern and southern Europe. Much work remains to be done in Asia, where millet replaced early C3 plant foods and, in turn, was replaced by rice. In Africa marine adaptations, freshwater fishing, agriculture, and pastoralism all yield diagnostic isotopic signatures. We review these studies, discuss areas requiring further study, and close with discussions of areas promising interesting future developments.

Changes in Activities with the Shift to Agriculture in the Southeastern United States

Changes in Activities with the Shift to Agriculture in the Southeastern United States