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

Gil, Adolfo; Otaola, Clara; Neme, Gustavo; Peralta, Eva Ailén; Abbona, Cinthia; Quiroga, Gisela Alejandra Ramona; Dauverné, Armando; Seitz, Viviana Paola

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2019.11.014

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…These novel results on bone and dentin collagen allowed us to explore some interesting trends in guanaco’s stable isotope composition, as well as to establish similarities with populations from other regions of Argentina. As previously acknowledged, our results suggest that ecological and topographical variables are key in modelling small-scale isotopic patterns in camelids (Barberena et al, 2009; Gil et al, 2016, 2020; Kochi et al, 2020; Samec et al, 2018; Szpak and Valenzuela, 2020; Tessone, 2022). Considering that guanacos were the main prey of human populations in the region across the Holocene, our data has important implications for human paleodietary research in the region (Fabra and González, 2019; Laguens et al, 2009).…”

Section: Final Remarkssupporting

confidence: 78%

“…Borrero, 1990; Costa, 2016; Kaufmann, 2009; López et al, 2016; Medina et al, 2020; Mengoni Goñalons, 1999; Neme et al, 2012; Rindel et al, 2021; Sierpe et al, 2019). In recent years, a growing body of studies has explored the carbon and nitrogen stable isotope variability of guanacos from different regions and periods, constructing local baselines to assess paleoenvironmental conditions and human paleodiets (Barberena et al, 2009; Gil et al, 2016, 2020; Kochi et al, 2020; Scheifler et al, 2023; Tessone, 2022; Tessone et al, 2014). According to these studies, there is a substantial geographical and temporal variation in the isotopic composition of guanacos, which supports the need to build local frames of reference for accurate interpretations of current and past ecological and behavioural dynamics (Binford, 2001; Newsome et al, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessing the diet of modern and archaeological guanacos from the Great Chaco in Córdoba, Argentina, through stable isotope analysis (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N) of bone and dentin collagen: Implications for paleoenvironmental and zooarchaeological studies

Weihmüller,

Izeta,

Sharpe

et al. 2024

The Holocene

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The application of stable isotope analyses allows a diachronic characterisation of species habitat and feeding behaviour, information of utmost importance for zooarchaeological research. In South America, the former distribution of the guanaco ( Lama guanicoe) encompassed a much larger territory than the current one. Within the Argentinean Great Chaco, only a small native population persists in Northwestern Córdoba province, Central Argentina, where it was once widely distributed. In this paper, we present the first set of dentin and collagen δ13C and δ15N values for this relict population ( N = 18) along with archaeological data of guanaco specimens ( N = 19) dated to the Middle and Late Holocene from the nearby Ongamira valley. Neither deciduous and permanent teeth nor males and females show marked differences within the modern samples. Both modern and archaeological guanaco δ13C values indicate a mixed diet of C3 and, to a lesser extent, C4 plants. Conversely, the δ15N values exhibit distinct signals between the Arid and the Mountain Chaco subregions. The diet breadth of the archaeological guanacos suggests the use of transitional or ecotonal environments, also reflected in the size of their isotopic niche as opposed to modern guanacos. Regarding the timing of the species retraction in the region, there is no evidence of a shift in its habitat during the period between ~4700 and 190014C years BP. We suggest their retraction probably occurred later than previously proposed in regional zooarchaeological models.

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Section: Final Remarkssupporting

confidence: 78%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the diet of modern and archaeological guanacos from the Great Chaco in Córdoba, Argentina, through stable isotope analysis (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N) of bone and dentin collagen: Implications for paleoenvironmental and zooarchaeological studies

Weihmüller,

Izeta,

Sharpe

et al. 2024

The Holocene

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“…Recent analyses from guanaco bone collagen show increased δ 15 N between 1200 and 600 years cal BP in the Monte Desert, but not in the Patagonia Desert. The increased δ 15 N was associated with more extreme aridity conditions in the Monte [123]. If this is the case, the herbivorous δ 15 N base line increased from ca.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…If this is the case, the herbivorous δ 15 N base line increased from ca. 5% (Figure 7) to 9% in the Monte Desert, but not in the Patagonia Desert (Figure 4, [123]). We assume that human diet in the Monte Desert, between 900 and 600 years cal BP, had a larger component of plants than in the Patagonia Desert, despite people occupying both deserts had similar δ 15 N values.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Between Foragers and Farmers: Climate Change and Human Strategies in Northwestern Patagonia

et al. 2020

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In this paper we explore how changes in human strategies are differentially modulated by climate in a border area between hunter-gatherers and farmers. We analyze multiple proxies: radiocarbon summed probability distributions (SPDs), stable C and N isotopes, and zooarchaeological data from northwestern Patagonia. Based on these proxies, we discuss aspects of human population, subsistence, and dietary dynamics in relation to long-term climatic trends marked by variation in the Southern Annular Mode (SAM). Our results indicate that the farming frontier in northwestern Patagonia was dynamic in both time and space. We show how changes in temperature and precipitation over the last 1000 years cal BP have influenced the use of domestic plants and the hunting of highest-ranked wild animals, whereas no significant changes in human population size occurred. During the SAM positive phase between 900 and 550 years cal BP, warmer and drier summers are associated with an increase in C4 resource consumption (maize). After 550 years cal BP, when the SAM changes to the negative phase, wetter and cooler summer conditions are related to a change in diet focused on wild resources, especially meat. Over the past 1000 years, there was a non-significant change in the population based on the SPD.

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“…In this study, the Andean-Patagonian annual average is higher in precipitation and lower in temperatures than the Monte. In the archaeological Monte sample, the pattern of high variability in δ 15 N may indicate a changing precipitation regime capturing increased variability in rainfall over time (Gil et al, 2020b). Higher rainfall leaches soil nitrogen and leads to lower δ 15 N in plant tissue (Austin and Vitousek, 1998), and subsequently, this pattern transfers to animal bone collagen (Heaton, 1987).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dietary change of North Patagonian guanacos: A historical ecology perspective through the study of stable isotopes

Gil,

Otaola,

Dombrosky

et al. 2024

The Holocene

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This paper presents the results of a study on the isotopic ecology of guanacos in central western Argentina. We examine the historical population ecology of guanacos using stable isotope analysis of bone collagen from pre-Hispanic and modern guanaco populations ( n = 129), considering variability in two ecoregions: the Monte hot desert and the Andean-Patagonian cold desert. Our study addresses the consistency of guanaco diets over time, evaluating palaeoecology to provide information for conservation of this taxon. We found significant differences in isotopic niche size between modern and archaeological guanacos. When analyzed by ecoregion, there were significant differences in niche size through time, indicating that guanacos had distinctive dietary habits and occupied different ecological niches across the ecoregions. Comparing Standard Ellipse Areas (SEA) through time and across space, we observed that the archaeological SEA for guanacos is smaller than its modern counterpart in the Andean-Patagonia ecoregion. Conversely, in Monte, the archaeological SEA is larger than the one established for modern samples. The contrast between pre-Hispanic and modern populations highlight the impact of human activity and conservation efforts on the distribution and ecology of guanacos. These findings have important implications for understanding guanaco ecology with consequences for conservation policies.

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

Cited by 8 publications

References 67 publications

Assessing the diet of modern and archaeological guanacos from the Great Chaco in Córdoba, Argentina, through stable isotope analysis (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N) of bone and dentin collagen: Implications for paleoenvironmental and zooarchaeological studies

Assessing the diet of modern and archaeological guanacos from the Great Chaco in Córdoba, Argentina, through stable isotope analysis (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N) of bone and dentin collagen: Implications for paleoenvironmental and zooarchaeological studies

Between Foragers and Farmers: Climate Change and Human Strategies in Northwestern Patagonia

Dietary change of North Patagonian guanacos: A historical ecology perspective through the study of stable isotopes

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

Cited by 8 publications

References 67 publications

Assessing the diet of modern and archaeological guanacos from the Great Chaco in Córdoba, Argentina, through stable isotope analysis (δ13C, δ15N) of bone and dentin collagen: Implications for paleoenvironmental and zooarchaeological studies

Assessing the diet of modern and archaeological guanacos from the Great Chaco in Córdoba, Argentina, through stable isotope analysis (δ13C, δ15N) of bone and dentin collagen: Implications for paleoenvironmental and zooarchaeological studies

Between Foragers and Farmers: Climate Change and Human Strategies in Northwestern Patagonia

Dietary change of North Patagonian guanacos: A historical ecology perspective through the study of stable isotopes

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Assessing the diet of modern and archaeological guanacos from the Great Chaco in Córdoba, Argentina, through stable isotope analysis (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N) of bone and dentin collagen: Implications for paleoenvironmental and zooarchaeological studies

Assessing the diet of modern and archaeological guanacos from the Great Chaco in Córdoba, Argentina, through stable isotope analysis (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N) of bone and dentin collagen: Implications for paleoenvironmental and zooarchaeological studies