Stable isotope analysis of serial samples of third molars as insight into inter- and intra-individual variation in ancient diet

Abstract

a b s t r a c t a r t i c l e i n f oIdentification and analysis of faunal and botanical remains provide important insight into paleodiet, but tend to average dietary behaviors over many individuals and large windows of time. Stable isotope analyses of human bone collagen and apatite, while less specific regarding diet, nicely complement faunal and macrobotanical analyses by giving glimpses into the diets of individuals, but still time-average diet over large windows (ca. 5-20 years). Recent advances in micro-sectioning of teeth provide the opportunity to examine intra-individual changes in diet over small windows of time, as small as 1 year or less. We use stable isotope data from human third molar dentin as a window into examining intra-individual variation in diet at a hunter-gatherer archeological site in Central California (CA-SOL-11). Data show significant dietary variation between individuals, suggesting there were many ways that individuals met basic dietary needs at the site. Data also show that some individuals significantly altered their diet in the course of their lives, with pulses of high brackish-water exploitation lasting between 1 and 4 years. We suggest one of three scenarios to explain these fluctuations: that brackish water foods served as fallback resources, that some individuals shifted their place of residence, or that changing trade relations may have caused fluctuations in consumption of brackish-water foods.

From cradle to grave: multi-isotopic investigations on the life history of a higher-status female from Edo-period Japan

“…Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis of serial sections of laterforming teeth (e.g. permanent third molars) is valuable to further investigate ST61's dietary change after 10 years of age (Eerkens et al, 2016).…”

Breastfeeding and weaning practices of the ancestral Ohlone Indians of California: A case study using stable isotope analysis of bone collagen

“…Many studies have followed (see Katzenberg, and Tsutaya & Yoneda, for excellent reviews). Within Central California, studies of weaning practices have used bone collagen (Gardner, ; Gardner, Leventhal, Cambra, Bartelink, & Martinez, ) and collagen from tooth dentin (Eerkens & Bartelink, ; Eerkens, Berget, & Bartelink, ; Eerkens, Sullivan, & Greenwald, ; Greenwald, ; Greenwald et al, ; Greenwald, Eerkens, & Bartelink, ; Washburn, ) to understand changing patterns of infant care and maternal investment through time.…”

Continuity and individuality in Medieval Hereford, England: A stable isotope approach to bulk bone and incremental dentine

“…Similar patterns have been observed in several other burial populations, with connections being drawn between the main growth period of humans and reduced δ 15 N values between the ages of 10 and 18 (cf. Eerkens et al, 2016;Reitsema, 2013;van der Sluis et al, 2015;Waters-Rist and Katzenberg 2010). Fuller et al (2004) have also observed lower δ 15 N values associated with increased BMI during pregnancy using hair, and a similar growth-related relationship has been reported in various animal species soft tissue, such as fish, birds and foxes (Minagawa and Wada, 1984;Roth and Hobson, 2000;Trueman et al, 2005).…”

“…Using this approach, it is possible to point out specific occurrences in past individuals' lives, often related to specific events such as periods of famine (Beaumont and Montgomery, 2016), illness (Fuller et al, 2005) or weaning (Fuller et al, 2006), predominantly during childhood (cf. Beaumont et al, 2013Beaumont et al, , 2014Eerkens et al, 2016;Sandberg et al, 2014;van der Sluis et al, 2015).…”