Diets, eco-environments and seasonal variations recorded in the oxygen and carbon isotopic compositions of mammal tooth enamel from the Shunshanji site, Sihong County, Jiangsu Province, China

Abstract

The carbon and oxygen isotopic compositions of the tooth enamel of mammals, including deer, wild pigs, buffaloes and domesticated pigs from the Shunshanji site, Sihong County, Jiangsu Province, China, were analyzed to reconstruct the mammals' ecoenvironments and diets, and to evaluate seasonal variations in the study area. Carbon isotopic compositions of buck samples revealed that the deer ate completely C3 plants and the environments they inhabited were relatively open and that wild pigs ate primarily C3 plants. Oxygen isotopic compositions indicated that the body sources of these two mammals were different, i.e. the deer and pigs lived in different niches within a relatively similar ecosystem. Modern domesticated pigs were isotopically more positive than the ancient wild pigs in carbon δ 13C values, suggesting the former ingested more C3 plants relative to the latter. Although the δ 18O data showed modern domesticated and ancient pigs had similar oxygen isotope compositions, their water sources were different. The carbon and oxygen isotopic patterns of premolar microsamples of ancient and modern buffaloes indicated that the plants ingested by the ancient buffalo varied with seasonal shifts, but plants ingested by the modern buffalo were relatively constant. The eco-environment of the modern buffalo was more open, warmer and drier than eco-environment of the ancient buffalo, which may be the result of the deforestation and other human activities. Ancient and modern seasonal changes were clearly recorded in the isotopic patterns and the seasonal variation amplitudes of the ancient and modern eco-environments were similar. © 2013 The Author(s).