Seasonal paleoecological records from antler collagen δ13C and δ15N
Cervids living in high latitudes have evolved to thrive in ecosystems that experience dramatic seasonal changes. Understanding these seasonal adaptations is important for reconstructing cervid life histories, ecosystem dynamics, and responses in the distant and not-so-distant past to changing season...
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ftbioone:10.1017/pab.2021.1 2024-06-02T07:54:39+00:00 Seasonal paleoecological records from antler collagen δ13C and δ15N Rachel Schwartz-Narbonne Tessa Plint Elizabeth Hall Grant Zazula Fred J. Longstaffe Rachel Schwartz-Narbonne Tessa Plint Elizabeth Hall Grant Zazula Fred J. Longstaffe world 2021-08-04 text/HTML https://doi.org/10.1017/pab.2021.1 en eng The Paleontological Society doi:10.1017/pab.2021.1 All rights reserved. https://doi.org/10.1017/pab.2021.1 Text 2021 ftbioone https://doi.org/10.1017/pab.2021.1 2024-05-07T00:48:07Z Cervids living in high latitudes have evolved to thrive in ecosystems that experience dramatic seasonal changes. Understanding these seasonal adaptations is important for reconstructing cervid life histories, ecosystem dynamics, and responses in the distant and not-so-distant past to changing seasonality caused by climate change. Cervid antlers provide a rare opportunity for insight into faunal seasonal ecology, as they are grown and shed each year. Stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen measured directly from antlers have the potential to provide seasonal dietary data for individuals. If the isotopic signals in bone and antler are controlled by the same metabolic processes, then the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope compositions of collagen (δ13CColl and δ15NColl) from incrementally grown antler tissue provide time-constrained dietary signals from the spring and summer growth season. Bone, by comparison, provides an average signal over several years. The amino acid (glutamate and phenylalanine) δ15N in antlers from modern captive caribou showed similar trophic discrimination factors to earlier results for other collagenous tissues (bone, tooth dentin, and cementum). Hence, growth rate was not the primary control on the stable isotope composition of antler collagen. We applied this knowledge to assess seasonal shifts in Quaternary fossils of three Cervidae species: elk (Cervus elaphus), moose (Alces alces), and caribou (Rangifer tarandus). Paired antler–bone δ13CColl and δ15NColl from the same individual were used to identify differences between summer and annual diet and ecology. Intra-antler isotopic variability from serially sampled antlers was used to examine seasonal dietary shifts and specialization. Text Alces alces Rangifer tarandus BioOne Online Journals Paleobiology 47 3 533 549 |
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BioOne Online Journals |
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language |
English |
description |
Cervids living in high latitudes have evolved to thrive in ecosystems that experience dramatic seasonal changes. Understanding these seasonal adaptations is important for reconstructing cervid life histories, ecosystem dynamics, and responses in the distant and not-so-distant past to changing seasonality caused by climate change. Cervid antlers provide a rare opportunity for insight into faunal seasonal ecology, as they are grown and shed each year. Stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen measured directly from antlers have the potential to provide seasonal dietary data for individuals. If the isotopic signals in bone and antler are controlled by the same metabolic processes, then the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope compositions of collagen (δ13CColl and δ15NColl) from incrementally grown antler tissue provide time-constrained dietary signals from the spring and summer growth season. Bone, by comparison, provides an average signal over several years. The amino acid (glutamate and phenylalanine) δ15N in antlers from modern captive caribou showed similar trophic discrimination factors to earlier results for other collagenous tissues (bone, tooth dentin, and cementum). Hence, growth rate was not the primary control on the stable isotope composition of antler collagen. We applied this knowledge to assess seasonal shifts in Quaternary fossils of three Cervidae species: elk (Cervus elaphus), moose (Alces alces), and caribou (Rangifer tarandus). Paired antler–bone δ13CColl and δ15NColl from the same individual were used to identify differences between summer and annual diet and ecology. Intra-antler isotopic variability from serially sampled antlers was used to examine seasonal dietary shifts and specialization. |
author2 |
Rachel Schwartz-Narbonne Tessa Plint Elizabeth Hall Grant Zazula Fred J. Longstaffe |
format |
Text |
author |
Rachel Schwartz-Narbonne Tessa Plint Elizabeth Hall Grant Zazula Fred J. Longstaffe |
spellingShingle |
Rachel Schwartz-Narbonne Tessa Plint Elizabeth Hall Grant Zazula Fred J. Longstaffe Seasonal paleoecological records from antler collagen δ13C and δ15N |
author_facet |
Rachel Schwartz-Narbonne Tessa Plint Elizabeth Hall Grant Zazula Fred J. Longstaffe |
author_sort |
Rachel Schwartz-Narbonne |
title |
Seasonal paleoecological records from antler collagen δ13C and δ15N |
title_short |
Seasonal paleoecological records from antler collagen δ13C and δ15N |
title_full |
Seasonal paleoecological records from antler collagen δ13C and δ15N |
title_fullStr |
Seasonal paleoecological records from antler collagen δ13C and δ15N |
title_full_unstemmed |
Seasonal paleoecological records from antler collagen δ13C and δ15N |
title_sort |
seasonal paleoecological records from antler collagen δ13c and δ15n |
publisher |
The Paleontological Society |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1017/pab.2021.1 |
op_coverage |
world |
genre |
Alces alces Rangifer tarandus |
genre_facet |
Alces alces Rangifer tarandus |
op_source |
https://doi.org/10.1017/pab.2021.1 |
op_relation |
doi:10.1017/pab.2021.1 |
op_rights |
All rights reserved. |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1017/pab.2021.1 |
container_title |
Paleobiology |
container_volume |
47 |
container_issue |
3 |
container_start_page |
533 |
op_container_end_page |
549 |
_version_ |
1800742515639320576 |