We are pleased to announce that the following article was recently published in
the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, and is available open source
at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352409X17303139
<http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352409X17303139>
Title: Quantifying variability in stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios
within the skeletons of marine mammals of the suborder Caniformia
Authors: Casey T. Clark, Lara Horstmann, Nicole Misarti
Abstract:
Stable isotope ratios of bone collagen are commonly used to investigate
foraging and movement of human and animal populations. This technique is
especially valuable for archaeological and paleoecological applications, as
bones are among the few tissues that are commonly preserved in archaeological
and assemblages. Selection of skeletal elements for stable isotope analysis is
typically driven by sample sizes and convenience, with the as- sumption that
each bone is equally likely to be representative of the entire skeleton. This
study investigated the degree of variability in stable carbon and nitrogen
isotope ratios (δ13C and δ15N) within the skeletons of in- dividual marine
mammals to determine whether any systematic differences in δ13C and δ15N exist
among skeletal elements. We measured δ13C and δ15N in paired crania and
mandibles from 11 Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens), as well as
representative elements from the skeletons of three marine mammals: an adult
ringed seal (Pusa hispida, n = 10), a juvenile seal of the genus Phoca (Phoca
sp., n = 9), and an adult sea otter (Enhydra lutris, n = 8). Differences among
the walrus cranium/mandible pairs were not significant, mostly falling within
analytical error. Variability across the skeletons of the seals and sea otter
was greater, exceeding 1.0‰ in some cases. Hierarchical cluster analysis
indicated systematic differences within all three skeletons, with the distal
appendicular bones (metatarsal, phalanx, calcaneus) separating from the rest of
the skeleton in the two seals, and the scapula and vertebra distinct from all
other bones in the sea otter. Removing these bones from analysis greatly
reduced overall variability in all three animals. Further study is required to
determine whether the patterns observed in this study are consistent across
individuals and taxa as sample sizes increase.
Please contact me ([email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>) with any
questions regarding the paper.
Best,
Casey Clark
PhD Candidate
CFOS/WERC
University of Alaska Fairbanks
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