Multi-isotope analysis of bone collagen of Late Pleistocene ungulates reveals niche partitioning and behavioural plasticity of reindeer during MIS 3

Kate Britton; Elodie-Laure Jimenez; Mael Le Corre; Sylvain Renou; William Rendu; Michael P. Richards; Jean-Jacques Hublin; Marie Soressi

doi:10.1038/s41598-023-42199-7

Multi-isotope analysis of bone collagen of Late Pleistocene ungulates reveals niche partitioning and behavioural plasticity of reindeer during MIS 3

Kate Britton^* (Corresponding Author), Elodie-Laure Jimenez, Mael Le Corre, Sylvain Renou, William Rendu, Michael P. Richards, Jean-Jacques Hublin, Marie Soressi

^*Corresponding author for this work

Archaeology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Here we present stable carbon, nitrogen and sulfur isotope ratios of collagen extracted from Rangifer, Equus and Bison bone (n = 128) from different stratigraphic levels at the chronologically well-constrained Middle and Upper Palaeolithic site of Les Cottés, France. Samples were taken from five phases of site use (US08, US06, US04 [upper and lower], and US02; ~ 45.8–35.3 ka cal BP) to explore the dietary and spatial palaeoecology of these ungulate species during MIS 3, and the contemporary climate. Temporal trends in δ15N values of all species broadly align with other climatic indicators at the site and the lowest values in US04 correspond to the Heinrich 4 cooling event, reflecting changes in the composition of soil/plant nitrogen at this time. Rangifer collagen is 13C-enriched compared to the other species throughout, consistent with lichen consumption. However, this isotopic niche partitioning between Rangifer and Equus/Bison is most extensive during US04, indicating plasticity in reindeer feeding behaviour, and potentially overall increased lichen biomass during this cooler/more arid phase. Rangifer δ34S values are consistently lower than Equus and Bison, which could be indicative of their more extensive spatial ranges incorporating greater inland areas. Equus and Bison demonstrate a significant decrease in δ34S values through time, which may be linked to contemporary climatic decline.

Original language	English
Article number	15722
Number of pages	13
Journal	Scientific Reports
Volume	13
Early online date	21 Sept 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-42199-7
Publication status	Published - 21 Sept 2023

Bibliographical note

Acknowledgements
This research was funded by a Leverhulme Research Project Grant (ref: RPG-2017-410 to K.B.), and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. A Philip Leverhulme Prize (ref: PLP-2019-284 to K.B.) provided support to K.B. during the production of this manuscript, and M.S. is funded by the NWO Dutch Research council (VICI award VI.C.191.07). We thank C.-H. Bachelier and Jaques Bachelier for facilitating and supporting research at Les Cottés, and the French Ministry of Culture for allowing and funding research at Les Cottés. Thanks to Sven Steinbrenner and Annabell Reiner (MPI-EVA), and Orsolya Czére (Aberdeen) for laboratory assistance, and to Jovita Fawcett and Eléa Gutierrez (Aberdeen) for proof reading and assistance with images.

Keywords

Archaeology
Palaeoecology
Stable isotope analysis

UN SDGs

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Cite this

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title = "Multi-isotope analysis of bone collagen of Late Pleistocene ungulates reveals niche partitioning and behavioural plasticity of reindeer during MIS 3",

abstract = "Here we present stable carbon, nitrogen and sulfur isotope ratios of collagen extracted from Rangifer, Equus and Bison bone (n = 128) from different stratigraphic levels at the chronologically well-constrained Middle and Upper Palaeolithic site of Les Cott{\'e}s, France. Samples were taken from five phases of site use (US08, US06, US04 [upper and lower], and US02; ~ 45.8–35.3 ka cal BP) to explore the dietary and spatial palaeoecology of these ungulate species during MIS 3, and the contemporary climate. Temporal trends in δ15N values of all species broadly align with other climatic indicators at the site and the lowest values in US04 correspond to the Heinrich 4 cooling event, reflecting changes in the composition of soil/plant nitrogen at this time. Rangifer collagen is 13C-enriched compared to the other species throughout, consistent with lichen consumption. However, this isotopic niche partitioning between Rangifer and Equus/Bison is most extensive during US04, indicating plasticity in reindeer feeding behaviour, and potentially overall increased lichen biomass during this cooler/more arid phase. Rangifer δ34S values are consistently lower than Equus and Bison, which could be indicative of their more extensive spatial ranges incorporating greater inland areas. Equus and Bison demonstrate a significant decrease in δ34S values through time, which may be linked to contemporary climatic decline.",

keywords = "Archaeology, Palaeoecology, Stable isotope analysis",

author = "Kate Britton and Elodie-Laure Jimenez and {Le Corre}, Mael and Sylvain Renou and William Rendu and Richards, {Michael P.} and Jean-Jacques Hublin and Marie Soressi",

note = "Acknowledgements This research was funded by a Leverhulme Research Project Grant (ref: RPG-2017-410 to K.B.), and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. A Philip Leverhulme Prize (ref: PLP-2019-284 to K.B.) provided support to K.B. during the production of this manuscript, and M.S. is funded by the NWO Dutch Research council (VICI award VI.C.191.07). We thank C.-H. Bachelier and Jaques Bachelier for facilitating and supporting research at Les Cott{\'e}s, and the French Ministry of Culture for allowing and funding research at Les Cott{\'e}s. Thanks to Sven Steinbrenner and Annabell Reiner (MPI-EVA), and Orsolya Cz{\'e}re (Aberdeen) for laboratory assistance, and to Jovita Fawcett and El{\'e}a Gutierrez (Aberdeen) for proof reading and assistance with images.",

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language = "English",

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T1 - Multi-isotope analysis of bone collagen of Late Pleistocene ungulates reveals niche partitioning and behavioural plasticity of reindeer during MIS 3

AU - Britton, Kate

AU - Jimenez, Elodie-Laure

AU - Le Corre, Mael

AU - Renou, Sylvain

AU - Rendu, William

AU - Richards, Michael P.

AU - Hublin, Jean-Jacques

AU - Soressi, Marie

N1 - Acknowledgements This research was funded by a Leverhulme Research Project Grant (ref: RPG-2017-410 to K.B.), and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. A Philip Leverhulme Prize (ref: PLP-2019-284 to K.B.) provided support to K.B. during the production of this manuscript, and M.S. is funded by the NWO Dutch Research council (VICI award VI.C.191.07). We thank C.-H. Bachelier and Jaques Bachelier for facilitating and supporting research at Les Cottés, and the French Ministry of Culture for allowing and funding research at Les Cottés. Thanks to Sven Steinbrenner and Annabell Reiner (MPI-EVA), and Orsolya Czére (Aberdeen) for laboratory assistance, and to Jovita Fawcett and Eléa Gutierrez (Aberdeen) for proof reading and assistance with images.

PY - 2023/9/21

Y1 - 2023/9/21

N2 - Here we present stable carbon, nitrogen and sulfur isotope ratios of collagen extracted from Rangifer, Equus and Bison bone (n = 128) from different stratigraphic levels at the chronologically well-constrained Middle and Upper Palaeolithic site of Les Cottés, France. Samples were taken from five phases of site use (US08, US06, US04 [upper and lower], and US02; ~ 45.8–35.3 ka cal BP) to explore the dietary and spatial palaeoecology of these ungulate species during MIS 3, and the contemporary climate. Temporal trends in δ15N values of all species broadly align with other climatic indicators at the site and the lowest values in US04 correspond to the Heinrich 4 cooling event, reflecting changes in the composition of soil/plant nitrogen at this time. Rangifer collagen is 13C-enriched compared to the other species throughout, consistent with lichen consumption. However, this isotopic niche partitioning between Rangifer and Equus/Bison is most extensive during US04, indicating plasticity in reindeer feeding behaviour, and potentially overall increased lichen biomass during this cooler/more arid phase. Rangifer δ34S values are consistently lower than Equus and Bison, which could be indicative of their more extensive spatial ranges incorporating greater inland areas. Equus and Bison demonstrate a significant decrease in δ34S values through time, which may be linked to contemporary climatic decline.

AB - Here we present stable carbon, nitrogen and sulfur isotope ratios of collagen extracted from Rangifer, Equus and Bison bone (n = 128) from different stratigraphic levels at the chronologically well-constrained Middle and Upper Palaeolithic site of Les Cottés, France. Samples were taken from five phases of site use (US08, US06, US04 [upper and lower], and US02; ~ 45.8–35.3 ka cal BP) to explore the dietary and spatial palaeoecology of these ungulate species during MIS 3, and the contemporary climate. Temporal trends in δ15N values of all species broadly align with other climatic indicators at the site and the lowest values in US04 correspond to the Heinrich 4 cooling event, reflecting changes in the composition of soil/plant nitrogen at this time. Rangifer collagen is 13C-enriched compared to the other species throughout, consistent with lichen consumption. However, this isotopic niche partitioning between Rangifer and Equus/Bison is most extensive during US04, indicating plasticity in reindeer feeding behaviour, and potentially overall increased lichen biomass during this cooler/more arid phase. Rangifer δ34S values are consistently lower than Equus and Bison, which could be indicative of their more extensive spatial ranges incorporating greater inland areas. Equus and Bison demonstrate a significant decrease in δ34S values through time, which may be linked to contemporary climatic decline.

KW - Archaeology

KW - Palaeoecology

KW - Stable isotope analysis

U2 - 10.1038/s41598-023-42199-7

DO - 10.1038/s41598-023-42199-7

M3 - Article

SN - 2045-2322

VL - 13

JO - Scientific Reports

JF - Scientific Reports

M1 - 15722

ER -

Multi-isotope analysis of bone collagen of Late Pleistocene ungulates reveals niche partitioning and behavioural plasticity of reindeer during MIS 3

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

UN SDGs

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