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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
agricultural and biological sciences
The carbon isotope ecology and diet of Australopithecus africanus at Sterkfontein, South Africa
Journal of Human Evolution, Volume 44, No. 5, Year 2003
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Description
The stable carbon isotope ratio of fossil tooth enamel carbonate is determined by the photosynthetic systems of plants at the base of the animal's foodweb. In subtropical Africa, grasses and many sedges have C4 photosynthesis and transmit their characteristically enriched 13C/12C ratios (more positive δ13C values) along the foodchain to consumers. We report here a carbon isotope study of ten specimens of Australopithecus africanus from Member 4, Sterkfontein (ca. 2.5 to 2.0 Ma), compared with other fossil mammals from the same deposit. This is the most extensive isotopic study of an early hominin species that has been achieved so far. The results show that this hominin was intensively engaged with the savanna foodweb and that the dietary variation between individuals was more pronounced than for any other early hominin or non-human primate species on record. Suggestions that more than one species have been incuded in this taxon are not supported by the isotopic evidence. We conclude that Australopithecus africanus was highly opportunistic and adaptable in its feeding habits. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Authors & Co-Authors
van der Merwe, Nikolaas J.
South Africa, Cape Town
University of Cape Town
United States, Cambridge
Harvard University
Thackeray, John Francis
South Africa, Pretoria
Transvaal Museum
Lee-Thorp, Julia A.
South Africa, Cape Town
University of Cape Town
Luyt, Julie
South Africa, Cape Town
University of Cape Town
Statistics
Citations: 159
Authors: 4
Affiliations: 3
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1016/S0047-2484(03)00050-2
ISSN:
00472484
Research Areas
Environmental
Study Locations
South Africa