Past fish provenance, exploitation and trade patterns were studied by analyzing phosphate oxygen ... more Past fish provenance, exploitation and trade patterns were studied by analyzing phosphate oxygen isotope compositions (δ 18 O PO4) of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) tooth enameloid from archaeological sites across the southern Levant, spanning the entire Holocene. We report the earliest evidence for extensive fish exploitation from the hypersaline Bardawil lagoon on Egypt's northern Sinai coast, as indicated by distinctively high δ 18 O PO4 values, which became abundant in the southern Levant, both along the coast and further inland, at least from the Late Bronze Age (3,550-3,200 BP). A period of global, postglacial sea-level stabilization triggered the formation of the Bardawil lagoon, which was intensively exploited and supported a widespread fish trade. This represents the earliest roots of marine proto-aquaculture in Late Holocene coastal domains of the Mediterranean. We demonstrate the potential of large-scale δ 18 O PO4 analysis of fish teeth to reveal cultural phenomena in antiquity, providing unprecedented insights into past trade patterns. Fishing was an essential economic component of many ancient societies, as evidenced by the presence of fish remains, fishing gears, and fish-associated artifacts in numerous archaeological sites worldwide 1-5. In the southern Levant, past exploitation and trade of fish has been explored primarily based on the occurrences of fish bones in coastal, riverine and lake-side archaeological sites and through inference from the modern distribution patterns, habitat preferences and ecological niches of these fish species. In the Levant, this has mostly been done for fish that a priori were identified as 'exotic'. For example, the identification of key Nilotic species such as Lates niloticus (Nile perch) and Bagrus sp. (Bagrid catfish) in archeological sites of the southern Levant testified that long-range trade systems between Egypt and Canaan have emerged more than 5000 years ago (during the Early Bronze Age) 6-8. The gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata, Linnaeus, 1758) frequently appears in archaeological sites of the southern Levant, since prehistoric times (Late Pleistocene) 4-6. This species is characterised by thick-enamelled, molar-like teeth (Fig. S1), which are used for cracking shellfish (i.e., bivalves, gastropods and crustaceans) 9,10. Sparus aurata is an euryhaline and eurytherm marine fish which migrates between near-shore, inshore (lagoons) and open sea environments 11-13. Thus, while the appearance of S. aurata in inland sites clearly indicates long range trade systems 6,7 , remains of this species in Levantine coastal sites have so far been interpreted as reflecting local fishing activity 6-8. State of the art research methodologies provide multiple empirical ways to explore trade and maritime connections of desirable fish source marketing to distant places. For example, past provenance and long-range trade of fish from the North Atlantic have been studied using the C and N stable isotopes of bone collagen (Atlantic cod) 14-18 , and by aDNA analysis 18,19. However, fish bone C and N isotope analyses require the preservation of collagen, and they are limited to "young" fish because constant bone remodeling causes the isotopic signature to adjust to local conditions in adult fish 14,15. In the North Aegean (northeast Mediterranean), these analyses showed no clustering with locality or species, and for both isotopes they demonstrated a general overlap between
Past fish provenance, exploitation and trade patterns were studied by analyzing phosphate oxygen ... more Past fish provenance, exploitation and trade patterns were studied by analyzing phosphate oxygen isotope compositions (δ 18 O PO4) of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) tooth enameloid from archaeological sites across the southern Levant, spanning the entire Holocene. We report the earliest evidence for extensive fish exploitation from the hypersaline Bardawil lagoon on Egypt's northern Sinai coast, as indicated by distinctively high δ 18 O PO4 values, which became abundant in the southern Levant, both along the coast and further inland, at least from the Late Bronze Age (3,550–3,200 BP). A period of global, postglacial sea-level stabilization triggered the formation of the Bardawil lagoon, which was intensively exploited and supported a widespread fish trade. This represents the earliest roots of marine proto-aquaculture in Late Holocene coastal domains of the Mediterranean. We demonstrate the potential of large-scale δ 18 O PO4 analysis of fish teeth to reveal cultural phenomena in antiquity, providing unprecedented insights into past trade patterns. Fishing was an essential economic component of many ancient societies, as evidenced by the presence of fish remains, fishing gears, and fish-associated artifacts in numerous archaeological sites worldwide 1–5. In the southern Levant, past exploitation and trade of fish has been explored primarily based on the occurrences of fish bones in coastal, riverine and lake-side archaeological sites and through inference from the modern distribution patterns, habitat preferences and ecological niches of these fish species. In the Levant, this has mostly been done for fish that a priori were identified as 'exotic'. For example, the identification of key Nilotic species such as Lates niloticus (Nile perch) and Bagrus sp. (Bagrid catfish) in archeological sites of the southern Levant testified that long-range trade systems between Egypt and Canaan have emerged more than 5000 years ago (during the Early Bronze Age) 6–8. The gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata, Linnaeus, 1758) frequently appears in archaeological sites of the southern Levant, since prehistoric times (Late Pleistocene) 4–6. This species is characterised by thick-enamelled, molar-like teeth (Fig. S1), which are used for cracking shellfish (i.e., bivalves, gastropods and crustaceans) 9,10. Sparus aurata is an euryhaline and eurytherm marine fish which migrates between near-shore, inshore (lagoons) and open sea environments 11–13. Thus, while the appearance of S. aurata in inland sites clearly indicates long range trade systems 6,7 , remains of this species in Levantine coastal sites have so far been interpreted as reflecting local fishing activity 6–8. State of the art research methodologies provide multiple empirical ways to explore trade and maritime connections of desirable fish source marketing to distant places. For example, past provenance and long-range trade of fish from the North Atlantic have been studied using the C and N stable isotopes of bone collagen (Atlantic cod) 14–18 , and by aDNA analysis 18,19. However, fish bone C and N isotope analyses require the preservation of collagen, and they are limited to " young " fish because constant bone remodeling causes the isotopic signature to adjust to local conditions in adult fish 14,15. In the North Aegean (northeast Mediterranean), these analyses showed no clustering with locality or species, and for both isotopes they demonstrated a general overlap between
The equid Hippotherium primigenium, with moderately hypsodont cheek teeth, rapidly dispersed thro... more The equid Hippotherium primigenium, with moderately hypsodont cheek teeth, rapidly dispersed through Eurasia in the early late Miocene. This dispersal of hipparions into the Old World represents a major faunal event during the Neogene. The reasons for this fast dispersal of H. primigenium within Europe are still unclear. Based on its hypsodonty, a high specialization in grazing is assumed although the feeding ecology of the earliest European hipparionines within a pure C3 plant ecosystem remains to be investigated. A multi-proxy approach, combining carbon and oxygen isotopes from enamel as well as dental meso- and microwear analyses of cheek teeth, was used to characterize the diet of the earliest European H. primigenium populations from four early Late Miocene localities in Germany (Eppelsheim, Höwenegg), Switzerland (Charmoille), and France (Soblay). Enamel δ(13)C values indicate a pure C3 plant diet with small (<1.4‰) seasonal variations for all four H. primigenium populations...
We present the first systematic study of Ca isotopes (d 44/40 Ca) in Late Triassic to Late Cretac... more We present the first systematic study of Ca isotopes (d 44/40 Ca) in Late Triassic to Late Cretaceous dinosaur bones and teeth (enamel and dentin) from sympatric herbivorous and carnivorous dinosaurs. The samples derive from five different localities, and data from embedding sediments are also presented. Additional d 44/40 Ca in skeletal tissues from modern reptiles and birds (avian dinosaurs) were measured for comparison in order to examine whether the original Ca isotopic composition in dinosaur skeletal apatite was preserved or might have changed during the diagenesis and fossilization process.
We present the first universal calibration of the clumped isotope thermometer for calcites of var... more We present the first universal calibration of the clumped isotope thermometer for calcites of various mineralizing types. These are an eggshell of an ostrich, a tropical bivalve, a brachiopod shell, cold seep carbonate, and three foraminifera samples that grew between 9 and 38°C. CaCO 3 was digested at 90°C using a common acid bath. Considering a difference in phosphoric acid fractionation factors between reaction at 25 and 90°C of 0.069& , the function between growth temperature T and the excess of 13 C-18 O bonds in the evolved CO 2 is expressed by a linear regression between 1/T 2 and absolute D 47 (R 2 = 0.9915):
American journal of physical anthropology, Jan 11, 2015
Here we report bone phosphate oxygen (δ(18) Op ) values from perinates/neonates and infants (<... more Here we report bone phosphate oxygen (δ(18) Op ) values from perinates/neonates and infants (<3.5 years; n = 32); children (4-12 years; n = 12); unsexed juveniles (16-18 years; n = 2); and adult bones (n = 17) from Wharram Percy, North Yorkshire, England, in order to explore the potential of this method to investigate patterns of past breastfeeding and weaning. In prior studies, δ(15) N and δ(13) C analyses of bone collagen have been utilized to explore weaning age in this large and well-studied assemblage, rendering this material highly appropriate for the testing and development of this alternative method targeting the inorganic phase of bone. Data produced reveal (18) O-enrichment in the youngest perinatal/neonatal and infant samples, and an association between age and bone δ(18) Op (and previously-published δ(15) N values), with high values in both these isotope systems likely due to breastfeeding. After the age of 2-3 years, δ(18) Op values are lower, and all children betwee...
Background: Several felids are endangered and threatened by the illegal wildlife trade. Establish... more Background: Several felids are endangered and threatened by the illegal wildlife trade. Establishing geographic origin of tissues of endangered species is thus crucial for wildlife crime investigations and effective conservation strategies. As shown in other species, stable isotope analysis of hydrogen and oxygen in hair (dD h , d 18 O h ) can be used as a tool for provenance determination. However, reliably predicting the spatial distribution of dD h and d 18 O h requires confirmation from animal tissues of known origin and a detailed understanding of the isotopic routing of dietary nutrients into felid hair.
The carbon, oxygen, and strontium isotope composition of enamel from teeth of large Miocene herbi... more The carbon, oxygen, and strontium isotope composition of enamel from teeth of large Miocene herbivorous mammals from Sandelzhausen (MN5, late Early/ early Middle Miocene) in the North Alpine foreland basin, were analyzed to infer diet and habitat. The mean enamel d 13 C value of -11.4 ± 1.0% (n = 53) for the nine taxa analyzed (including proboscideans, cervids, suids, chalicotheres, equids, rhinocerotids) indicates a pure C 3 plant diet for all mammals. 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios of *0.710 higher than those from teeth of the western Molasse Basin (0.708-0.709) seem to indicate preferential feeding of the mammals in the northeastern Molasse Basin. The sympatric herbivores have different mean d 13 C and d 18 O values which support diet partitioning and/or use of different habitats within a C 3 plant ecosystem. Especially the three sympatric rhinoceroses Plesiaceratherium fahlbuschi, Lartetotherium sansaniense, and Prosantorhinus germanicus show clear partitioning of plants and/or habitats. The palaeomerycid Germanomeryx fahlbuschi was a canopy folivore in moderately closed environments whereas Metaschizotherium bavaricum (Chalicotheriidae) and P. germanicus (Rhinocerotidae) were browsers in more closed forest environments. The horse Anchitherium aurelianense was probably a more generalized feeder than assumed from its dental morphology. The forest hog Hyotherium soemmeringi has the highest d 13 C and lowest d 18 O value of all analyzed taxa, possibly related to a frugivorous diet. Most taxa were water-dependent browsers that record meteoric water d 18 O values of about -5.6 ± 0.7% Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water (VSMOW). Using a modern-day mean annual air temperature (MAT)-d 18 O H 2 O relation a MAT of 19.3 ± 1.5°C can be reconstructed for Sandelzhausen. A Gomphotherium subtapiroideum tusk serially sampled for d 18 O values does not record a clear pattern of seasonality. Thus most taxa were C 3 browsers in a forested and humid floodplain environment in the Molasse Basin, which experienced a warm-temperate to subtropical climate and possibly low seasonality.
In the present study, bone histology and isotope composition (C, N, O) of a femur and three postc... more In the present study, bone histology and isotope composition (C, N, O) of a femur and three postcranial osteoderms from an approximately 23-25 year-old captive female Alligator mississippiensis Daudin, 1802 were analyzed to infer the recorded life history. The number of visible annual growth marks in the femur cross-section is less than the known age for the individual concerned, this information clearly shows that skeletochronology has certain limits. However, bone histology reflects very well the traceable life history of this individual and its slow growth in early ontogeny. Bone histology on the basis of the osteoderms shows massive remodeling and an only incompletely preserved growth record, reflecting the egg-laying status of this individual. Interestingly, the carbon and especially the nitrogen isotope compositions of the osteoderms differ from those of the femur. This presumably reflects dietary changes and/or differences in resorption and remodeling processes during tissue formation of these bones. The N, C, and O isotope composition of the femur is consistent with the food and water the alligator had ingested during the last years of its life. Thus, contrary to the osteoderms, the femur yields reliable data for the reconstruction of an individual's dietary and environmental history.
The herbivorous sauropod dinosaurs of the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods were the largest terres... more The herbivorous sauropod dinosaurs of the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods were the largest terrestrial animals ever, surpassing the largest herbivorous mammals by an order of magnitude in body mass. Several evolutionary lineages among Sauropoda produced giants with body masses in excess of 50 metric tonnes by conservative estimates. With body mass increase driven by the selective advantages of large body size, animal lineages will increase in body size until they reach the limit determined by the interplay of bauplan, biology, and resource availability. There is no evidence, however, that resource availability and global physicochemical parameters were different enough in the Mesozoic to have led to sauropod gigantism.
Past fish provenance, exploitation and trade patterns were studied by analyzing phosphate oxygen ... more Past fish provenance, exploitation and trade patterns were studied by analyzing phosphate oxygen isotope compositions (δ 18 O PO4) of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) tooth enameloid from archaeological sites across the southern Levant, spanning the entire Holocene. We report the earliest evidence for extensive fish exploitation from the hypersaline Bardawil lagoon on Egypt's northern Sinai coast, as indicated by distinctively high δ 18 O PO4 values, which became abundant in the southern Levant, both along the coast and further inland, at least from the Late Bronze Age (3,550-3,200 BP). A period of global, postglacial sea-level stabilization triggered the formation of the Bardawil lagoon, which was intensively exploited and supported a widespread fish trade. This represents the earliest roots of marine proto-aquaculture in Late Holocene coastal domains of the Mediterranean. We demonstrate the potential of large-scale δ 18 O PO4 analysis of fish teeth to reveal cultural phenomena in antiquity, providing unprecedented insights into past trade patterns. Fishing was an essential economic component of many ancient societies, as evidenced by the presence of fish remains, fishing gears, and fish-associated artifacts in numerous archaeological sites worldwide 1-5. In the southern Levant, past exploitation and trade of fish has been explored primarily based on the occurrences of fish bones in coastal, riverine and lake-side archaeological sites and through inference from the modern distribution patterns, habitat preferences and ecological niches of these fish species. In the Levant, this has mostly been done for fish that a priori were identified as 'exotic'. For example, the identification of key Nilotic species such as Lates niloticus (Nile perch) and Bagrus sp. (Bagrid catfish) in archeological sites of the southern Levant testified that long-range trade systems between Egypt and Canaan have emerged more than 5000 years ago (during the Early Bronze Age) 6-8. The gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata, Linnaeus, 1758) frequently appears in archaeological sites of the southern Levant, since prehistoric times (Late Pleistocene) 4-6. This species is characterised by thick-enamelled, molar-like teeth (Fig. S1), which are used for cracking shellfish (i.e., bivalves, gastropods and crustaceans) 9,10. Sparus aurata is an euryhaline and eurytherm marine fish which migrates between near-shore, inshore (lagoons) and open sea environments 11-13. Thus, while the appearance of S. aurata in inland sites clearly indicates long range trade systems 6,7 , remains of this species in Levantine coastal sites have so far been interpreted as reflecting local fishing activity 6-8. State of the art research methodologies provide multiple empirical ways to explore trade and maritime connections of desirable fish source marketing to distant places. For example, past provenance and long-range trade of fish from the North Atlantic have been studied using the C and N stable isotopes of bone collagen (Atlantic cod) 14-18 , and by aDNA analysis 18,19. However, fish bone C and N isotope analyses require the preservation of collagen, and they are limited to "young" fish because constant bone remodeling causes the isotopic signature to adjust to local conditions in adult fish 14,15. In the North Aegean (northeast Mediterranean), these analyses showed no clustering with locality or species, and for both isotopes they demonstrated a general overlap between
Past fish provenance, exploitation and trade patterns were studied by analyzing phosphate oxygen ... more Past fish provenance, exploitation and trade patterns were studied by analyzing phosphate oxygen isotope compositions (δ 18 O PO4) of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) tooth enameloid from archaeological sites across the southern Levant, spanning the entire Holocene. We report the earliest evidence for extensive fish exploitation from the hypersaline Bardawil lagoon on Egypt's northern Sinai coast, as indicated by distinctively high δ 18 O PO4 values, which became abundant in the southern Levant, both along the coast and further inland, at least from the Late Bronze Age (3,550–3,200 BP). A period of global, postglacial sea-level stabilization triggered the formation of the Bardawil lagoon, which was intensively exploited and supported a widespread fish trade. This represents the earliest roots of marine proto-aquaculture in Late Holocene coastal domains of the Mediterranean. We demonstrate the potential of large-scale δ 18 O PO4 analysis of fish teeth to reveal cultural phenomena in antiquity, providing unprecedented insights into past trade patterns. Fishing was an essential economic component of many ancient societies, as evidenced by the presence of fish remains, fishing gears, and fish-associated artifacts in numerous archaeological sites worldwide 1–5. In the southern Levant, past exploitation and trade of fish has been explored primarily based on the occurrences of fish bones in coastal, riverine and lake-side archaeological sites and through inference from the modern distribution patterns, habitat preferences and ecological niches of these fish species. In the Levant, this has mostly been done for fish that a priori were identified as 'exotic'. For example, the identification of key Nilotic species such as Lates niloticus (Nile perch) and Bagrus sp. (Bagrid catfish) in archeological sites of the southern Levant testified that long-range trade systems between Egypt and Canaan have emerged more than 5000 years ago (during the Early Bronze Age) 6–8. The gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata, Linnaeus, 1758) frequently appears in archaeological sites of the southern Levant, since prehistoric times (Late Pleistocene) 4–6. This species is characterised by thick-enamelled, molar-like teeth (Fig. S1), which are used for cracking shellfish (i.e., bivalves, gastropods and crustaceans) 9,10. Sparus aurata is an euryhaline and eurytherm marine fish which migrates between near-shore, inshore (lagoons) and open sea environments 11–13. Thus, while the appearance of S. aurata in inland sites clearly indicates long range trade systems 6,7 , remains of this species in Levantine coastal sites have so far been interpreted as reflecting local fishing activity 6–8. State of the art research methodologies provide multiple empirical ways to explore trade and maritime connections of desirable fish source marketing to distant places. For example, past provenance and long-range trade of fish from the North Atlantic have been studied using the C and N stable isotopes of bone collagen (Atlantic cod) 14–18 , and by aDNA analysis 18,19. However, fish bone C and N isotope analyses require the preservation of collagen, and they are limited to " young " fish because constant bone remodeling causes the isotopic signature to adjust to local conditions in adult fish 14,15. In the North Aegean (northeast Mediterranean), these analyses showed no clustering with locality or species, and for both isotopes they demonstrated a general overlap between
The equid Hippotherium primigenium, with moderately hypsodont cheek teeth, rapidly dispersed thro... more The equid Hippotherium primigenium, with moderately hypsodont cheek teeth, rapidly dispersed through Eurasia in the early late Miocene. This dispersal of hipparions into the Old World represents a major faunal event during the Neogene. The reasons for this fast dispersal of H. primigenium within Europe are still unclear. Based on its hypsodonty, a high specialization in grazing is assumed although the feeding ecology of the earliest European hipparionines within a pure C3 plant ecosystem remains to be investigated. A multi-proxy approach, combining carbon and oxygen isotopes from enamel as well as dental meso- and microwear analyses of cheek teeth, was used to characterize the diet of the earliest European H. primigenium populations from four early Late Miocene localities in Germany (Eppelsheim, Höwenegg), Switzerland (Charmoille), and France (Soblay). Enamel δ(13)C values indicate a pure C3 plant diet with small (<1.4‰) seasonal variations for all four H. primigenium populations...
We present the first systematic study of Ca isotopes (d 44/40 Ca) in Late Triassic to Late Cretac... more We present the first systematic study of Ca isotopes (d 44/40 Ca) in Late Triassic to Late Cretaceous dinosaur bones and teeth (enamel and dentin) from sympatric herbivorous and carnivorous dinosaurs. The samples derive from five different localities, and data from embedding sediments are also presented. Additional d 44/40 Ca in skeletal tissues from modern reptiles and birds (avian dinosaurs) were measured for comparison in order to examine whether the original Ca isotopic composition in dinosaur skeletal apatite was preserved or might have changed during the diagenesis and fossilization process.
We present the first universal calibration of the clumped isotope thermometer for calcites of var... more We present the first universal calibration of the clumped isotope thermometer for calcites of various mineralizing types. These are an eggshell of an ostrich, a tropical bivalve, a brachiopod shell, cold seep carbonate, and three foraminifera samples that grew between 9 and 38°C. CaCO 3 was digested at 90°C using a common acid bath. Considering a difference in phosphoric acid fractionation factors between reaction at 25 and 90°C of 0.069& , the function between growth temperature T and the excess of 13 C-18 O bonds in the evolved CO 2 is expressed by a linear regression between 1/T 2 and absolute D 47 (R 2 = 0.9915):
American journal of physical anthropology, Jan 11, 2015
Here we report bone phosphate oxygen (δ(18) Op ) values from perinates/neonates and infants (<... more Here we report bone phosphate oxygen (δ(18) Op ) values from perinates/neonates and infants (<3.5 years; n = 32); children (4-12 years; n = 12); unsexed juveniles (16-18 years; n = 2); and adult bones (n = 17) from Wharram Percy, North Yorkshire, England, in order to explore the potential of this method to investigate patterns of past breastfeeding and weaning. In prior studies, δ(15) N and δ(13) C analyses of bone collagen have been utilized to explore weaning age in this large and well-studied assemblage, rendering this material highly appropriate for the testing and development of this alternative method targeting the inorganic phase of bone. Data produced reveal (18) O-enrichment in the youngest perinatal/neonatal and infant samples, and an association between age and bone δ(18) Op (and previously-published δ(15) N values), with high values in both these isotope systems likely due to breastfeeding. After the age of 2-3 years, δ(18) Op values are lower, and all children betwee...
Background: Several felids are endangered and threatened by the illegal wildlife trade. Establish... more Background: Several felids are endangered and threatened by the illegal wildlife trade. Establishing geographic origin of tissues of endangered species is thus crucial for wildlife crime investigations and effective conservation strategies. As shown in other species, stable isotope analysis of hydrogen and oxygen in hair (dD h , d 18 O h ) can be used as a tool for provenance determination. However, reliably predicting the spatial distribution of dD h and d 18 O h requires confirmation from animal tissues of known origin and a detailed understanding of the isotopic routing of dietary nutrients into felid hair.
The carbon, oxygen, and strontium isotope composition of enamel from teeth of large Miocene herbi... more The carbon, oxygen, and strontium isotope composition of enamel from teeth of large Miocene herbivorous mammals from Sandelzhausen (MN5, late Early/ early Middle Miocene) in the North Alpine foreland basin, were analyzed to infer diet and habitat. The mean enamel d 13 C value of -11.4 ± 1.0% (n = 53) for the nine taxa analyzed (including proboscideans, cervids, suids, chalicotheres, equids, rhinocerotids) indicates a pure C 3 plant diet for all mammals. 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios of *0.710 higher than those from teeth of the western Molasse Basin (0.708-0.709) seem to indicate preferential feeding of the mammals in the northeastern Molasse Basin. The sympatric herbivores have different mean d 13 C and d 18 O values which support diet partitioning and/or use of different habitats within a C 3 plant ecosystem. Especially the three sympatric rhinoceroses Plesiaceratherium fahlbuschi, Lartetotherium sansaniense, and Prosantorhinus germanicus show clear partitioning of plants and/or habitats. The palaeomerycid Germanomeryx fahlbuschi was a canopy folivore in moderately closed environments whereas Metaschizotherium bavaricum (Chalicotheriidae) and P. germanicus (Rhinocerotidae) were browsers in more closed forest environments. The horse Anchitherium aurelianense was probably a more generalized feeder than assumed from its dental morphology. The forest hog Hyotherium soemmeringi has the highest d 13 C and lowest d 18 O value of all analyzed taxa, possibly related to a frugivorous diet. Most taxa were water-dependent browsers that record meteoric water d 18 O values of about -5.6 ± 0.7% Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water (VSMOW). Using a modern-day mean annual air temperature (MAT)-d 18 O H 2 O relation a MAT of 19.3 ± 1.5°C can be reconstructed for Sandelzhausen. A Gomphotherium subtapiroideum tusk serially sampled for d 18 O values does not record a clear pattern of seasonality. Thus most taxa were C 3 browsers in a forested and humid floodplain environment in the Molasse Basin, which experienced a warm-temperate to subtropical climate and possibly low seasonality.
In the present study, bone histology and isotope composition (C, N, O) of a femur and three postc... more In the present study, bone histology and isotope composition (C, N, O) of a femur and three postcranial osteoderms from an approximately 23-25 year-old captive female Alligator mississippiensis Daudin, 1802 were analyzed to infer the recorded life history. The number of visible annual growth marks in the femur cross-section is less than the known age for the individual concerned, this information clearly shows that skeletochronology has certain limits. However, bone histology reflects very well the traceable life history of this individual and its slow growth in early ontogeny. Bone histology on the basis of the osteoderms shows massive remodeling and an only incompletely preserved growth record, reflecting the egg-laying status of this individual. Interestingly, the carbon and especially the nitrogen isotope compositions of the osteoderms differ from those of the femur. This presumably reflects dietary changes and/or differences in resorption and remodeling processes during tissue formation of these bones. The N, C, and O isotope composition of the femur is consistent with the food and water the alligator had ingested during the last years of its life. Thus, contrary to the osteoderms, the femur yields reliable data for the reconstruction of an individual's dietary and environmental history.
The herbivorous sauropod dinosaurs of the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods were the largest terres... more The herbivorous sauropod dinosaurs of the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods were the largest terrestrial animals ever, surpassing the largest herbivorous mammals by an order of magnitude in body mass. Several evolutionary lineages among Sauropoda produced giants with body masses in excess of 50 metric tonnes by conservative estimates. With body mass increase driven by the selective advantages of large body size, animal lineages will increase in body size until they reach the limit determined by the interplay of bauplan, biology, and resource availability. There is no evidence, however, that resource availability and global physicochemical parameters were different enough in the Mesozoic to have led to sauropod gigantism.
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