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Stable Isotopic Analyses of Laetoli Fossil Herbivores

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Paleontology and Geology of Laetoli: Human Evolution in Context

Part of the book series: Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology Series ((VERT))

Abstract

In order to further refine early hominin paleoecology at Laetoli, over 500 specimens of fossil enamel and ostrich eggshell fragments collected from the Laetolil Beds and the Upper Ndolanya Beds were analyzed isotopically. The goal was to develop a high-resolution spatio-temporal framework for identifying and characterizing foraging patterns of mammalian herbivore lineages and fossil ostriches that could be used to investigate aspects of plant physiognomy and climate through the Laetoli succession. In general, dietary patterns at Laetoli suggest heterogeneous ecosystems with both C3 and C4 dietary plants available that could support grassland, woodland, and forested communities. All large-bodied mammalian herbivores analyzed yielded dietary signatures indicating mixed grazing/browsing strategies or exclusive reliance on C3 browse, more consistent with wooded than grassland-savanna biomes. Although there were no obvious uniform dietary shifts within specific mammalian herbivore groups in the sequence, the transition from the Upper Laetolil Beds to the Upper Ndolanya Beds documents a significant increase in the representation of grazing bovids. Relative to extant taxa in related lineages, the isotopic ranges of a number of Laetoli fossil herbivores are anomalous, indicating significantly more generalized intermediate C3/C4 feeding behaviors, perhaps indicative of dietary niches and habitat types with no close modern analogs. Diets of ostriches as reflected in the isotopic composition of eggshell components indicate predominantly C3 diets but with discrete isotopic shifts within the sequence linked to taxonomic and possibly environmental change.

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Acknowledgements

I thank Terry Harrison for the opportunity to ­participate in research conducted by the Eyasi Plateau Paleontological and Geological Project. The following project members contributed to the recovery of the fossil material analyzed here: P. Abwalo, P. Andrews, E. Baker, M. Bamford, R. Chami, S. Cooke, P. Ditchfield, M. Duru, C. Feibel, T.S. Harrison, T. Harrison, S. Hixson, K. Kovarovic, A. Kweka, M. Lilombero, M.L. Mbago, K. McNulty, C. Msuya, S. Odunga, C. Robinson, L. Rossouw, W.J. Sanders, L. Scott, D. Su, M. Tallman, and S. Worthington. I thank the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology and the Unit of Antiquities in Dar es Salaam for permission to conduct research in Tanzania. Special thanks go to N. Kayombo (Director General), P. Msemwa (Director), Amandus Kweka and all of the curators and staff at the National Museum of Tanzania in Dar es Salaam and Arusha for their support and assistance. Fieldwork at Laetoli and isotopic analyses were supported by grants from National Geographic Society, the Leakey Foundation, and NSF (Grants BCS-9903434 and BCS-0309513). Matt Sponheimer and an anonymous reviewer provided comments and suggestions that improved the manuscript.

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  1. Department of Anthropology, Emory University, 1557 Dickey Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA

    John D. Kingston

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  1. Center for the Study of Human Origins, Department of Anthropology, New York University, 25 Waverly Place, New York, NY, 10003, USA

    Terry Harrison

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Kingston, J.D. (2011). Stable Isotopic Analyses of Laetoli Fossil Herbivores. In: Harrison, T. (eds) Paleontology and Geology of Laetoli: Human Evolution in Context. Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9956-3_15

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