title: Zinc Isotope Ratios as Indicators of Diet and Trophic Level in Arctic Marine Mammals.
abstract: Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios of bone collagen are an established method for dietary reconstruction, but this method is limited by the protein preservation. Zinc (Zn) is found in bioapatite and the isotopic compositions of this element constitute a very promising dietary indicator. The extent of fractionation of Zn isotopes in marine environments, however, remains unknown. We report here on the measurement of zinc, carbon and nitrogen isotopes in 47 marine mammals from the archaeological site of Arvik in the Canadian Arctic. We undertook this study to test and demonstrate the utility of Zn isotopes in recent mammal bone minerals as a dietary indicator by comparing them to other isotopic dietary tracers. We found a correlation between δ66Zn values and trophic level for most species, with the exception of walruses, which may be caused by their large seasonal movements. δ6Zn values can therefore be used as a dietary indicator in marine ecosystems for both modern and recent mammals.
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Human Evolution, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Klervia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jaouen
authors.affiliation: University of British Columbia, Department of Anthropology, Vancouver Campus, 6303 NW Marine Drive, Vancouver, BC Canada, V6T 1Z1.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Szpak
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Human Evolution, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.|University of British Columbia, Department of Anthropology, Vancouver Campus, 6303 NW Marine Drive, Vancouver, BC Canada, V6T 1Z1.
authors.forename: Michael P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Richards
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001110:Arctic Regions; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000737:chemistry; D002247:Carbon Isotopes / Q000032:analysis; D003094:Collagen / Q000737:chemistry; D004032:Diet; D020387:Food Chain; D005843:Geography; D008322:Mammals / Q000502:physiology*; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes / Q000032:analysis; D046048:Seals, Earless / Q000502:physiology; D001503:Ursidae / Q000502:physiology; D014856:Walruses / Q000502:physiology; D015033:Zinc Isotopes / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes; D015033:Zinc Isotopes; D003094:Collagen