title: Zinc isotope ratios of bones and teeth as new dietary indicators: results from a modern food web (Koobi Fora, Kenya).
abstract: In order to explore the possibilities of using zinc (Zn) stable isotope ratios as dietary indicators, we report here on the measurements of the ratio of stable isotopes of zinc ((66)Zn/(64)Zn, expressed here as δ(66)Zn) in bioapatite (bone and dental enamel) of animals from a modern food web in the Koobi Fora region of the Turkana Basin in Kenya. We demonstrate that δ(66)Zn values in both bone and enamel allow a clear distinction between carnivores and herbivores from this food web. Differences were also observed between browsers and grazers as well as between carnivores that consumed bone (i.e. hyenas) compared to those that largely consume flesh (i.e. lions). We conclude that Zn isotope ratio measurements of bone and teeth are a new and promising dietary indicator.
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 California Department of Anthropology, 9500 Gilman Dr. La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Beasley
authors.affiliation: University of California Department of Anthropology, 9500 Gilman Dr. La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schoeninger
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Human Evolution, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Jean-Jacques
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Hublin
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Human Evolution, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.|Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C., Canada, V5A 1S6.
authors.forename: Michael P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Richards
mesh_terms: D000489:Alligators and Crocodiles; D000818:Animals; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000737:chemistry*; D003743:Dental Enamel / Q000737:chemistry*; D004032:Diet; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D020387:Food Chain; D007630:Kenya; D008322:Mammals; D010944:Plants / Q000737:chemistry; D015033:Zinc Isotopes / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D015033:Zinc Isotopes