Paleodiet, ecology, and extinction of Pleistoceneé gomphotheres (Proboscidea) from the Pampean Region (Argentina)

[EN] To reconstruct the paleodiet and habitat preference of gomphotheres, we measured the carbon and oxygen isotope composition of 32 bone and tooth samples of Stegomastodon platensis (AMEGHINO, 1888) from 10 different Pleistocene localities in Pampean Region (Argentina). In order to compare the dif...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Sánchez Chillón, Begoña, Prado, José Luis, Alberdi, María Teresa
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2003
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/8408
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/8408
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Pleistocene
Mammals
Stegomastodon platensis
Paleodiet
Ecology
Extinction
Pleistoceno
Mamíferos
Paleodieta
Ecología
Extinción
Descripción
Sumario:[EN] To reconstruct the paleodiet and habitat preference of gomphotheres, we measured the carbon and oxygen isotope composition of 32 bone and tooth samples of Stegomastodon platensis (AMEGHINO, 1888) from 10 different Pleistocene localities in Pampean Region (Argentina). In order to compare the different stratigraphic levels we have divided the samples in two groups: middle and late Pleistocene. Samples from the middle Pleistocene are more homogeneous, with a range of 13C values between –9.0 to –5.9‰. This data indicates a mixed C3 y C4 diet. On the contrary, samples from late Pleistocene show a wide range of diet adaptation (with a range 13C values between –12.11 to –6.09 ‰), since specimens that indicate an exclusively C3 diet from latest Pleistocene, to others with a mixedfeeder diet. Several nutritional hypotheses to explain late Pleistocene extinctions adopt the assumption that extinct taxa had specialized diets. The resource partitioning preference of Stegomastodon platensis from latest Pleistocene supports in part this hypothesis.