Diet and species-specific oxygen isotope relationship and isotope spacing between structural carbonate and phosphate in archaeological mammalian bones
Goehring A, Von Carnap-Bornheim C, Hilberg V, Mayr C, Grupe G (2019)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2019
Journal
Book Volume: 11
Pages Range: 2467-2487
Journal Issue: 6
DOI: 10.1007/s12520-018-0704-9
Abstract
Stable oxygen isotopes of bone structural carbonate (δ 18 O carbonate ) and phosphate (δ 18 O phosphate ) are frequently used for paleoclimatological and paleoenvironmental studies. In several studies, the more conveniently measureable δ 18 O carbonate values are measured, and δ 18 O phosphate values are approximated according to published regressions. We studied a variety of individuals (n = 101) of different wild and domesticated mammal species (n = 19) from the Viking Haithabu and medieval Schleswig sites in Northern Germany and demonstrated that a generalized relationship between δ 18 O carbonate and δ 18 O phosphate with a fixed value for oxygen isotope spacing (Δδ 18 O) is potentially error-prone. The Δδ 18 O values of our data set differ considerably from the commonly applied, fixed value of about 9 ‰ with values ranging from 3.8 to 8.1 ‰ (μ = 6.1 ‰ ± 0.9 ‰). Statistically significant differences in the Δδ 18 O values and marked differences in linear models established for the relationship between δ 18 O carbonate and δ 18 O phosphate are related to species-specific diet and physiology. Therefore, such species-specific particularities must not be neglected. We conclude that this variability does no longer permit an approximation of oxygen isotope values of bone phosphate from carbonate, because δ 18 O phosphate values approximated in such a way are highly error-prone. Parallel analyses of both δ 18 O carbonate and δ 18 O phosphate values are therefore indispensable.
Authors with CRIS profile
Involved external institutions
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU)
Germany (DE)
Zentrum für Baltische und Skandinavische Archäologie (ZBSA)
Germany (DE)
Stiftung Schleswig-Holsteinische Landesmuseen Schloss Gottorf
Germany (DE)
Germany (DE)
Zentrum für Baltische und Skandinavische Archäologie (ZBSA)
Germany (DE)
Stiftung Schleswig-Holsteinische Landesmuseen Schloss Gottorf
Germany (DE)
How to cite
APA:
Goehring, A., Von Carnap-Bornheim, C., Hilberg, V., Mayr, C., & Grupe, G. (2019). Diet and species-specific oxygen isotope relationship and isotope spacing between structural carbonate and phosphate in archaeological mammalian bones. Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 11(6), 2467-2487. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12520-018-0704-9
MLA:
Goehring, Andrea, et al. "Diet and species-specific oxygen isotope relationship and isotope spacing between structural carbonate and phosphate in archaeological mammalian bones." Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 11.6 (2019): 2467-2487.
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