To cite this record: http://ddd.uab.cat/record/99649
Trace element analyses indicative of paleodiets in Middle Miocene mammals from the Somosaguas site (Madrid, Spain)
Doming, L. (University of California. Earth and Planetary Sciences Department)
López-Martínez, N. (Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Departamento de Paleontología)
Grimes, S.T. (University of Plymouth. School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences)
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (Espanya). Instituto de Geología Económica.
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (Espanya).
Unidad de Investigación de Paleontología

Date: 2012
Abstract: Trace element analysis of fossil bone and enamel constitutes a useful tool to characterize the paleoecological behavior of mammals. Up to now, most trace element studies have focused on Plio-Pleistocene fossils. Here, we show that paleodietary inferences based on trace element analyses can be also obtained from ~14Ma old Miocene mammals, in a period of time when important paleoclimatic changes took place due to the development of the East Antarctic ice sheet. Trace element ratio (Ba/Ca, Sr/Ca) analyses have been performed on herbivore tooth enamel (gomphothere Gomphotherium angustidens, equid Anchitherium cf. A. cursor, suid Conohyus simorrensis and ruminants) across three stratigraphic levels from the Somosaguas site (Middle Miocene, Madrid Basin, Spain). Previous scanning electron microscope, rare earth element and stable isotope analyses suggested minimal diagenetic alteration of the tooth enamel samples. Trace element analyses reported here show different paleoecological behavior among the studied fossil taxa. Anchitherium cf. A. cursor shows higher Ba/Ca and Sr/Ca ratios than Gomphotherium angustidens, indicating the equid was a mixed-feeder, while the gomphothere was a browser. The enrichment in Ba/Ca and Sr/Ca ratios in the ruminants is attributed to differences in their gastrointestinal tracts and to a more grazing diet. A high variability in trace element values characterizes the suid Conohyus simorrensis, which is believed to be connected to some degree of omnivory.
Rights: Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet l'ús comercial de l'obra i de les possibles obres derivades, la distribució de les quals s'ha de fer amb una llicència igual a la que regula l'obra original.
Language: Anglès
Document: article ; recerca ; publishedVersion
Subject: Geochemistry ; Tooth enamel ; Diagenesis ; Paleoecology ; Herbivores
Published in: Geologica acta, Vol. 10, Núm. 3 (Setembre 2012) , p. 239-247, ISSN 1696-5728

DOI: 10.1344/105.000001746


13 p, 4.0 MB

The record appears in these collections:
Articles > Published articles > Geologica acta

 Record created 2012-10-17, last modified 2014-02-19



  
{"cc_re__cc_re__cc_by_sa_3_0_en": [" to a more grazing diet.  A high variability in trace element values characterizes the suid Conohyus simorrensis, which is believed to be connected to some degree of omnivory. </td>\n </tr>\n\n\n\n\n \n\n\n<tr>\n  <td class='etiqueta'>Rights:</td>\n  <td class='text'>Aquest document est\u00e0 subjecte a una llic\u00e8ncia d'\u00fas Creative Commons. Es permet l'\u00fas comercial de l'obra i de les possibles obres derivades, la distribuci\u00f3 de les quals s'ha de fer amb una llic\u00e8ncia igual a la que regula l'obra original. <a rel=\"license\" href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/es/deed.en\"><img src=\"/img/licenses/by-sa.png\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Creative Commons\"></a></td>\n </tr>\n\n\n\n<tr>\n  <td class='etiqueta'>Language:</td>\n  <td class='text'>Angl\u00e8s</td>\n </tr>\n\n\n\n\n<tr>\n  <td class='etiqueta'>Document:</td>\n  <td class='text'>article ; recerca ; publishedVersion</td>\n </tr>\n\n\n\n\n<tr>\n  <td class='etiqueta'>Subject:</td>\n  <td class='text'>\n   <a href=\"/search?f=keyword&p=Geochemistry&sc=1&ln=en\">Geochemistry</a> ; \n   <a href=\"/search?f=keyword&p=Tooth%20enamel&sc=1&ln=en\">Tooth enamel"]}