« Previous AbstractPheromone biosynthesis in bark beetles    Next AbstractSystems scale assessment of the sustainability implications of emerging green initiatives »

Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom

Title:		Stable isotope ((13)C/(12)C and (15)N/(14)N) composition of the woolly rhinoceros Coelodonta antiquitatis horn suggests seasonal changes in the diet
Author(s):		Tiunov AV; Kirillova IV;
Address:		"Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS, Leninsky Prospect 33, Moscow 119071, Russia. a_tiunov@mail.ru"
Journal Title:		Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom
Year:		2010
Volume:		24
Issue:		21
Page Number:		3146 - 3150
DOI:		10.1002/rcm.4755
ISSN/ISBN:		1097-0231 (Electronic) 0951-4198 (Linking)
Abstract:		"The extinct woolly rhinoceros Coelodonta antiquitatis is a prominent member of the Mammuthus-Coelodonta faunal complex, but its biology is poorly known, partly because very few specimens with well-preserved soft tissues have been discovered to date. However, the permafrost-preserved horns of the woolly rhinoceros are recording structures which contain isotopic records of the diet, environmental conditions and physiological status of the animal during most of its life. In this study we report the first data on the pattern of carbon ((13)C/(12)C) and nitrogen ((15)N/(14)N) isotopic composition along the nasal horn of woolly rhinoceros. We found systematic variations in delta(13)C and delta(15)N values associated with morphologically expressed transverse banding of the horn. The comparative analysis of isotopic variation in keratinous tissues of extant and extinct herbivores suggests that the oscillation in isotopic composition of the horn was induced by seasonal changes in the diet. Although the compiled evidence is in part contradictory, we suggest that more positive delta(13)C and delta(15)N values associated with dark-colored and less dense zones of the horn indicate a summer diet. More dense and light-colored zones of the horn have lower delta(13)C and delta(15)N values possibly indicating a larger proportion of woody and shrub vegetation in the winter diet. The validity of these conclusions has to be proven in further investigations, but our data underline the potential of isotopic analysis for studies on diet and habitat use by extinct members of Pleistocene fauna"
Keywords:		Animals Carbon Isotopes/*analysis Diet *Fossils Horns/*chemistry Mass Spectrometry Nitrogen Isotopes/*analysis Perissodactyla/*metabolism Reproducibility of Results Russia Seasons;
Notes:		"MedlineTiunov, Alexei V Kirillova, Irina V eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2010/10/14 Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom. 2010 Nov 15; 24(21):3146-50. doi: 10.1002/rcm.4755"