An isotopic approach for assessing synergies among extinction drivers on Late Pleistocene megafauna in the Argentine Pampas

Jonathan E. Bellinzoni*, Luciano O. Valenzuela, Ricardo A. Bonini, Louise Fuchs, Gustavo N. Gómez, Pamela G. Steffan, José L. Prado

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

The extinction of megafauna in the Americas was among the most severe worldwide. In both North and South America, human hunting and the ecological effects of climate change were attributed as the leading causes of extinction. We hypothesize that megamammal populations were not adaptively vulnerable as has been proposed previously and that different megafauna species responded differently to climate and humans. To test this hypothesis, we used stable isotope analysis (δ13C, δ18O) of mineral phase bioapatite from megamammal remains from archaeological and paleontological sites located in the Argentine Pampas (Buenos Aires province) and covering the last ∼ 16–11 cal ka BP, the time bin of the arrival and first human occupations in the region. We then computed Bayesian mixing models and reconstructed the isotopic niches of different megamammal taxa. We reconstruct aspects of the megamammal community structure during the initial period of human occupation and set qualitative and quantitative bases to predict potential shifts in their isotopic niches. Our results show that the megafauna of the Argentine Pampas during the latest Pleistocene had different habitats and food preferences, spanning a wide range of trophic categories. These findings are essential to evaluate how different megamammal species responded to human and climatic pressures leading to their eventual extinction.

Original languageEnglish
Article number104687
JournalJournal of Archaeological Science: Reports
Volume58
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 Elsevier Ltd

Funding

To Gustavo Neme, Sayuri Kochi, and Nahuel Scheifler, for organizing the symposium \u201CPuentes metodol\u00F3gicos entre la paleoecolog\u00EDa y la arqueolog\u00EDa para modelar la interacci\u00F3n entre las sociedades y los animales\u201D, within the \u201CVI Congreso Nacional de Zooarqueolog\u00EDa Argentina\u201D congress. We extend our gratitude to Marcela Bax and Ariadna Flores from the LAPREI-INCUAPA, for their assistance in the pretreatment of the samples. We would also like to thank Gustavo Politis and Pablo Messineo for providing us with access to the megamammal samples from Campo Laborde and La Moderna for analysis, and Hernan Quiroga for his support in obtaining the megamammal samples from the Museo de las Ciencias from Olavarria. Lastly, we express our appreciation to Milagros Rios Malan and Pablo Messineo for their comments on an earlier version of this manuscript, and to Sofia Barquet for her helpful suggestions on English grammar.

FundersFunder number
Agencia Nacional de Promocion Cientifica y Tecnica
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas (CONICET)PUE-0079
Not addedPID2021-126933NB-100
Not addedI-COOPB 20589
Not addedPICT 2019-03480

    Keywords

    • Isotopic niche
    • Mixing models
    • Palaeoecology
    • South America
    • Stable isotope analyses

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