Stable carbon isotopes in deep time : the diets of fossil fauna and hominids
Doctoral Thesis
1989
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University of Cape Town
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Abstract
This thesis describes the development, testing and application of a technique for extending carbon isotopic dietary tracing millions of years in time,. using the mineral phase of calcified tissues (apatite) as alternative sample material to collagen. The results reported here provide empirical evidence for the validity of the technique. Investigation of the isotopic relationships between diet, collagen and apatite, using a large sample of modem fauna with known diets, confirms that the isotopic relationship between collagen and apatite changes with trophic level.
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Bibliography: pages 126-148.
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Lee-Thorp, J. 1989. Stable carbon isotopes in deep time : the diets of fossil fauna and hominids. University of Cape Town.