Using carbon isotope data of fossil bovid communities for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction
| dc.contributor.author | Sponheimer, Matt | |
| dc.contributor.author | Lee-Thorp, Julia A | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2018-01-24T09:36:50Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2018-01-24T09:36:50Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2003 | |
| dc.date.updated | 2016-01-13T10:27:38Z | |
| dc.description.abstract | Reconstructing palaeoenvironments is a major focus of palaeoanthropological research. While many techniques are now available for exploring past environments, fossil bovids remain amongst the most widely utilized sources of environmental information. Most studies of fossil bovids, however, assume implicitly that bovid ecology is the same now as it was in the distant past. Because such uniformitarianist assumptions are not always valid, we have developed a method to provide palaeoenvironmental information from fossil bovids that requires no ecological assumptions. Here, we show that the percentages of C<sub>3</sub> and C<sub>4</sub> vegetation-consuming bovids in modern environments generally vary according to the amount of woody vegetation present. Application of this C<sub>3</sub> / C<sub>4</sub> index to the fossil bovid assemblage at Makapansgat shows that, based on carbon isotope data, the percentage of C<sub>3</sub>-consuming bovids is high, suggesting a great deal of woody vegetation in this vicinity about 3 million years ago. | |
| dc.identifier.apacitation | Sponheimer, M., & Lee-Thorp, J. A. (2003). Using carbon isotope data of fossil bovid communities for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. <i>South African Journal of Science</i>, http://hdl.handle.net/11427/26914 | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.chicagocitation | Sponheimer, Matt, and Julia A Lee-Thorp "Using carbon isotope data of fossil bovid communities for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction." <i>South African Journal of Science</i> (2003) http://hdl.handle.net/11427/26914 | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.citation | Sponheimer, M., & Lee-Thorp, J. A. (2003). Using carbon isotope data of fossil bovid communities for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction: research articles: human origins research in South Africa. South African Journal of Science, 99(5 & 6), p-273. | |
| dc.identifier.ris | TY - Journal Article AU - Sponheimer, Matt AU - Lee-Thorp, Julia A AB - Reconstructing palaeoenvironments is a major focus of palaeoanthropological research. While many techniques are now available for exploring past environments, fossil bovids remain amongst the most widely utilized sources of environmental information. Most studies of fossil bovids, however, assume implicitly that bovid ecology is the same now as it was in the distant past. Because such uniformitarianist assumptions are not always valid, we have developed a method to provide palaeoenvironmental information from fossil bovids that requires no ecological assumptions. Here, we show that the percentages of C<sub>3</sub> and C<sub>4</sub> vegetation-consuming bovids in modern environments generally vary according to the amount of woody vegetation present. Application of this C<sub>3</sub> / C<sub>4</sub> index to the fossil bovid assemblage at Makapansgat shows that, based on carbon isotope data, the percentage of C<sub>3</sub>-consuming bovids is high, suggesting a great deal of woody vegetation in this vicinity about 3 million years ago. DA - 2003 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town J1 - South African Journal of Science LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2003 T1 - Using carbon isotope data of fossil bovid communities for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction TI - Using carbon isotope data of fossil bovid communities for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/26914 ER - | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/26914 | |
| dc.identifier.vancouvercitation | Sponheimer M, Lee-Thorp JA. Using carbon isotope data of fossil bovid communities for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. South African Journal of Science. 2003; http://hdl.handle.net/11427/26914. | en_ZA |
| dc.language.iso | eng | |
| dc.publisher.department | Department of Archaeology | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher.faculty | Faculty of Science | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher.institution | University of Cape Town | |
| dc.source | South African Journal of Science | |
| dc.source.uri | https://www.sajs.co.za/ | |
| dc.subject.other | Human remains (Archaeology) | |
| dc.subject.other | Fossil hominids | |
| dc.subject.other | Radiocarbon dating | |
| dc.subject.other | Archaeology | |
| dc.title | Using carbon isotope data of fossil bovid communities for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction | |
| dc.type | Journal Article | |
| uct.type.filetype | Text | |
| uct.type.filetype | Image |