CARBON ISOTOPE ANALYSIS OF CERCOPITHECIDAE FROM THE SHUNGURA FORMATION, 3.3 MA-1.2 MA: DIET DURING THE TRANSITION BETWEEN DOMINANT SPECIES OF THEROPITHECUS IN THE TURKANA BASIN - CNRS - Centre national de la recherche scientifique Accéder directement au contenu
Communication Dans Un Congrès Année : 2020

CARBON ISOTOPE ANALYSIS OF CERCOPITHECIDAE FROM THE SHUNGURA FORMATION, 3.3 MA-1.2 MA: DIET DURING THE TRANSITION BETWEEN DOMINANT SPECIES OF THEROPITHECUS IN THE TURKANA BASIN

Résumé

Understanding the paleodiet of Theropithecus, a genus of Old World monkey, can provide insight into the terrestrial ecosystems of Africa in the Plio-Pleistocene. Previous analyses have highlighted the C4-dominated diet of the genus; however, the period in which T. oswaldi replaced T. brumpti as the dominant cercopithecid in the Turkana Basin (between 3.0 Ma–2.0 Ma) is not well documented. This study aimed to clarify the diet of Theropithecus through carbon isotope analysis of enamel samples from the Lower Omo Valley in Ethiopia. First, we compared the diets of five cercopithecid taxa (T. oswaldi, T. brumpti, Papio, Paracolobus mutiwa, and Rhinocolobus turkanaensis) to discern dietary niche partitioning of monkeys within the Shungura Formation. Then, we contextualized these new data on Theropithecus with previous studies to advance the spatial and temporal understanding of the dietary progression of this genus in eastern Africa. These new data show clear carbon isotope-based partitioning of cercopithecid diets in the Shungura Formation, with nearly all Theropithecus having a C4- dominated diet, Papio having a mixed C3–C4 diet, and colobines having C3-dominated diet. There is no difference in diet between T. oswaldi and T. brumpti where they are coeval. Extending into the Turkana Basin, the data show an increasingly C4-based diet of T. brumpti in the region whereas T. oswaldi shows no such shift. As the first isotopic analysis of contemporaneous samples of T. brumpti and T. oswaldi, these findings necessitate a revision of our understanding of the dietary patterns of Theropithecus, as the diet of these two species may not be as different as previously thought. Future analyses of Turkana Basin paleoecology should consider this information on cercopithecid diet, especially in regard to C3 and C4 resource availability and competition between terrestrial species for the C4 niche.
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Dates et versions

hal-04254304 , version 1 (23-10-2023)

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  • HAL Id : hal-04254304 , version 1

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Morgan Brown, Kevin T Uno, Gildas Merceron, Jean-Renaud Boisserie. CARBON ISOTOPE ANALYSIS OF CERCOPITHECIDAE FROM THE SHUNGURA FORMATION, 3.3 MA-1.2 MA: DIET DURING THE TRANSITION BETWEEN DOMINANT SPECIES OF THEROPITHECUS IN THE TURKANA BASIN. 80th annual meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, Oct 2020, New york, United States. ⟨hal-04254304⟩
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