Isotopic tracking of seasonal dietary change in dentine collagen: preliminary data from modern caribou

Abstract

Isotopic investigations of reindeer, one of the main meat resources for Upper Palaeolithic humans of southwestern France, led to palaeoecological hypotheses that need modern equivalents to be tested. A relevant reference modern population is aimed with the Kaminuriak caribou. Amounts of carbon-13 and nitrogen-15 measured on collagen from teeth roots reflect a short-term record representative of different time life periods of the animal. Reindeer winter diet based on lichen consumption and body protein recycling seems pictured with characteristic isotopic signatures.