A bio‐available strontium isoscape for eastern Beringia: a tool for tracking landscape use of Pleistocene megafauna

ABSTRACT Numerous paleoecological questions concern the mobility of ancient fauna in eastern Beringia. Strontium (Sr) isotope ratio (87Sr/86Sr) analysis has emerged as a powerful tracer for determining the provenance of ancient biological materials. However, it is important to characterize 87Sr/86Sr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of quaternary science 2021-01, Vol.36 (1), p.76-90
Main Authors: Funck, Juliette, Bataille, Clement, Rasic, Jeffrey, Wooller, Matthew
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alaska
Biological materials
bison
Fauna
Isotope ratios
Learning algorithms
Machine learning
Megafauna
Mobility
Oxygen
Paleoecology
Pleistocene
provenance
Regression analysis
rodents
Stable isotopes
Steppes
Strontium
Strontium 87
Strontium isotopes
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Summary:ABSTRACT Numerous paleoecological questions concern the mobility of ancient fauna in eastern Beringia. Strontium (Sr) isotope ratio (87Sr/86Sr) analysis has emerged as a powerful tracer for determining the provenance of ancient biological materials. However, it is important to characterize 87Sr/86Sr variation across a landscape. We measured the 87Sr/86Sr composition of teeth from present‐day, herbivorous rodents (n = 162) sampled from across eastern Beringia to estimate bio‐available 87Sr/86Sr values. We compiled these data with the very limited number of previously published 87Sr/86Sr values from the region. We then used this dataset and a machine learning, random‐forest regression to predict bio‐available 87Sr/86Sr variations across eastern Beringia. As a case study using our new 87Sr/86Sr map (isoscape), we measured the 87Sr/86Sr and oxygen stable isotope values (δ18O) of five radiocarbon‐dated steppe bison from eastern Beringia and compared these to our 87Sr/86Sr isoscape and a δ18O isoscape to estimate the probable landscape use of these ancient fauna. Our model and isoscape provide important foundations for a wide range of additional applications, including studies of the paleo‐mobility of other fauna, ancient people and present‐day fauna in eastern Beringia.
ISSN:0267-8179
1099-1417
DOI:10.1002/jqs.3262