Mediterranean precipitation isoscape preserved in bone collagen δ2H

• Published in: Scientific reports 2020-05, Vol.10 (1), p.8579-8579, Article 8579
• Main Authors: Reynard, Linda M., Ryan, Saskia E., Guirguis, Michele, Contreras-Martínez, Miguel, Pompianu, Elisa, Ramis, Damià, van Dommelen, Peter, Tuross, Noreen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 631/158/2466; 704/172/169/209; Collagen; Humanities and Social Sciences; Hydrologic cycle; multidisciplinary; Precipitation; Rainfall; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Spatial variations
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-65407-0

The prehistory of the Mediterranean region has long been a subject of considerable interest, particularly the links between human groups and regions of origin. We utilize the spatial variation in the δ 2 H and δ 18 O values of precipitation (isoscapes) to develop proxies for geographic locations of fauna and humans. Bone collagen hydrogen isotope ratios (δ 2 H) in cattle (and to a lesser extent, ovicaprids) across the Mediterranean reflect the isotopic differences observed in rainfall (but δ 18 O values do not). We conclude that δ 2 H in herbivore bone collagen can be used as a geolocation tracer and for palaeoenvironmental studies such as tracing past isotopic variations in the global hydrological cycle. In contrast, human bone δ 2 H values are relatively tightly grouped and highly distinct from precipitation δ 2 H values, likely due to human-specific food practices and environmental modifications. Given the inter-species variability in δ 2 H, care should be taken in the species selected for study.