Isotopic paleoecology (δ¹³C) of mesoherbivores from Late Pleistocene of Gruta da Marota, Andaraí, Bahia, Brazil

ABSTRACT

The Marota Cave (Andaraí municipality, Bahia, Brazil), located in the karst system of the Una – Utinga basin, Chapada Diamantina, is a cave of particular interest for the paleoecological understanding of the Brazilian Intertropical Region. In the present work, we present new records of the tapir Tapirus terrestris (Linnaeus, 1758), the anteater Tamandua tetradactyla Linnaeus, 1758, and the giants ground sloths Catonyx cuvieri (Lund, 1839) and Nothrotherium maquinense (Lund, 1839). We present inferences about the body mass and radiocarbon dating (¹⁴C AMS) in association with mathematical models of linear regressions using isotopic values of carbon (δ¹³C), which provide new information about the paleoecology and chronology of these species. The ¹⁴C AMS datings showed an age around11.000 years for all the studied fossils, placing the records in the Late Pleistocene. The carbon isotopic values presented for T. terrestris were −17.21 ‰, for C. cuvieri was −11.19 ‰, and N. maquinense −11.99 ‰ and −12.12 ‰. These data allow us to suggest T. terrestris, C. cuvieri and N. maquinense as specialists, feeding more on C₃ plants (p_iC₃ > 80%). The information obtained from (δ¹⁸O) varying from 4.06 ‰ to −0.08 ‰ (µδ¹⁸O = −1.94 ‰), associated with δ¹³C data, suggests a forested environment in the region around 11,000 yr ago.

KEYWORDS:

• Isotopic Paleoecology
• cave
• mammals
• Quaternary
• Brazilian Intertropical Region

Acknowledgments

To Mr. Tete, guardian of the Marota Cave, which allowed us to collect these fossils, and carry out this work. To the anonymous reviewers, for the valuable suggestions which improve the quality of our manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

To CNPq by financial support through Universal project [process 404684/2016-5] and for the research fellowship to MATD [process 308122/2016-0].