Australopithecus at Sterkfontein did not consume substantial mammalian meat

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Luedecke, Tina; Leichliter, Jennifer N.; Stratford, Dominic; Sigman, Daniel M.; Vonhof, Hubert; Haug, Gerald H.; Bamford, Marion K.; Martinez-Garcia, Alfredo
• 署名单位: Max Planck Society; Max Planck Society; University of Witwatersrand; University of Witwatersrand; State University of New York (SUNY) System; Stony Brook University; Princeton University; Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology Domain; ETH Zurich
• 刊物名称: SCIENCE
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0036-11580
• DOI: 10.1126/science.adq7315
• 发表日期: 2025-01-17
• 页码: 309-314
• 关键词: stable-isotope ratios; bone-collagen; early hominid; stone tools; nitrogen; diet; carbon; delta-c-13; variability; hypothesis

摘要

Incorporation of animal-based foods into early hominin diets has been hypothesized to be a major catalyst of many important evolutionary events, including brain expansion. However, direct evidence of the onset and evolution of animal resource consumption in hominins remains elusive. The nitrogen-15 to nitrogen-14 ratio of collagen provides trophic information about individuals in modern and geologically recent ecosystems (<200,000 years ago), but diagenetic loss of this organic matter precludes studies of greater age. By contrast, nitrogen in tooth enamel is preserved for millions of years. We report enamel-bound organic nitrogen and carbonate carbon isotope measurements of Sterkfontein Member 4 mammalian fauna, including seven Australopithecus specimens. Our results suggest a variable but plant-based diet (largely C-3) for these hominins. Therefore, we argue that Australopithecus at Sterkfontein did not engage in regular mammalian meat consumption.