Tooth enamel nitrogen isotope composition records trophic position: a tool for reconstructing food webs

Jennifer N. Leichliter; Tina Lüdecke; Alan D. Foreman; Nicolas Bourgon; Nicolas N. Duprey; Hubert Vonhof; Viengkeo Souksavatdy; Anne-Marie Bacon; Daniel M. Sigman; Thomas Tütken; Alfredo Martínez-García

doi:10.1038/s42003-023-04744-y

Communications Biology (Apr 2023)

Tooth enamel nitrogen isotope composition records trophic position: a tool for reconstructing food webs

Jennifer N. Leichliter,
Tina Lüdecke,
Alan D. Foreman,
Nicolas Bourgon,
Nicolas N. Duprey,
Hubert Vonhof,
Viengkeo Souksavatdy,
Anne-Marie Bacon,
Daniel M. Sigman,
Thomas Tütken,
Alfredo Martínez-García

Affiliations

Jennifer N. Leichliter: Organic Isotope Geochemistry Group, Climate Geochemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry
Tina Lüdecke: Organic Isotope Geochemistry Group, Climate Geochemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry
Alan D. Foreman: Organic Isotope Geochemistry Group, Climate Geochemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry
Nicolas Bourgon: Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Nicolas N. Duprey: Organic Isotope Geochemistry Group, Climate Geochemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry
Hubert Vonhof: Inorganic Gas Isotope Geochemistry Group, Climate Geochemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry
Viengkeo Souksavatdy: Department of Heritage, Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism
Anne-Marie Bacon: Université de Paris, BABEL CNRS
Daniel M. Sigman: Department of Geosciences, Princeton University
Thomas Tütken: Institute of Geosciences, Department of Applied and Analytical Paleontology, Johannes Gutenberg University
Alfredo Martínez-García: Organic Isotope Geochemistry Group, Climate Geochemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-023-04744-y
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 6, no. 1
pp. 1 – 13

Abstract

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Enamel-bound nitrogen isotopes in modern and fossil mammal teeth preserve dietary and trophic level information. This novel geochemical archive can be used to reconstruct trophic niche in ancient ecosystems.

Published in Communications Biology

ISSN: 2399-3642 (Online)
Publisher: Nature Portfolio
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science: Biology (General)
Website: https://www.nature.com/commsbio/

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