Taphonomic analysis of plant remains contained in carnivore scats in Andean South America.

MARIANA MONDINI; RODRÍGUEZ, MARÍA FERNANDA

Journal of Taphonomy

Prometheus Press & The Palaeontological Network Foundation

Año: 2006 vol. 4 p. 221 - 233

1696-0815

Plant remains contained in carnivore scats from Puna rockshelters in the Argentinean Andean Puna are analysed. Only 31% of the scats (n=16) contained plant remains, all of them corresponding to the Poaceae family. Most of these are leaf and culm parts, and only in one case seeds were identified, possibly also corresponding to the same family. The lack of fleshy fruit seeds suggests a different pattern of plant intake as compared to other areas, possibly just for purging here. Plant anatomical structure has suffered no damage from digestive acids but some softening, and all anatomical features are perfectly recognizable. Plants can thus then enter the fossil record in rockshelters in the region via carnivore scats, and this should be taken into account, especially as these are the same kind of plants most commonly introduced by humans in the past according to the regional archaeological record.