Isótopos del Carbono en la dieta de herbívoros y carnívoros de los Andes Jujeños.

FERNANDEZ, J.; PANARELLO, H.O.

Xama

Unidad de Antropología INCIHUSA-CRYCYT

Lugar: Mendoza, Argentina; Año: 2001 vol. 12/1 p. 71 - 85

ABSTRACT Bone collagen δ13C values of 37 modern herbivores and 8 modern carnivores from the Puna and Altoandina province environments are presented. The isotopic analyses show that the percentage of C4 plants can reach 30% in modern camelid diets and 35% in archaeological ones. The cases of maximum dependence on C4 plants registered up to now are the Ctenomys sp. and one llama (Lama glama) individual from Miraflores (3550 m a.s.l.). Their  δ13C values (-13.8 ?) indicate a 54% C4 - 46% C3 plant diet. In prehistoric economic systems, these collagen values could correspond to hunter gatherers or to herdsmen feeding on camelid meat with high 13C collagen content due to intense grazing on C4 fodder. Camelid 13C-enriched collagen values are thus transferred to human collagen. The analyses made suggest that, in archaeological human bone, isotopic tracers can hardly differentiate the isotopic signature of proteic 13C from the one resulting from the intake of maize, C4 cereal whose existence in the region involves a cultural innovation