Diet composition and prey choice in prehistoric human individuals from Northwest Patagonia: An application of species distribution and isotope mixing models

MOSCARDI B; BERNAL V; ARAUJO M; GORDON F.; COBOS V; LEE R; RINDEL D; GONZALEZ P; DELLA NEGRA C.; PEREZ S.I.; BRACHETTA APORTA N

American Journal of Biological Anthropology

John Wiley and Sons Inc

Año: 2022 vol. 179 p. 568 - 584

Objectives: Ancient hunter-gatherer diets were heterogeneous, varying substantiallyacross time and space, and frequently showing considerable intrapopulation variation.The diet composition of these human groups depended primarily on resourceavailability, but also on the active selection of certain prey due to different bioculturalfactors. In this context, we explore resource availability, diet composition,and prey choice in the human populations of the Middle-Late Holocene from NorthwestPatagonia.Material and Methods: We employ species distribution models using current andzooarchaeological data to estimate species availability throughout Northwest Patagonia,and we use Bayesian stable isotope mixing models on a large number of samplesto analyze human diet composition at the individual level during the Middle-LateHolocene. Finally, we calculate a prey selectivity index to address the different dietarychoices of human individuals in the region.Results: Our results show large differences in species available for consumptionthroughout the region, as well as a high dietary variation between human individuals,which is mainly related to their spatial location. Some species, such as guanaco, werewidely distributed and consumed in the region. Notably, species of small mammalswere actively selected in several areas, indicating greater importance in human dietsthan previously appreciated.Discussion: Species availability does not appear as the only factor driving humandiets in the region, since prey choice seems to have been a recurring phenomenonamong these populations. The novel approach used in this study overcomes severallimitations of previous studies employing isotopic analysis in prehistoric human diets,allowing new insights into the bioarchaeology of the region.