What question did this study set out to answer?

To assess temporal, regional, and taxonomic dietary shifts in early hominins using carbon isotope records and evaluate their relationship to chewing anatomy.

June 3, 2013Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesOpen Access

Isotopic evidence of early hominin diets

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Authors

MSMatt SponheimerUniversity of Colorado Boulder ZAZeresenay AlemsegedUniversity of Chicago TCThure E. CerlingUniversity of Utah

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Isotopic analysis reveals an evolutionary shift toward C4 and CAM plant consumption in early hominins, suggesting dietary diversification drove masticatory robusticity.

Key Points

To assess temporal, regional, and taxonomic dietary shifts in early hominins using carbon isotope records and evaluate their relationship to chewing anatomy.
Synthesized stable carbon isotope data from early hominin fossil records across eastern and southern Africa spanning from before 4 Ma to after 2.5 Ma.
Compared isotopic variations across hominin taxa and evaluated correlations between carbon isotope ratios, postcanine tooth area, and mandibular cross-sectional area.
Hominin diets prior to 4 Ma were dominated by C3 resources, transitioning by approximately 3.5 Ma to include variable amounts of 13C-enriched C4 or CAM foods.
By about 2.5 Ma, eastern African Paranthropus diverged toward specialized C4/CAM feeding, whereas other taxa such as Australopithecus africanus maintained mixed C3/C4 diets.
Increases in 13C-enriched dietary intake positively correlated with expansions in postcanine tooth area and mandibular cross-sectional dimensions.

Cite This Study

Sponheimer et al. (2013) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6aae13d1ecac975d84cd527d https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1222579110

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Implication

Isotopic analysis reveals an evolutionary shift toward C4 and CAM plant consumption in early hominins, suggesting dietary diversification drove masticatory robusticity.

Isotopic evidence of early hominin diets

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

Isotopic evidence of early hominin diets

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

Also Consider

Also Consider