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Using strontium isotopes to determine philopatry and dispersal in primates: a case study from Kibale National Park.
- Source :
-
Royal Society open science [R Soc Open Sci] 2021 Feb 10; Vol. 8 (2), pp. 200760. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Feb 10. - Publication Year :
- 2021
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Abstract
- Strontium isotope ratios ( <superscript>87</superscript> Sr/ <superscript>86</superscript> Sr) allow researchers to track changes in mobility throughout an animal's life and could theoretically be used to reconstruct sex-biases in philopatry and dispersal patterns in primates. Dispersal patterns are a life-history variable that correlate with numerous aspects of behaviour and socio-ecology that are elusive in the fossil record. The present study demonstrates that the standard archaeological method used to differentiate between 'local' and 'non-local' individuals, which involves comparing faunal isotopic ratios with environmental isotopic minima and maxima, is not always reliable; aspects of primate behaviour, local environments, geologic heterogeneity and the availability of detailed geologic maps may compromise its utility in certain situations. This study instead introduces a different methodological approach: calculating offset values to compare <superscript>87</superscript> Sr/ <superscript>86</superscript> Sr of teeth with that of bone or local environments. We demonstrate this method's effectiveness using data from five species of primates, including chimpanzees, from Kibale National Park, Uganda. Tooth-to-bone offsets reliably indicate sex-biases in dispersal for primates with small home ranges while tooth-to-environment offset comparisons are more reliable for primates with larger home ranges. Overall, tooth-to-environment offsets yield the most reliable predictions of species' sex-biases in dispersal.<br /> (© 2021 The Authors.)
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 2054-5703
- Volume :
- 8
- Issue :
- 2
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Royal Society open science
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 33972840
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.200760