Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2021 Sep;176(1):93-108. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.24300. Epub 2021 May 8.
Gigantopithecus blacki, the largest hominoid known, is one of the representative Pleistocene mammals in southern China and northern Southeast Asia. Here we investigate the feeding ecology of G. blacki in its core habitat (Guangxi, Southern China) during the early Early Pleistocene, which was the early period in its evolution.
The stable isotopic (C, O) analysis of tooth enamel of the fauna associated with G. blacki (n = 58), including the largest number of G. blacki teeth (n = 12) to date from the Liucheng Gigantopithecus Cave (~2 Ma), Guangxi, China, is undertaken.
The δ C values of Liucheng fauna range from -12.9 to -19.0‰ with an average of -16.1 ± 1.3‰ (n = 58) and the δ O values range from -4.3 to -9.6‰ with an average of -6.9 ± 1.2‰ (n = 58). The δ C values of G. blacki range from -15.9‰ to -17.0‰ with an average of -16.5 ± 0.4‰ (n = 12), and the δ O values vary from -5.9‰ to -7.5‰ with an average of -6.6 ± 0.5‰ (n = 12).
The isotopic data show Guangxi was characterized by closed C forest and humid climate in the early Early Pleistocene. Niche partitioning is found among G. blacki, Sinomastodon, Ailuropoda and Stegodon, the typical megafauna in South China in the early Early Pleistocene. This could be one of the important factors for them to co-exist until the Middle Pleistocene. Smallest isotopic variations of G. blacki are found compared with those of contemporary animals, indicating a conservative foraging ecology i.e., limited foraging area and/or narrow dietary flexibility. Furthermore, the more confined foraging ecology of G. blacki is also seen in comparison with fossil and extant large-bodied primates. However, the unique dietary pattern of G. blacki does not seem to have hindered its survival. The environment in Guangxi during the early Early Pleistocene offered the suitable conditions for G. blacki to become one of the typical species in the faunal assemblages.
巨猿黑种，已知最大的灵长类动物之一，是中国南方和东南亚北部更新世哺乳动物的代表之一。本研究调查了巨猿黑种在其核心栖息地（中国广西）的早期更新世的食性生态，这是其进化的早期阶段。
对与巨猿黑种相关的动物群（n=58）的牙齿珐琅质进行稳定同位素（C、O）分析，包括迄今为止从中国广西柳城巨猿洞（~2 Ma）获得的最大数量的巨猿黑种牙齿（n=12）。
柳城动物群的δ C 值范围为-12.9 至-19.0‰，平均值为-16.1±1.3‰（n=58），δ O 值范围为-4.3 至-9.6‰，平均值为-6.9±1.2‰（n=58）。巨猿黑种的δ C 值范围为-15.9‰至-17.0‰，平均值为-16.5±0.4‰（n=12），δ O 值范围为-5.9‰至-7.5‰，平均值为-6.6±0.5‰（n=12）。
同位素数据表明，早更新世早期广西的特点是封闭的 C 森林和潮湿的气候。在早更新世早期的中国南方典型的大型动物群中，巨猿黑种、中华乳齿象、大熊猫和步氏巨猿之间存在生态位分化。这可能是它们共存到中更新世的重要因素之一。与同期动物相比，巨猿黑种的同位素变化最小，表明其取食生态具有保守性，即觅食范围有限，或食性灵活性较窄。此外，与化石和现生大型灵长类动物相比，巨猿黑种的取食生态也更为局限。然而，巨猿黑种独特的饮食模式似乎并没有阻碍其生存。早更新世早期广西的环境为巨猿黑种成为动物群典型物种之一提供了适宜的条件。
