Shev Gene T, De Cupere Bea, Brozou Anastasia, Fuller Benjamin T, Mannino Marcello A, Peters Joris, Van Neer Wim, Bouillon Steven, Ottoni Claudio
Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.
Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium.
PLoS One. 2025 Aug 1;20(8):e0328991. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0328991. eCollection 2025.
Bone collagen of terrestrial and marine animals (n = 218) recovered from Ottoman period contexts at Aqaba Castle, Jordan (16th-19th centuries CE), were analyzed for δ13C, δ15N, and δ2H isotope ratios. While δ13C and δ15N values showed considerable overlap among species in the hyperarid environment, δ2H values exhibited less overlap, enhancing stable isotopic niche differentiation. In domesticates, δ2H values show trophic enrichments of +18.4‰ from herbivores to omnivores (dogs), and +26‰ to cats which had the highest δ2H values. Fish δ2H values show a positive relationship with increasing trophic level but also moderately correlate with body size (r = 0.61, R2 = 0.37). The offset between collagen δ2H and rainfall (δ2Hmw) values is smaller for camels (-1.4‰), sheep (-4.5‰), and goats (+6.8%), than for chickens (-18.5‰) and cattle (-27.0‰) due to more frequent consumption of 2H-depleted groundwater by the latter species, because of their higher water requirements. Similarities between local precipitation and bone collagen δ2H values for most terrestrial herbivores suggest the utility of δ2H values for geographic provenancing. This is explored by overlapping gazelle and chukar collagen δ2H values over a regional δ2Hmw isoscape, tentatively suggesting these species inhabited the water-stressed highland environments surrounding Aqaba Castle. This study demonstrates the advantages of incorporating bone collagen δ2H values alongside δ13C and δ15N values as a useful environmental proxy, enhancing interpretations of animal dietary behaviour, trophic levels, water sources, and wild animal home ranges.
对从约旦亚喀巴城堡奥斯曼时期遗址（公元16至19世纪）出土的陆生和海洋动物骨骼胶原蛋白（n = 218）进行了δ13C、δ15N和δ2H同位素比率分析。虽然在极端干旱环境中，δ13C和δ15N值在物种间存在相当大的重叠，但δ2H值的重叠较少，这增强了稳定同位素生态位分化。在驯化动物中，δ2H值显示从食草动物到杂食动物（狗）有+18.4‰的营养富集，到δ2H值最高的猫有+26‰的营养富集。鱼类的δ2H值与营养级增加呈正相关，但也与体型适度相关（r = 0.61，R2 = 0.37）。骆驼（-1.4‰）、绵羊（-4.5‰）和山羊（+6.8%）的胶原蛋白δ2H与降雨（δ2Hmw）值之间的偏移小于鸡（-18.5‰）和牛（-27.0‰），因为后几种物种由于需水量较高，更频繁地消耗贫氘地下水。大多数陆生食草动物的当地降水与骨骼胶原蛋白δ2H值之间的相似性表明δ2H值在地理溯源方面的实用性。通过将瞪羚和石鸡的胶原蛋白δ2H值叠加在区域δ2Hmw等时线上进行探索，初步表明这些物种栖息在亚喀巴城堡周围水资源紧张的高地环境中。这项研究证明了将骨骼胶原蛋白δ2H值与δ13C和δ15N值一起作为有用的环境指标的优势，增强了对动物饮食行为、营养级、水源和野生动物活动范围的解释。
