Skip to main content

Vicky M. Oelze

University of California, Santa Cruz, Anthropology, Faculty Member

Followers

20

Following

4

Co-author

1

Public Views

Stevie Carnation

Maria Cristina Serrangeli

University College Dublin

University of Kent

Sarah Freidline

Stanley Mertzman

Università degli Studi "La Sapienza" di Roma

Interests

Uploads

Papers by Vicky M. Oelze

Competing siblings and invested first time mothers: Weaning patterns in wild bonobos (Pan paniscus) revealed by stable isotope analysis

AABA abstract, Mar 1, 2020

The 2020 AAPA abstract issue includes 1222 peer-reviewed scienti c papers, which will be presente... more The 2020 AAPA abstract issue includes 1222 peer-reviewed scienti c papers, which will be presented in either podium or poster sessions at the annual meeting in Los Angeles, California. Once again, our program is truly international, with scientists from all over the world including Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. We are pleased to be joined in Los Angeles by our partner organizations, the Paleopathology Association (PPA), the Human Biology Association (HBA), the American Association for Anthropological Genetics (AAAG), and the Dental Anthropology Association (DAA) and the Paleoanthropology Society (PAS). Abstracts are presented alphabetically by the last name of the rst author. The abstracts illustrate the remarkable capabilities of our discipline, covering a broad range of research topics, with global reach and spanning incredible time depth. A total of 24 invited symposia (6 podium sessions and 18 poster sessions) included 314 abstracts. Contributed abstract submissions totaled 909. Broken down by sub eld, these include Bioarchaeology (224), Primatology (197), Paleoanthropology (127), Human Biology (108), Functional Anatomy and Tissue Biology (93), Genetics and Genomics (82), Forensics (61) and Education in Biological Anthropology (16). My sincere thanks to everyone who helped organize the 2020 meetings, including review of abstracts. We are immensely grateful to the 49 remarkable and dedicated members of our Program Committee, who conducted and completed reviews thoughtfully, thoroughly, and expeditiously. Thanks are due to our extraordinary business partners, Lori Strong and her team (from Burk & Associates), as well as Ed Hagen (our webmaster, app developer, and member of the Los Angeles Advance Team). We also thank the Los Angeles Advance Team. Our program assistant, Kathleen McGuire, has been a tremendous help, as have the Of cers and other members of the Executive Committee. Special thanks to Leslie Aiello and Anne Grauer for aiding production of our annual meetings in many ways. Finally, we extend our most sincere thanks to the Local Arrangements Committee, Drs. Kristi Lewton and Stephanie Meredith.

Little evidence of C4 plant consumption in mound building Macrotermes termites from six savanna woodland chimpanzee sites across Africa

Research at the University of Copenhagen (University of Copenhagen), Mar 1, 2020

The 2020 AAPA abstract issue includes 1222 peer-reviewed scienti c papers, which will be presente... more The 2020 AAPA abstract issue includes 1222 peer-reviewed scienti c papers, which will be presented in either podium or poster sessions at the annual meeting in Los Angeles, California. Once again, our program is truly international, with scientists from all over the world including Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. We are pleased to be joined in Los Angeles by our partner organizations, the Paleopathology Association (PPA), the Human Biology Association (HBA), the American Association for Anthropological Genetics (AAAG), and the Dental Anthropology Association (DAA) and the Paleoanthropology Society (PAS). Abstracts are presented alphabetically by the last name of the rst author. The abstracts illustrate the remarkable capabilities of our discipline, covering a broad range of research topics, with global reach and spanning incredible time depth. A total of 24 invited symposia (6 podium sessions and 18 poster sessions) included 314 abstracts. Contributed abstract submissions totaled 909. Broken down by sub eld, these include Bioarchaeology (224), Primatology (197), Paleoanthropology (127), Human Biology (108), Functional Anatomy and Tissue Biology (93), Genetics and Genomics (82), Forensics (61) and Education in Biological Anthropology (16). My sincere thanks to everyone who helped organize the 2020 meetings, including review of abstracts. We are immensely grateful to the 49 remarkable and dedicated members of our Program Committee, who conducted and completed reviews thoughtfully, thoroughly, and expeditiously. Thanks are due to our extraordinary business partners, Lori Strong and her team (from Burk & Associates), as well as Ed Hagen (our webmaster, app developer, and member of the Los Angeles Advance Team). We also thank the Los Angeles Advance Team. Our program assistant, Kathleen McGuire, has been a tremendous help, as have the Of cers and other members of the Executive Committee. Special thanks to Leslie Aiello and Anne Grauer for aiding production of our annual meetings in many ways. Finally, we extend our most sincere thanks to the Local Arrangements Committee, Drs. Kristi Lewton and Stephanie Meredith.

Seasonality and niche partitioning among sympatric gorillas and chimpanzees in Loango National Park (Gabon) revealed by stable isotope analysis

Mobility and diet in Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age Germany : evidence from multiple isotope analysis

The first appearance of the Neolithic Linearbandkeramik (LBK) in Central Germany occurred during ... more The first appearance of the Neolithic Linearbandkeramik (LBK) in Central Germany occurred during the 6 th millennium BC. However, though LBK sites are abundant in the German loess areas, there are only a few studies that reconstruct the diet of these first farmers using biochemical methods. Here we present the largest study undertaken to date on LBK material using stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen to reconstruct human diet and animal husbandry strategies. We analysed the bone collagen of 97 human individuals and 45 associated animals from the sites of Derenburg, Halberstadt and Karsdorf in the Middle Elbe-Saale region of Central Germany. Mean adult human values are-19.9 ±0.4 ‰ for δ 13 C and 8.7 ±0.8‰ for δ 15 N. The δ 13 C values are typical for terrestrial, temperate European regions, whereas the δ 15 N values fall within an expected range for farming societies with a mixed diet consisting of products from domestic animals and plants. The consumption of unfermented dairy products is unlikely as there is direct palaeogenetic evidence of lactose intolerance available for one of the sites. There are no clear indications for dietary differences in sex. Young children under three years of age are enriched in δ 15 N due to breastfeeding indicating that weaning likely occurred around the age of three years. The fauna exhibit mean δ 13 C values of-20.9 ±0.8‰ and mean δ 15 N values of 7.0 ±0.9‰ respectively. Variation in the δ 13 C and δ 15 N in the domestic animals is probably caused by different livestock managements.

Niche differentiation and dietary seasonality among sympatric gorillas and chimpanzees in Loango National Park (Gabon) revealed by stable isotope analysis

Journal of Human Evolution, 2014

The feeding ecology of sympatric great ape species yields valuable information for palaeodietary ... more The feeding ecology of sympatric great ape species yields valuable information for palaeodietary reconstructions in sympatric early hominin species. However, no isotopic references on sympatrically living apes and their feeding ecology are currently available. Here we present the first isotopic study on sympatric great apes, namely western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) and central chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) from Loango National Park, Gabon. We successfully analyzed the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in a selection of food plants (n ¼ 31) and hair samples (n ¼ 30) retrieved from sleeping nests to test whether niche partitioning among sympatric chimpanzees and gorillas is detectable using isotope analysis of hair. Ape hair strands with roots were sectioned into sequential segments (n ¼ 100) to investigate temporal isotopic variation related to seasonal variations in food resources. We found significant d 13 C differences between herbaceous plants and fruits, most likely due to canopy effects. While the d 13 C values of chimpanzees indicate the consumption of fruit, the low d 13 C values in gorilla hair indicate folivory, most likely the consumption of 13 C-depleted herbaceous vegetation. Our isotopic data also confirmed dietary overlap between chimpanzees and gorillas, which varied by season. Gorillas showed significant variation in d 13 C values in response to season due to shifting proportions of herbaceous plants versus fruits. In chimpanzees, significant seasonal variation in d 15 N was likely related to the seasonal availability of fruit species with particularly high d 15 N values. In summary, we found isotopic evidence for niche partitioning and seasonal dietary variation among sympatric great apes at Loango. These findings provide a valuable reference for palaeodietary research on fossil hominins using d 13 C analyses, particularly for studies focusing on sympatric taxa and on temporal isotopic variation within incremental tissues such as tooth enamel.

Reconstructing temporal variation in great ape and other primate diets: A methodological framework for isotope analyses in hair

American Journal of Primatology, Nov 3, 2015

Stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen in hair provides a versatile tool for reconstructi... more Stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen in hair provides a versatile tool for reconstructing feeding behavior in elusive primate species. Particularly in great apes, researchers can sample long hair completely non-invasively from nests, allowing the investigation of inter-and intra-individual dietary variation. Given its incremental growth pattern, hair records temporal shifts in diet over long periods and allows one to reconstruct seasonal dietary patterns in species that cannot be directly observed. However, as for other sample materials, there are potential drawbacks related to the properties of hair keratin. Here I review some important facts on the nature of primate hair and also introduce new isotopic data from infant bonobo hair to provide methodological recommendations for future sample collection in the field and sample preparation in the laboratory. While these methodological guidelines focus on great apes which can be sampled strictly non-invasively, I also consider applications to other free-ranging primates. The biochemical composition, growth cycle, isotope turnover rate and isotopic fractionation in hair keratin are particularly relevant for data analysis and interpretation. Also, one can microscopically identify infant hairs and analyze them separately to study nursing and weaning behavior in primates. The goal of this article is to encourage primatologists to analyze the stable isotope ratios of hair to assess primate feeding ecology. Am. J. Primatol.

White-gutted soldiers: simplification of the digestive tube for a non-particulate diet in higher Old World termites (Isoptera: Termitidae)

Insectes Sociaux, Jul 12, 2017

Previous observations have noted that in some species of higher termites the soldier caste lacks ... more Previous observations have noted that in some species of higher termites the soldier caste lacks pigmented particles in its gut and, instead, is fed worker saliva that imparts a whitish coloration to the abdomen. In order to investigate the occurrence of this trait more thoroughly, we surveyed a broad diversity of termite specimens and taxonomic descriptions from the Old World subfamilies Apicotermitinae, Cubitermitinae, Foraminitermitinae, Macrotermitinae, and Termitinae. We identified 38 genera that have this ''white-gutted'' soldier (WGS) trait. No termite soldiers from the New World were found to possess a WGS caste. Externally, the WGS is characterized by a uniformly pale abdomen, hyaline gut, and proportionally smaller body-to-head volume ratio compared with their ''dark-gutted'' soldier (DGS) counterparts found in most termitid genera. The WGS is a fully formed soldier that, unlike soldiers in other higher termite taxa, has a small, narrow, and decompartmentalized digestive tube that lacks particulate food contents. The presumed saliva-nourished WGS have various forms of simplified gut morphologies that have evolved at least six times within the higher termites.

Meat eating frequencies in wild chimpanzees - The effect of absolute meat amounts, hunt participation and female reproductive state on the delta N-15 ratios of hair

The 87th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, Austin, TX, Apr 17, 2018

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the 2018 meeting of the American Association of Physica... more It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the 2018 meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists. This year's meeting is our 87th, and will be held in Austin, Texas. The main conference hotel, the Hyatt Regency Austin, is located on the shores of the Colorado River and is in a perfect location just across the bridge from downtown Austin. Our programming officially begins on Wednesday, April 11th, with the Committee on Diversity Undergraduate Research Symposium (open to everyone from 6:00-8:00 pm) and the Opening Reception (8:00-11:00 pm). This year we will kick off the main scientific program on Wednesday evening with an invited poster symposium (IDEAS Alumni Symposium: Creating and Supporting Diverse Communities within the AAPA, organized by Felicia Gomez, Ripan Malhi, Agustín Fuentes, and Susan Antón) and a contributed poster session (Education in Anthropology, chaired by Elizabeth Evangelou and Tessa Somogyi), which describes recent research on best practices in classroom and museum teaching. These poster sessions run from 8:00-11:00 pm, just down the hall from the Opening Reception. All Wednesday events take place at our second conference hotel, Downtown Austin's JW Marriott. from 7:00-8:00 am and noon-1 pm; given the early start we will have breakfast available) followed by a poster switchover from 1:00-1:30 pm. The afternoon session begins at 1:30 pm (with authors present from 1:30-2:30 pm) and an end time of 7:00 pm on Thursday, 6:30 pm on Friday, and 6:00 pm on Saturday in order to accommodate the Auction, Business Meeting, and Closing Reception, respectively (see details below). Poster authors are present for the last hour of the afternoon contributed poster sessions (6:00-7:00 pm on Thursday, 5:30-6:30 pm on Friday, and 5:00-6:00 pm on Saturday). The late start (2:30 pm) of podium presentations and invited poster symposia allows dedicated time for viewing of posters as well as an assortment of lunchtime events and workshops. Given the complexity of our meetings, we are fortunate to again have an AAPA Meetings App, developed by Ed Hagen, to help us track times and locations! The app is available for both Android and Apple.

Die Toten aus der keltischen Nekropole von Hattersheim a.M

Great ape isotope ecology – moving beyond general patterns

American Journal of Physical Anthropology, Apr 1, 2017

Stratigraphy of stable isotope ratios and leaf structure within an African rainforest canopy with implications for primate isotope ecology

Scientific Reports, Jul 9, 2021

The canopy effect describes vertical variation in the isotope ratios of carbon (δ 13 C), oxygen (... more The canopy effect describes vertical variation in the isotope ratios of carbon (δ 13 C), oxygen (δ 18 O) and partially nitrogen (δ 15 N) within plants throughout a closed canopy forest, and may facilitate the study of canopy feeding niches in arboreal primates. However, the nuanced relationship between leaf height, sunlight exposure and the resulting variation in isotope ratios and leaf mass per area (LMA) has not been documented for an African rainforest. Here, we present δ 13 C, δ 18 O and δ 15 N values of leaves (n = 321) systematically collected from 58 primate food plants throughout the canopy (0.3 to 42 m) in Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa. Besides leaf sample height and light availability, we measured leaf nitrogen and carbon content (%N, %C), as well as LMA (n = 214) to address the plants' vertical resource allocations. We found significant variation in δ 13 C, δ 18 O and δ 15 N, as well as LMA in response to height in combination with light availability and tree species, with low canopy leaves depleted in 13 C, 18 O and 15 N and slightly higher in %N compared to higher canopy strata. While this vertical isotopic variation was not well reflected in the δ 13 C and δ 15 N of arboreal primates from this forest, it did correspond well to primate δ 18 O values.

RESEARCH ARTICLE Reconstructing Temporal Variation in Great Ape and Other Primate Diets: A Methodological Framework for Isotope Analyses in Hair

Stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen in hair provides a versatile tool for reconstructi... more Stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen in hair provides a versatile tool for reconstructing feeding behavior in elusive primate species. Particularly in great apes, researchers can sample long hair completely non-invasively from nests, allowing the investigation of inter-and intra-individual dietary variation. Given its incremental growth pattern, hair records temporal shifts in diet over long periods and allows one to reconstruct seasonal dietary patterns in species that cannot be directly observed. However, as for other sample materials, there are potential drawbacks related to the properties of hair keratin. Here I review some important facts on the nature of primate hair and also introduce new isotopic data from infant bonobo hair to provide methodological recommendations for future sample collection in the field and sample preparation in the laboratory. While these methodological guidelines focus on great apes which can be sampled strictly non-invasively, I also consider applications to other free-ranging primates. The biochemical composition, growth cycle, isotope turnover rate and isotopic fractionation in hair keratin are particularly relevant for data analysis and interpretation. Also, one can microscopically identify infant hairs and analyze them separately to study nursing and weaning behavior in primates. The goal of this article is to encourage primatologists to analyze the stable isotope ratios of hair to assess primate feeding ecology. Am. J. Primatol.

„Ich und du, Müllers Kuh…“ – Ernährung und Subsistenz im mitteldeutschen Neolithikum. Aussagepotential biochemischer Forschungen in der Anthropologie

“Neither fish nor fowl?” - Significan¬t increase of animal protein in human diet during the Neolithic in Central Germany

Identification of energy consumption and nutritional stress by isotopic and elemental analysis of urine in bonobos (Pan paniscus)

Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, 2011

A mounting body of evidence suggests that changes in energetic conditions like prolonged starvati... more A mounting body of evidence suggests that changes in energetic conditions like prolonged starvation can be monitored using stable isotope ratios of tissues such as bone, muscle, hair, and blood. However, it is unclear if urinary stable isotope ratios reflect a variation in energetic condition, especially if these changes in energetic condition are accompanied by shifts in dietary composition. In a feeding experiment conducted on captive bonobos (Pan paniscus), we monitored urinary δ13C, δ15N, total C (carbon), total N (nitrogen), and C/N ratios and compared these results with glucocorticoid levels under gradually changing energy availability and dietary composition. Measurements of daily collected urine samples over a period of 31 days showed that while shifts in urinary isotope signatures of δ13C and δ15N as well as total C were best explained by changes in energy consumption, urinary total N excretion as well as the C/N ratios matched the variation in dietary composition. Furtherm...

Exploring the contribution and significance of animal protein in the diet of bonobos by stable isotope ratio analysis of hair

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2011

In primates, age, sex, and social status can strongly influence access to food resources. InPan, ... more In primates, age, sex, and social status can strongly influence access to food resources. InPan, these criteria are assumed to influence access to vertebrate meat. However, the significance of meat in terms of its role in the nutrition ofPanis still debated. Here we present a study using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in hair samples from habituated, wild bonobos (Pan paniscus) to explore these issues. Over a period of 5 mo hair samples were collected from fresh bonobo nests at LuiKotale, Democratic Republic of Congo. Hair samples were assigned to known individuals and were of sufficient length to allow the evaluation of isotopic variation over several months. Samples of plant foods and sympatric fauna were also analyzed. The δ13C and δ15N results of the bonobo hair were remarkably homogeneous over time and for the group as a whole. There are no differences in diet between the sexes. Within the group of males, however, there was a positive correlation between dominance st...

Early Neolithic diet and animal husbandry: stable isotope evidence from three Linearbandkeramik (LBK) sites in Central Germany

Journal of Archaeological Science, 2011

The first appearance of the Neolithic Linearbandkeramik (LBK) in Central Germany occurred during ... more The first appearance of the Neolithic Linearbandkeramik (LBK) in Central Germany occurred during the 6th millennium BC. However, though LBK sites are abundant in the German loess areas, there are only a few studies that reconstruct the diet of these first farmers using biochemical methods. Here we present the largest study undertaken to date on LBK material using stable isotope

Monitoring nutritional stress with urinary delta N-15 and c/n ratios in captive bonobos

A bioavailable strontium isoscape of Angola with implications for the archaeology of the transatlantic slave trade

Journal of Archaeological Science

A skew in poo: Biases in primate fecal isotope analysis and recommendations for standardized sample preparation

American Journal of Primatology

Competing siblings and invested first time mothers: Weaning patterns in wild bonobos (Pan paniscus) revealed by stable isotope analysis

AABA abstract, Mar 1, 2020

The 2020 AAPA abstract issue includes 1222 peer-reviewed scienti c papers, which will be presente... more The 2020 AAPA abstract issue includes 1222 peer-reviewed scienti c papers, which will be presented in either podium or poster sessions at the annual meeting in Los Angeles, California. Once again, our program is truly international, with scientists from all over the world including Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. We are pleased to be joined in Los Angeles by our partner organizations, the Paleopathology Association (PPA), the Human Biology Association (HBA), the American Association for Anthropological Genetics (AAAG), and the Dental Anthropology Association (DAA) and the Paleoanthropology Society (PAS). Abstracts are presented alphabetically by the last name of the rst author. The abstracts illustrate the remarkable capabilities of our discipline, covering a broad range of research topics, with global reach and spanning incredible time depth. A total of 24 invited symposia (6 podium sessions and 18 poster sessions) included 314 abstracts. Contributed abstract submissions totaled 909. Broken down by sub eld, these include Bioarchaeology (224), Primatology (197), Paleoanthropology (127), Human Biology (108), Functional Anatomy and Tissue Biology (93), Genetics and Genomics (82), Forensics (61) and Education in Biological Anthropology (16). My sincere thanks to everyone who helped organize the 2020 meetings, including review of abstracts. We are immensely grateful to the 49 remarkable and dedicated members of our Program Committee, who conducted and completed reviews thoughtfully, thoroughly, and expeditiously. Thanks are due to our extraordinary business partners, Lori Strong and her team (from Burk & Associates), as well as Ed Hagen (our webmaster, app developer, and member of the Los Angeles Advance Team). We also thank the Los Angeles Advance Team. Our program assistant, Kathleen McGuire, has been a tremendous help, as have the Of cers and other members of the Executive Committee. Special thanks to Leslie Aiello and Anne Grauer for aiding production of our annual meetings in many ways. Finally, we extend our most sincere thanks to the Local Arrangements Committee, Drs. Kristi Lewton and Stephanie Meredith.

Little evidence of C4 plant consumption in mound building Macrotermes termites from six savanna woodland chimpanzee sites across Africa

Research at the University of Copenhagen (University of Copenhagen), Mar 1, 2020

The 2020 AAPA abstract issue includes 1222 peer-reviewed scienti c papers, which will be presente... more The 2020 AAPA abstract issue includes 1222 peer-reviewed scienti c papers, which will be presented in either podium or poster sessions at the annual meeting in Los Angeles, California. Once again, our program is truly international, with scientists from all over the world including Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. We are pleased to be joined in Los Angeles by our partner organizations, the Paleopathology Association (PPA), the Human Biology Association (HBA), the American Association for Anthropological Genetics (AAAG), and the Dental Anthropology Association (DAA) and the Paleoanthropology Society (PAS). Abstracts are presented alphabetically by the last name of the rst author. The abstracts illustrate the remarkable capabilities of our discipline, covering a broad range of research topics, with global reach and spanning incredible time depth. A total of 24 invited symposia (6 podium sessions and 18 poster sessions) included 314 abstracts. Contributed abstract submissions totaled 909. Broken down by sub eld, these include Bioarchaeology (224), Primatology (197), Paleoanthropology (127), Human Biology (108), Functional Anatomy and Tissue Biology (93), Genetics and Genomics (82), Forensics (61) and Education in Biological Anthropology (16). My sincere thanks to everyone who helped organize the 2020 meetings, including review of abstracts. We are immensely grateful to the 49 remarkable and dedicated members of our Program Committee, who conducted and completed reviews thoughtfully, thoroughly, and expeditiously. Thanks are due to our extraordinary business partners, Lori Strong and her team (from Burk & Associates), as well as Ed Hagen (our webmaster, app developer, and member of the Los Angeles Advance Team). We also thank the Los Angeles Advance Team. Our program assistant, Kathleen McGuire, has been a tremendous help, as have the Of cers and other members of the Executive Committee. Special thanks to Leslie Aiello and Anne Grauer for aiding production of our annual meetings in many ways. Finally, we extend our most sincere thanks to the Local Arrangements Committee, Drs. Kristi Lewton and Stephanie Meredith.

Seasonality and niche partitioning among sympatric gorillas and chimpanzees in Loango National Park (Gabon) revealed by stable isotope analysis

Mobility and diet in Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age Germany : evidence from multiple isotope analysis

The first appearance of the Neolithic Linearbandkeramik (LBK) in Central Germany occurred during ... more The first appearance of the Neolithic Linearbandkeramik (LBK) in Central Germany occurred during the 6 th millennium BC. However, though LBK sites are abundant in the German loess areas, there are only a few studies that reconstruct the diet of these first farmers using biochemical methods. Here we present the largest study undertaken to date on LBK material using stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen to reconstruct human diet and animal husbandry strategies. We analysed the bone collagen of 97 human individuals and 45 associated animals from the sites of Derenburg, Halberstadt and Karsdorf in the Middle Elbe-Saale region of Central Germany. Mean adult human values are-19.9 ±0.4 ‰ for δ 13 C and 8.7 ±0.8‰ for δ 15 N. The δ 13 C values are typical for terrestrial, temperate European regions, whereas the δ 15 N values fall within an expected range for farming societies with a mixed diet consisting of products from domestic animals and plants. The consumption of unfermented dairy products is unlikely as there is direct palaeogenetic evidence of lactose intolerance available for one of the sites. There are no clear indications for dietary differences in sex. Young children under three years of age are enriched in δ 15 N due to breastfeeding indicating that weaning likely occurred around the age of three years. The fauna exhibit mean δ 13 C values of-20.9 ±0.8‰ and mean δ 15 N values of 7.0 ±0.9‰ respectively. Variation in the δ 13 C and δ 15 N in the domestic animals is probably caused by different livestock managements.

Niche differentiation and dietary seasonality among sympatric gorillas and chimpanzees in Loango National Park (Gabon) revealed by stable isotope analysis

Journal of Human Evolution, 2014

The feeding ecology of sympatric great ape species yields valuable information for palaeodietary ... more The feeding ecology of sympatric great ape species yields valuable information for palaeodietary reconstructions in sympatric early hominin species. However, no isotopic references on sympatrically living apes and their feeding ecology are currently available. Here we present the first isotopic study on sympatric great apes, namely western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) and central chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) from Loango National Park, Gabon. We successfully analyzed the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in a selection of food plants (n ¼ 31) and hair samples (n ¼ 30) retrieved from sleeping nests to test whether niche partitioning among sympatric chimpanzees and gorillas is detectable using isotope analysis of hair. Ape hair strands with roots were sectioned into sequential segments (n ¼ 100) to investigate temporal isotopic variation related to seasonal variations in food resources. We found significant d 13 C differences between herbaceous plants and fruits, most likely due to canopy effects. While the d 13 C values of chimpanzees indicate the consumption of fruit, the low d 13 C values in gorilla hair indicate folivory, most likely the consumption of 13 C-depleted herbaceous vegetation. Our isotopic data also confirmed dietary overlap between chimpanzees and gorillas, which varied by season. Gorillas showed significant variation in d 13 C values in response to season due to shifting proportions of herbaceous plants versus fruits. In chimpanzees, significant seasonal variation in d 15 N was likely related to the seasonal availability of fruit species with particularly high d 15 N values. In summary, we found isotopic evidence for niche partitioning and seasonal dietary variation among sympatric great apes at Loango. These findings provide a valuable reference for palaeodietary research on fossil hominins using d 13 C analyses, particularly for studies focusing on sympatric taxa and on temporal isotopic variation within incremental tissues such as tooth enamel.

Reconstructing temporal variation in great ape and other primate diets: A methodological framework for isotope analyses in hair

American Journal of Primatology, Nov 3, 2015

Stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen in hair provides a versatile tool for reconstructi... more Stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen in hair provides a versatile tool for reconstructing feeding behavior in elusive primate species. Particularly in great apes, researchers can sample long hair completely non-invasively from nests, allowing the investigation of inter-and intra-individual dietary variation. Given its incremental growth pattern, hair records temporal shifts in diet over long periods and allows one to reconstruct seasonal dietary patterns in species that cannot be directly observed. However, as for other sample materials, there are potential drawbacks related to the properties of hair keratin. Here I review some important facts on the nature of primate hair and also introduce new isotopic data from infant bonobo hair to provide methodological recommendations for future sample collection in the field and sample preparation in the laboratory. While these methodological guidelines focus on great apes which can be sampled strictly non-invasively, I also consider applications to other free-ranging primates. The biochemical composition, growth cycle, isotope turnover rate and isotopic fractionation in hair keratin are particularly relevant for data analysis and interpretation. Also, one can microscopically identify infant hairs and analyze them separately to study nursing and weaning behavior in primates. The goal of this article is to encourage primatologists to analyze the stable isotope ratios of hair to assess primate feeding ecology. Am. J. Primatol.

White-gutted soldiers: simplification of the digestive tube for a non-particulate diet in higher Old World termites (Isoptera: Termitidae)

Insectes Sociaux, Jul 12, 2017

Previous observations have noted that in some species of higher termites the soldier caste lacks ... more Previous observations have noted that in some species of higher termites the soldier caste lacks pigmented particles in its gut and, instead, is fed worker saliva that imparts a whitish coloration to the abdomen. In order to investigate the occurrence of this trait more thoroughly, we surveyed a broad diversity of termite specimens and taxonomic descriptions from the Old World subfamilies Apicotermitinae, Cubitermitinae, Foraminitermitinae, Macrotermitinae, and Termitinae. We identified 38 genera that have this ''white-gutted'' soldier (WGS) trait. No termite soldiers from the New World were found to possess a WGS caste. Externally, the WGS is characterized by a uniformly pale abdomen, hyaline gut, and proportionally smaller body-to-head volume ratio compared with their ''dark-gutted'' soldier (DGS) counterparts found in most termitid genera. The WGS is a fully formed soldier that, unlike soldiers in other higher termite taxa, has a small, narrow, and decompartmentalized digestive tube that lacks particulate food contents. The presumed saliva-nourished WGS have various forms of simplified gut morphologies that have evolved at least six times within the higher termites.

Meat eating frequencies in wild chimpanzees - The effect of absolute meat amounts, hunt participation and female reproductive state on the delta N-15 ratios of hair

The 87th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, Austin, TX, Apr 17, 2018

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the 2018 meeting of the American Association of Physica... more It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the 2018 meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists. This year's meeting is our 87th, and will be held in Austin, Texas. The main conference hotel, the Hyatt Regency Austin, is located on the shores of the Colorado River and is in a perfect location just across the bridge from downtown Austin. Our programming officially begins on Wednesday, April 11th, with the Committee on Diversity Undergraduate Research Symposium (open to everyone from 6:00-8:00 pm) and the Opening Reception (8:00-11:00 pm). This year we will kick off the main scientific program on Wednesday evening with an invited poster symposium (IDEAS Alumni Symposium: Creating and Supporting Diverse Communities within the AAPA, organized by Felicia Gomez, Ripan Malhi, Agustín Fuentes, and Susan Antón) and a contributed poster session (Education in Anthropology, chaired by Elizabeth Evangelou and Tessa Somogyi), which describes recent research on best practices in classroom and museum teaching. These poster sessions run from 8:00-11:00 pm, just down the hall from the Opening Reception. All Wednesday events take place at our second conference hotel, Downtown Austin's JW Marriott. from 7:00-8:00 am and noon-1 pm; given the early start we will have breakfast available) followed by a poster switchover from 1:00-1:30 pm. The afternoon session begins at 1:30 pm (with authors present from 1:30-2:30 pm) and an end time of 7:00 pm on Thursday, 6:30 pm on Friday, and 6:00 pm on Saturday in order to accommodate the Auction, Business Meeting, and Closing Reception, respectively (see details below). Poster authors are present for the last hour of the afternoon contributed poster sessions (6:00-7:00 pm on Thursday, 5:30-6:30 pm on Friday, and 5:00-6:00 pm on Saturday). The late start (2:30 pm) of podium presentations and invited poster symposia allows dedicated time for viewing of posters as well as an assortment of lunchtime events and workshops. Given the complexity of our meetings, we are fortunate to again have an AAPA Meetings App, developed by Ed Hagen, to help us track times and locations! The app is available for both Android and Apple.

Die Toten aus der keltischen Nekropole von Hattersheim a.M

Great ape isotope ecology – moving beyond general patterns

American Journal of Physical Anthropology, Apr 1, 2017

Stratigraphy of stable isotope ratios and leaf structure within an African rainforest canopy with implications for primate isotope ecology

Scientific Reports, Jul 9, 2021

The canopy effect describes vertical variation in the isotope ratios of carbon (δ 13 C), oxygen (... more The canopy effect describes vertical variation in the isotope ratios of carbon (δ 13 C), oxygen (δ 18 O) and partially nitrogen (δ 15 N) within plants throughout a closed canopy forest, and may facilitate the study of canopy feeding niches in arboreal primates. However, the nuanced relationship between leaf height, sunlight exposure and the resulting variation in isotope ratios and leaf mass per area (LMA) has not been documented for an African rainforest. Here, we present δ 13 C, δ 18 O and δ 15 N values of leaves (n = 321) systematically collected from 58 primate food plants throughout the canopy (0.3 to 42 m) in Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa. Besides leaf sample height and light availability, we measured leaf nitrogen and carbon content (%N, %C), as well as LMA (n = 214) to address the plants' vertical resource allocations. We found significant variation in δ 13 C, δ 18 O and δ 15 N, as well as LMA in response to height in combination with light availability and tree species, with low canopy leaves depleted in 13 C, 18 O and 15 N and slightly higher in %N compared to higher canopy strata. While this vertical isotopic variation was not well reflected in the δ 13 C and δ 15 N of arboreal primates from this forest, it did correspond well to primate δ 18 O values.

RESEARCH ARTICLE Reconstructing Temporal Variation in Great Ape and Other Primate Diets: A Methodological Framework for Isotope Analyses in Hair

Stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen in hair provides a versatile tool for reconstructi... more Stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen in hair provides a versatile tool for reconstructing feeding behavior in elusive primate species. Particularly in great apes, researchers can sample long hair completely non-invasively from nests, allowing the investigation of inter-and intra-individual dietary variation. Given its incremental growth pattern, hair records temporal shifts in diet over long periods and allows one to reconstruct seasonal dietary patterns in species that cannot be directly observed. However, as for other sample materials, there are potential drawbacks related to the properties of hair keratin. Here I review some important facts on the nature of primate hair and also introduce new isotopic data from infant bonobo hair to provide methodological recommendations for future sample collection in the field and sample preparation in the laboratory. While these methodological guidelines focus on great apes which can be sampled strictly non-invasively, I also consider applications to other free-ranging primates. The biochemical composition, growth cycle, isotope turnover rate and isotopic fractionation in hair keratin are particularly relevant for data analysis and interpretation. Also, one can microscopically identify infant hairs and analyze them separately to study nursing and weaning behavior in primates. The goal of this article is to encourage primatologists to analyze the stable isotope ratios of hair to assess primate feeding ecology. Am. J. Primatol.

„Ich und du, Müllers Kuh…“ – Ernährung und Subsistenz im mitteldeutschen Neolithikum. Aussagepotential biochemischer Forschungen in der Anthropologie

“Neither fish nor fowl?” - Significan¬t increase of animal protein in human diet during the Neolithic in Central Germany

Identification of energy consumption and nutritional stress by isotopic and elemental analysis of urine in bonobos (Pan paniscus)

Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, 2011

A mounting body of evidence suggests that changes in energetic conditions like prolonged starvati... more A mounting body of evidence suggests that changes in energetic conditions like prolonged starvation can be monitored using stable isotope ratios of tissues such as bone, muscle, hair, and blood. However, it is unclear if urinary stable isotope ratios reflect a variation in energetic condition, especially if these changes in energetic condition are accompanied by shifts in dietary composition. In a feeding experiment conducted on captive bonobos (Pan paniscus), we monitored urinary δ13C, δ15N, total C (carbon), total N (nitrogen), and C/N ratios and compared these results with glucocorticoid levels under gradually changing energy availability and dietary composition. Measurements of daily collected urine samples over a period of 31 days showed that while shifts in urinary isotope signatures of δ13C and δ15N as well as total C were best explained by changes in energy consumption, urinary total N excretion as well as the C/N ratios matched the variation in dietary composition. Furtherm...

Exploring the contribution and significance of animal protein in the diet of bonobos by stable isotope ratio analysis of hair

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2011

In primates, age, sex, and social status can strongly influence access to food resources. InPan, ... more In primates, age, sex, and social status can strongly influence access to food resources. InPan, these criteria are assumed to influence access to vertebrate meat. However, the significance of meat in terms of its role in the nutrition ofPanis still debated. Here we present a study using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in hair samples from habituated, wild bonobos (Pan paniscus) to explore these issues. Over a period of 5 mo hair samples were collected from fresh bonobo nests at LuiKotale, Democratic Republic of Congo. Hair samples were assigned to known individuals and were of sufficient length to allow the evaluation of isotopic variation over several months. Samples of plant foods and sympatric fauna were also analyzed. The δ13C and δ15N results of the bonobo hair were remarkably homogeneous over time and for the group as a whole. There are no differences in diet between the sexes. Within the group of males, however, there was a positive correlation between dominance st...

Early Neolithic diet and animal husbandry: stable isotope evidence from three Linearbandkeramik (LBK) sites in Central Germany

Journal of Archaeological Science, 2011

The first appearance of the Neolithic Linearbandkeramik (LBK) in Central Germany occurred during ... more The first appearance of the Neolithic Linearbandkeramik (LBK) in Central Germany occurred during the 6th millennium BC. However, though LBK sites are abundant in the German loess areas, there are only a few studies that reconstruct the diet of these first farmers using biochemical methods. Here we present the largest study undertaken to date on LBK material using stable isotope

Monitoring nutritional stress with urinary delta N-15 and c/n ratios in captive bonobos

A bioavailable strontium isoscape of Angola with implications for the archaeology of the transatlantic slave trade

Journal of Archaeological Science

A skew in poo: Biases in primate fecal isotope analysis and recommendations for standardized sample preparation

American Journal of Primatology