Paleoecology of Pleistocene megafauna in southern Nevada: Isotopic evidence for browsing on halophytic plants
Lael Vetter, Department of Geology, University of California Davis
Matthew S. Lachniet, Department of Geoscience, University of Nevada Las Vegas
Stephen M. Rowland, Department of Geoscience, University of Nevada Las Vegas
Stable
isotopic techniques are emergent as a powerful tool for paleoecological
reconstructions of Neogene terrestrial mammals. Reconstructions of herbivore
diet may be augmented by correlation with paleofloral analyses. The Las Vegas
Valley in southern Nevada contains a diverse Late Pleistocene fossil
assemblage. Pleistocene packrat midden and pollen data for the Mojave Desert
provide an independent, site-specific record of vegetation during pluvial
climate. This study investigates the diets of four megafaunal genera (Mammuthus, Equus, Bison, and Camelops) using δ13C
signatures preserved in tooth enamel. These fossils were recovered from a Late
Pleistocene spring mound in the northwestern Las Vegas Valley; radiocarbon
tests constrain the age of these fossils to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The
δ13C values from the three grazing genera (Mammuthus, Equus, and Bison) indicate that these animals
consumed C3 and C4 grasses in the naturally occurring
proportion, which locally consisted primarily of C3 grasses. The
δ13C values from Camelops indicate the highest proportion of C4
plants consumed. Independent vegetation records, paired with
paleoclimatological reconstructions, indicate a low abundance of C4
grasses during the LGM, but a moderate abundance of the halophytic C4
shrub Atriplex,
a substantial component of modern Mojave Desert vegetation. Modern camelids
prefer halophytic plants, including Atriplex. Data from this study indicate that
fossil camelids in North America also demonstrated this preference for salty
plants, and consumed browse material with a high proportion of C4
halophytic shrubs. Results from serial sampling are also presented as a
subannual record of dietary variation and seasonality. Intratooth δ13C
variation is approximately 1-2 0 in grazing taxa and 3-4 0 in the browser. Some
δ13C variation exhibits an inverse relationship with intratooth
δ18O values. This study provides new insight into isotopic
reconstructions of paleoecology in arid environments.