PALEOBIOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE ISOTOPIC SIGNATURES (C-13, N-15) OF FOSSIL MAMMAL COLLAGEN IN SCLADINA CAVE (SCLAYN, BELGIUM)

An isotopic investigation of upper Pleistocene mammal bones and teeth from Scladina cave (Sclayn, Belgium) demonstrated the very good qualit y of collagen preservation. A preliminary screening of the samples use d the amount of nitrogen in whole bone and dentine in order to estimat e the preserved amount of collagen before starting the extraction proc ess. The isotopic abundances of fossil specimens from still-extant spe cies are consistent with their trophic position, Moreover, the N-15 is otopic abundance is higher in dentine than in bone in bears and hyenas , a phenomenon already observed in modern specimens, These results dem onstrate that the isotopic compositions of samples from Scladina cave can be interpreted in ecological terms. Mammoths exhibit a high N-15 i sotopic abundance relative to other herbivores, as was the case in Sib erian and Alaskan samples, These results suggest distinctive dietary a daptations in herbivores living in the mammoth steppe, Cave bears are clearly isotopically different from coeval brown bears, suggesting an ecological separation between species, with a pure vegetarian diet for care bear and an omnivorous diet for brown bear. (C) 1997 University of Washington.