Combining isotopic and ecomorphological data to refine bovid paleodietary reconstruction: a case study from the Makapansgat Limeworks hominin locality

The relationship between environmental change and hominin evolution remains obscure. For the most part, this stems from the difficulty of reconstructi ng ancient hominin habitats. Bovids are among the most frequently utilized paleoenvironmental indicators, but little is known about the habitat prefer ences of extinct taxa. It is generally assumed that fossil bovids both ate the same things and occupied the same habitats as their closest extant rela tives. We test the first part of this assumption by reconstructing the diet s of seven bovids from Makapansgat Limeworks, South Africa. Since diet and habitat are linked, these reconstructions have implications for our underst anding of fossil bovid habitat tolerances. Ecomorphological and stable carb on isotope analyses are employed, allowing us to take advantage of the stre ngths and overcome the weaknesses of both. In most cases, fossil bovids did have similar diets to their extant relatives, and probably occupied simila r habitats. Gazella vanhoepeni and Aepyceros sp., however, were almost excl usive browsers, and not mixed feeders like their living counterparts. (C) 1 999 Academic Press.