Isotopic tracking of seasonal dietary change in dentine collagen: preliminary data from modern caribou

Isotopic investigations of reindeer. one of the main meat resources for Upp er Palaeolithic humans of southwestern France, led to palacoecological hypo theses that need modem equivalents to be tested. A relevant reference moder n population is aimed with the Kaminuriak caribou. Amounts of carbon- 13 an d nitrogen- 15 measured on collagen from teeth roots reflect a short-term r ecord representative of different time life periods of the animal. Reindeer winter diet based on lichen consumption and body protein recycling seems p ictured with characteristic isotopic signatures. (C) 2001 Academie des scie nces / Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.