Isotope in collagen

The 8 C values of the Preclassic humans at Cuello (Table 2.1) average -12.9 0.9%o (n = 28) in collagen, -9.8 1.0 in bone apatite (n = 16), and -8.7 2.3%o in tooth enamel apatite (n = 33) the S N values in collagen average 8.9 1.0%o (n = 23). The discrepancy in the number of specimens is due to the fact that more teeth were available than post-cranial material, while some of the specimens contained insufficient collagen to measure the nitrogen isotope ratios. Additional bone apatite analyses are in progress. 

Table 2.2. Carbon isolope values in collagen of modern and ancicni fauna wiih C3 plant diets. The isotope values for ancient armadillo were not included in the average since they dearly consumed some C4 plants.

Fizet, M., Mariotti, A. and Bocherens, H. 1995 Effect of diet, physiology and climate on carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes of collagen in a Late Pleistocene anthropic palaeoecosystem Marillac, Charente, France. Journal of Archaeological Science 22 67-79. 

Bocherens, H., Pacaud, G., Lazarev, P. and Mariotti, A. 1996 Stable isotope abundances ( C, N) in collagen and soft tissues from Pleistocene mammals from Yakutia. Implications for the paleobiology of the mammoth steppe. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatolology, Palaeoecology 126 31. ... 

NOTE ADDED IN PROOF This manuscript had been submitted shortly after the presentation of the paper at the Fourth Advanced Seminar on Pale-odiet, 1994. Ongoing research, especially stable isotope analysis of single amino acids from inoculated and non-inoculated marten bones (same specimens as in this paper) further and strongly support our conclusion that bacterial modifica-tion causes substantial shifts in collagen stable isotope ratios (Balzer et fl/. 1997). 

This paper will address three subjects a) carbon isotopic composition of bone carbonate b) the possible role of hpid metabolism in determining frae-tionation between bone carbonate and collagen and its apparent trophic signature and c) concepts of routing of carbon isotopes in the body, especially from protein foods to collagen. The discussion will be limited to carbon isotope ratios C C/ C), although we appreciate that N/ N ratios, which are also very useful in determining trophic levels and somces of protein, present similar biochemical problems. 

Diet-Tissue Differences in Collagen and Hair Nitrogen Isotopes... 

Kirsanow K., Makarewicz, C., Tuross, N. (2008). Stable oxygen (8i 0) and hydrogen (8D) isotopes in ovicaprid dentinal collagen record seasonal variation. Journal of Archaeological Science Vol. 35, No. 12, pp. 3159-3167. 

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