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Tracing Vegetation Changes through Carbon Isotopes

Explore how C3 and C4 plants' different photosynthetic pathways fractionate stable carbon isotopes, impacting ecosystems and human evolution. Discover the d values for C3 and C4 plants and the enrichment factor in large mammals. Compare fossil herbivore tooth enamel d13C values to those of modern herbivores to trace early human evolution environments.

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Tracing Vegetation Changes through Carbon Isotopes

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  1. Tracing Vegetation Changes through Carbon Isotopes Implication for ecosystems and human evolution

  2. C3 and C4 plants have photosynthetic pathways that fractionate stable carbon isotopes to different degrees • d values between -36.5‰(VPDB) and -22‰ for C3 • d values between -15‰ and -11‰ for C4 • ~14‰ enrichment factor in large mammals compared to their diet [Cerling et al., 1997]

  3. Extant d13C values for herbivore tooth enamel [Levin et al., 2008]

  4. d13C values in ‰ of tooth enamel for fossil herbivores from: As Duma Member SegalaNoumou Member Gona Western Margin South Adu-Asa Formation Gray bars represent d13C values for averages expected of strict C3 diet from closed-canopy, C3 from forest/bushland, and C4 grassland. [Levin et al., 2008]

  5. What type of environment did early man evolve in? • These fossil herbivore teeth were found in situ with Ardipithecus kadabba and Ardipithecus ramidus. • Most similar to isotopic values from extant herbivores living in bushland and grassland Ardipithecus ramidus

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