Diet of the Small Cave Bear Ursus (Spelaearctos) rossicus Borissak, 1930 (Mammalia, Carnivora, Ursidae) As Revealed by < sup > 13 < /sup > C and < sup > 15 < /sup > N Isotope Analyses in Bone Collagen

Dokl Biol Sci. 2024 Jan 7. doi: 10.1134/S0012496623700825. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTThe 13C and 15N isotope contents in bone collagen were analyzed using bones of the small cave bear Ursus (Spelaearctos) rossicus Borissak, 1930 from localities in the Middle and Southern Urals. The bones date from the last interglacial (MIS 5) and glacial (MIS 3) periods. The bones were from males and females aged 3, 4, and >4 years. Sexual, geographical, and chronological differences in 13C and 15N contents were studied. Notable gender, geographic, and chronological differences were observed between samples. In the Middle Urals, females led a more predatory lifestyle than males during the interglacial period, and the trophic niches of males and females converged due to an increase in herbivory during the transition to the glacial period. In the Southern Urals, males led a more predatory lifestyle than in the Middle Urals during the interglacial period. The extent of changes in δ13C and δ15N values in the Southern Urals during the transition was found to correspond to differences between trophic levels.PMID:38190041 | DOI:10.1134/S0012496623700825

Source: Doklady Biological Sciences - January 8, 2024 Category: Biology Authors: P A Kosintsev K Yu Konovalova G V Simonova Source Type: research