Biogeologie

IsoTroph: Advanced techniques in isotopic biogeochemistry for the estimation of fossil mammal trophic position

IsoTroph Logo

The principal objective of the IsoTroph project is to improve the geochemical method used in the paleontology of terrestrial mammals in detection of their trophic position. In particular, the project focuses on a difference in δ15N between single amino acids (glutamate and phenylalanine) that is then used to calculate the trophic discrimination factor (TDF). It is a quantitative parameter used in reconstructions of past animal or human trophic levels (a primary consumer level – a herbivore; a secondary consumer level – a carnivore feeding on herbivores; etc.), crucial for understanding the evolution of environments. The TDF has never been established before for terrestrial mammals, although it is a key parameter in modeling past ecology.

The main research method of the IsoTroph is the analysis of δ15N in selected amino acids in bone collagen of a predator's population and that of its prey. These results are then calculated into the TDF between these populations. To achieve this, the project will involve a study of modern populations (collections of recent bones of wolf, lynx, red fox, and their prey) and a collection of fossils from a Pleistocene carnivore den (cave hyena and its prey). These collections will provide insight into four species of mammalian carnivores, representing variable ecology (both hypercarnivores and omnivores) and different chronologies (recent and Pleistocene).

Magdalena Krajcarz

Dr. Magdalena Krajcarz
Research Fellow

Hölderlinstr. 12
72074 Tübingen
Germany

Email: magkrajcarzspam prevention@umk.pl

 

Maciej sampling sediments at archaeological site Ertash Sai in Uzbekistan
Dr. habil. Maciej T. Krajcarz

NAWA fellow, Principal Investigator in the AAVAR Project 
Room S535
Hölderlinstr. 12 , 72072 Tübingen
Germany
Tel. +49 (0)7071 / 29-73231
mkrajcarzspam prevention@twarda.pan.pl

Hervé holding a skull of Smilodon (Photo: Erich Sommer)
Prof. Hervé Bocherens

Head of Biogeology Research Group

Room S542
Hölderlinstr. 12
72074 Tübingen
Germany

Phone: +49 (0)7071 / 29-76988
Email: herve.bocherensspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de

Chris Baumann
Dr. Chris Baumann

Postdoctoral researcher
https://powerfulplants.gla.ac.uk/
https://www.mamba-erc.com/

Office:
AG Biogeologie, Room S523
Hölderlinstrasse 12
D-72070 Tübingen
+49 (0) 7071 29-78900
chris.baumannspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de
Research Gate Profile
ORCID Profile

Peter Tung
Peter Tung (MSc.)

IRMS Lab Technician

Room S219
Hölderlinstr. 12,
72074 Tübingen
Germany

 Office: +49 (0)7071 / 29-73285
 Lab: +49 (0)7071 / 29-73195
peter.tungspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de

Białowieża Primeval Forest in spring
Białowieża Primeval Forest in spring
The sandstone mine at Potok-Senderki, southern Poland – bones collected by red foxes
The sandstone mine at Potok-Senderki, southern Poland – entrance to the underground corridor
Pleistocene cave hyena mandible discovered at Perspektywiczna Cave
Perspektywiczna Cave, Polish Jura – entrance to the cave during excavation 2022

Gallery

Paper on Perspektywiczna Cave hyena den is available online
First results presented during10th Symposium of the ISBA, Tartu, Estonia, 13-16 September 2023 (Phot. D. Popović)
A short introduction to the project during ICAZ SIZWG in Berlin, March 2023
Lab work started. Peter supervised the first training in derivatization.
The first samples are ready for GC-FID analysis.
The project presented to the public during the field trip to Perspektywiczna Cave at 56. Speleological Symposium of Poland, October 2022
Magdalena Krajcarz presenting cave hyena bones from Perspektywiczna Cave to the participants of the 56. Speleological Symposium of Poland, October 2022

News

Publications

Paper in Radiocarbon: new insights into late Pleistocene cave hyena chronology and population history - the case of Perspektywiczna Cave, Poland
Publications of the project

Krajcarz, M., Baca, M., Baumann, C., Bocherens, H., Goslar, T., Popović, D., Sudoł-Procyk, M., Krajcarz, M. (2023). NEW INSIGHTS INTO LATE PLEISTOCENE CAVE HYENA CHRONOLOGY AND POPULATION HISTORY—THE CASE OF PERSPEKTYWICZNA CAVE, POLAND. Radiocarbon, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1017/RDC.2023.89 

Further Reading

Bocherens H. and Drucker D. 2003. Trophic level isotopic enrichment of carbon and nitrogen in bone collagen: case studies from recent and ancient terrestrial ecosystems International Journal of Osteoarchaeology 13: 46-53. doi.org/10.1002/oa.662
Chikaraishi Y., Ogawa N.O., Doi,H. et al. 2011. 15N/14N ratios of amino acids as a tool for studying terrestrial food webs: a case study of terrestrial insects (bees, wasps, and hornets). Ecol Res 26: 835–844. doi.org/10.1007/s11284-011-0844-1 
Krajcarz M., Krajcarz M.T. 2014. The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) as an accumulator of bones in cave-like environments. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology 24: 459-475. doi.org/10.1002/oa.2233
Ohkouchi N., Chikaraishi Y., Close H.G. et al. 2017 Advances in the application of amino acid nitrogen isotopic analysis in ecological and biogeochemical studies. Organic Geochemistry 113: 150-174. doi.org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2017.07.009.
Krajcarz M.T., Krajcarz M., Bocherens H. 2018. Collagen-to-collagen prey-predator isotopic enrichment (Δ13C, Δ15N) in terrestrial mammals – a case study of a subfossil red fox den. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 490: 563–570. doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2017.11.044
O'Connell TC. 2017 'Trophic' and 'source' amino acids in trophic estimation: a likely metabolic explanation. Oecologia 184 (2):317-326. doi.org/10.1007/s00442-017-3881-9 
Krajcarz M.T., Krajcarz M., Drucker D.G., Bocherens H. 2019. Prey‐to‐fox isotopic enrichment of 34S in bone collagen: Implications for paleoecological studies. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry 33: 1311–1317. doi.org/10.1002/rcm.8471
Naito Y.I., Meleg I.N., Robu M. et al. 2020. Heavy reliance on plants for Romanian cave bears evidenced by amino acid nitrogen isotope analysis. Scientific Reports 10: 6612. doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-62990-0 
 

 

Public Outreach

Conferences:
•    Krajcarz MT, Krajcarz M, Baca M, Popović D, Bauman C, Bocherens H, Sudoł-Procyk M 2023. "Ostatnie hieny w Polsce – nowe dane na temat chronologii, ekologii izotopowej i struktury genetycznej późnoplejstoceńskich hien jaskiniowych (Crocuta crocuta) z Jaskini Perspektywicznej. V Warsztaty „Zróżnicowanie gatunkowe i genetyczne fauny plejstocenu i holocenu w Eurazji, 20-22.09.2023, Kraków, Poland: paper, abstract
•    Krajcarz M, Krajcarz MT, Kowalczyk R, Bocherens H 2023. "Określanie poziomu troficznego ssaków na podstawie analizy izotopowej azotu w aminokwasach kolagenu kostnego – aspekt metodologiczny".  V Warsztaty „Zróżnicowanie gatunkowe i genetyczne fauny plejstocenu i holocenu w Eurazji, 20-22.09.2023, Kraków, Poland: paper, abstract
•    Krajcarz M, Krajcarz MT, Bocherens H 2023. Advances in single amino acid nitrogen isotopic analysis of carnivore trophic position. 10th Symposium of the ISBA, 13-16. 09. 2023,Tartu, Estonia 2023; poster, flash talk, abstract; https://isba10.ut.ee/ 
•    Krajcarz MT, Krajcarz M, Bocherens H 2023. How much carnivorous are you? Advances in single compound nitrogen isotopic analysis of carnivore trophic position. 29th EAA Annual Meeting, 30. 08-02.09. 2023, Belfast, Northern Ireland; paper, abstract, session "298.  Companions, Competitors, Fellow Travelers – Biomolecular and Zooarchaeological Evidence of Human-Carnivore Interactions in the Past"; https://www.e-a-a.org/eaa2023
•    Krajcarz M, Baca M. Popović D, Baumann C, Bocherens H, Sudoł-Procyk M, Krajcarz MT 2023. New insights into Late Pleistocene cave hyena paleoecology and population history – biomolecular study of bone accumulation from Perspektywiczna Cave, Poland. XXI INQUA Congress,  13 - 20 July 2023, Rome, Italy; paper, abstract, https://inquaroma2023.org/inqua-2023-overview/ 
•    Krajcarz M, Krajcarz MT, Bocherens H 2023. The IsoTroph project – Advanced techniques in isotopic biogeochemistry for the estimation of fossil mammal trophic position. ICAZ SIZWG, Berlin, Germany, 22-25. 03. 2023; poster, abstract, https://zooarchisotopes.com/sizwg-22nd-to-25th-march-2023-berlin/, https://zooarchisotopes.com/videos-sizwg-2023/ 
•    Krajcarz M, Krajcarz MT, Baca M. Popović D, Sudoł-Procyk M 2022. Hieny jaskiniowe z Jaskini Perspektywicznej. 56.SYMPOZJUM SPELEOLOGICZNE,  3–16.10.2022, Podlesice, Poland; poster, field trip, abstract

In press:
•    https://portal.umk.pl/pl/article/grant-na-paleontologiczne-innowacje 
•    https://torun.wyborcza.pl/torun/7,48723,26782509,wykladowczyni-z-wydzialu-nauk-historycznych-umk-dostala-prestizowy.html?_gl=1*10pl9us*_gcl_au*ODkzMzU2MjU1LjE2OTc1NDQ5MDU.*_ga*MTAwODYwNDU3NC4xNjk3NTQ0OTA1*_ga_6R71ZMJ3KN*MTY5NzU0NDkwNS4xLjEuMTY5NzU0NDkxMi4wLjAuMA..&_ga=2.234664221.26168750.1697544906-1008604574.1697544905 
•    https://polishscience.pl/pl/grant-marie-sklodowska-curie-actions-dla-badaczki-uniwersytetu-mikolaja-kopernika-w-toruniu/ 

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Project funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 101023317