Isotope data from amino acids indicate Darwin’s ground sloth was not an herbivore

Abstract Fossil sloths are regarded as obligate herbivores for reasons including peculiarities of their craniodental morphology and that all living sloths feed exclusively on plants. We challenge this view based on isotopic analyses of nitrogen of specific amino acids, which show that Darwin’s groun...

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Autores principales:	Julia V. Tejada, John J. Flynn, Ross MacPhee, Tamsin C. O’Connell, Thure E. Cerling, Lizette Bermudez, Carmen Capuñay, Natalie Wallsgrove, Brian N. Popp
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Nature Portfolio 2021
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/c41e20d0d1304d09bf0d4dc3c5ef6286
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:c41e20d0d1304d09bf0d4dc3c5ef62862021-12-02T18:37:08ZIsotope data from amino acids indicate Darwin’s ground sloth was not an herbivore10.1038/s41598-021-97996-92045-2322https://doaj.org/article/c41e20d0d1304d09bf0d4dc3c5ef62862021-10-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-97996-9https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract Fossil sloths are regarded as obligate herbivores for reasons including peculiarities of their craniodental morphology and that all living sloths feed exclusively on plants. We challenge this view based on isotopic analyses of nitrogen of specific amino acids, which show that Darwin’s ground sloth Mylodon darwinii was an opportunistic omnivore. This direct evidence of omnivory in an ancient sloth requires reevaluation of the ecological structure of South American Cenozoic mammalian communities, as sloths represented a major component of these ecosystems across the past 34 Myr. Furthermore, by analyzing modern mammals with known diets, we provide a basis for reliable interpretation of nitrogen isotopes of amino acids of fossils. We argue that a widely used equation to determine trophic position is unnecessary, and that the relative isotopic values of the amino acids glutamate and phenylalanine alone permit reliable reconstructions of trophic positions of extant and extinct mammals.Julia V. TejadaJohn J. FlynnRoss MacPheeTamsin C. O’ConnellThure E. CerlingLizette BermudezCarmen CapuñayNatalie WallsgroveBrian N. PoppNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 1-10 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Julia V. Tejada John J. Flynn Ross MacPhee Tamsin C. O’Connell Thure E. Cerling Lizette Bermudez Carmen Capuñay Natalie Wallsgrove Brian N. Popp Isotope data from amino acids indicate Darwin’s ground sloth was not an herbivore
description	Abstract Fossil sloths are regarded as obligate herbivores for reasons including peculiarities of their craniodental morphology and that all living sloths feed exclusively on plants. We challenge this view based on isotopic analyses of nitrogen of specific amino acids, which show that Darwin’s ground sloth Mylodon darwinii was an opportunistic omnivore. This direct evidence of omnivory in an ancient sloth requires reevaluation of the ecological structure of South American Cenozoic mammalian communities, as sloths represented a major component of these ecosystems across the past 34 Myr. Furthermore, by analyzing modern mammals with known diets, we provide a basis for reliable interpretation of nitrogen isotopes of amino acids of fossils. We argue that a widely used equation to determine trophic position is unnecessary, and that the relative isotopic values of the amino acids glutamate and phenylalanine alone permit reliable reconstructions of trophic positions of extant and extinct mammals.
format	article
author	Julia V. Tejada John J. Flynn Ross MacPhee Tamsin C. O’Connell Thure E. Cerling Lizette Bermudez Carmen Capuñay Natalie Wallsgrove Brian N. Popp
author_facet	Julia V. Tejada John J. Flynn Ross MacPhee Tamsin C. O’Connell Thure E. Cerling Lizette Bermudez Carmen Capuñay Natalie Wallsgrove Brian N. Popp
author_sort	Julia V. Tejada
title	Isotope data from amino acids indicate Darwin’s ground sloth was not an herbivore
title_short	Isotope data from amino acids indicate Darwin’s ground sloth was not an herbivore
title_full	Isotope data from amino acids indicate Darwin’s ground sloth was not an herbivore
title_fullStr	Isotope data from amino acids indicate Darwin’s ground sloth was not an herbivore
title_full_unstemmed	Isotope data from amino acids indicate Darwin’s ground sloth was not an herbivore
title_sort	isotope data from amino acids indicate darwin’s ground sloth was not an herbivore
publisher	Nature Portfolio
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/c41e20d0d1304d09bf0d4dc3c5ef6286
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Isotope data from amino acids indicate Darwin’s ground sloth was not an herbivore

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