ISOTOPIC INTERPRETATION OF ECOLOGICAL RELATIONSHIPS AMONG CARNIVORES AND HERBIVORES FROM THE UPPER PLEISTOCENE HOMINID BEARING DEPOSITS OF VALDEGOBA CAVE, NORTHERN SPAIN

Valdegoba cave site in northern Spain has yielded Neanderthal remains of five individuals associated with a Middle Paleolithic stone tool technology and Pleistocene fauna. U-Th dates on cave deposits show an Upper Pleistocene age (~350-75ka), and faunal analysis and radiometric dates from other nearby Mousterian sites suggests that the Valdegoba deposits are correlative with marine isotope stages 3–6 on the Iberian Peninsula.

This study aims at discerning the ecological relationships among the large mammals present near Valdegoba in the Upper Pleistocene to get better insight into the ecosystem which neanderthals existed. We examined the δ¹³C values from tooth enamel of both carnivores and herbivores to determine ecology. Fifty-two specimens from a total of 12 species were sampled including: Bos cf. primigenius, Capra pyrenaica, Cervus elaphus, Stephanorhinus hemitoechus, Equus caballus, Equus hydruntinus, Rupicapra rupicapra, Canis lupus, Crocuta crocuta, Lynx pardinus, Ursus arctos, and Ursus spelaeus. δ¹³C values were all more negative than 8‰ implying C₃ flora. Significant differences in δ¹³C were observed among the carnivores as well as herbivores implying the use of different resources within each guild. C. pyrenaica (mean = -9.2‰) displayed the most positive value for herbivores, while C. lupus (mean = -10.9‰) was the most positive carnivore. The most negative herbivore value was displayed by a grassland indicator species, S. hemitoechus (mean = -11.2‰). The negative value for S. hemitoechus is not atypical for ingestion of a diet of C₃ grasses. U. spelaeus (mean = -15.8‰) had the most negative values for the carnivores. All the carnivores at Valdegoba, except C. lupus, are significantly more negative than the herbivores. This may result from the carnivores having rarely used the analyzed herbivores as primary prey, or isotopic fractionation differences based on the portion of food ingested. Species like V. vulpes and L. pardinus likely consumed smaller mammals. Further, the δ¹³Cvalues of the two Ursus species imply resource partitioning, with more negative δ¹³C values on cave bears, U. spelaeus. This is consistent with “classical” paleontological interpretations based on anatomical traits. These data provide a basis for understanding human ecology in the Upper Pleistocene of northern Spain.