The dietary behaviour of early pleistocene bovids from Cooper's Cave and Swartkrans, South Africa

摘要: There is ongoing speculation about how an increasingly arid environment contributed to the extinction of Paranthropus robustus, given that a mosaic landscape with major part area consisting predominantly open grassland accompanied by escalating cooler drier climate remains persistent palaeoecological reconstruction for this species. It has been suggested P. dietary specialist, was not able adapt xeric habitat. This notion challenged recent multidisciplinary research on robustus remains, including stable light isotope and dental microwear analyses, which portray more complex diet. present in number key fossil assemblages spanning period ca. 1.8 1.0 Ma. Analysis carbon composition bioapatites texture analysis different bovid taxa, associated from five discrete deposits, were used reconstruct behaviour inference availability local resources. The overall pattern emerging data indicates mixed varied diet than previously thought, suggesting heterogeneous environment, hence less static ecological profile Paranthropus. significant occurrence diets relatively few obligate C4 grazers suggest although grasses available C4-dominated ecosystem present. Swartkrans Member 2 (ca. 1.6 Ma) contains substantially C3 feeders other signifying vegetation community structure C3-dominated deposits. apparent indication shifting between