Mammal changes and isotopic biogeochemistry. An interdisciplinary approach to climatic-environmental recostructions at the last pleniglacial/late-glacial transition in the Pagliacci cave section (Gargano, Apulia, SE Italy)

Abstract

Changes in stable isotope abundances of oxygen, carbon and nitrogen, have been measured in the fossil skeletal remains of large mammals [Equus, Bos and Cervusi) recovered from the stratigraphical section of Paglicci cave. The deposit found in this locality records a time interval of about 17 ka, which includes the last Pleniglacial/Late-Glacial transition. Percentage changes in the large mammals assemblage are indicative of the climatic-environmental variations that occurred during that time. This work is a first attempt to apply isotopic investigation to fossil remains in order to reconstruct ancient climate and environments, by taking into account the information deduced from the changes in faunal composition.