Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios of bone collagen: Variations within individuals, between sexes, and within populations raised on monotonous diets

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Abstract

The stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios of collagen of seven bones from each of three rabbits raised on a monotonous diet, and of two bones from each of eight female and seven male mink raised on another monotonous diet, were determined. The ranges of δ13C values and δ15N values were 0·5‰ and 0·6‰ for the rabbit bones and 1·0‰ and 1·4‰ for the mink bones. Uncertainties in the δ13C and δ15N values for prehistoric human diets estimated from the isotopic composition of collagen from the small numbers of bones which are typically available for analysis, and thus likely to be of the order of ±1‰.

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a

Also Archaeology Program.

b

Permanent address: Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21209 U.S.A.

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