TY - JOUR
T1 - Spatially-Resolved Ca Isotopic and Trace Element Variations in Human Deciduous Teeth Record Diet and Physiological Change
AU - Li, Qiong
AU - Nava, Alessia
AU - Reynard, Linda M.
AU - Thirlwall, Matthew
AU - Bondioli, Luca
AU - Müller, Wolfgang
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© Association for Environmental Archaeology 2020.
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - Dental enamel represents an important mineralized archive of an individual’s early life. Previously, isotopic (Ca) or trace element ratios (Sr/Ca, Ba/Ca) have been used to reveal dietary and weaning histories, although few studies have utilized both proxies to evaluate the respective results. Here we report histologically-defined, spatially-resolved Ca-isotope (laser-cut & TIMS) and trace element ratio (Sr/Ca, Ba/Ca; LA-ICPMS) profiles along the enamel-dentine-junction in three deciduous dental crowns of three early twentieth century Italian infants (Modern-22, 27, 29). Modern-27 and Modern-29 display overall similar patterns of Ca-isotope variation and reflect an overall increase of >1.0‰ in δ44/40Ca across and after birth. Whilst the Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca signals of Modern-27 suggest a mixed breast-formula feeding, the two elemental proxies in Modern-29 hint at nearly exclusive breastfeeding until ∼4 months, followed by introduction of formula. A ∼0.5‰ δ44/40Ca decrease across and after birth together with Sr/Ca ratios in Modern-22 suggest a dominant breastfeeding history for the first ∼5–8 months. Enamel Ca-isotope data alone are not sufficient to distinguish between breastfed or formula-fed infants. In addition, Ca-isotope profiles in deciduous enamel suggest a connection between prominent physiological stress like birth and negative Ca-isotope excursions, underlining the physiological overprint of Ca-isotope signatures.
AB - Dental enamel represents an important mineralized archive of an individual’s early life. Previously, isotopic (Ca) or trace element ratios (Sr/Ca, Ba/Ca) have been used to reveal dietary and weaning histories, although few studies have utilized both proxies to evaluate the respective results. Here we report histologically-defined, spatially-resolved Ca-isotope (laser-cut & TIMS) and trace element ratio (Sr/Ca, Ba/Ca; LA-ICPMS) profiles along the enamel-dentine-junction in three deciduous dental crowns of three early twentieth century Italian infants (Modern-22, 27, 29). Modern-27 and Modern-29 display overall similar patterns of Ca-isotope variation and reflect an overall increase of >1.0‰ in δ44/40Ca across and after birth. Whilst the Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca signals of Modern-27 suggest a mixed breast-formula feeding, the two elemental proxies in Modern-29 hint at nearly exclusive breastfeeding until ∼4 months, followed by introduction of formula. A ∼0.5‰ δ44/40Ca decrease across and after birth together with Sr/Ca ratios in Modern-22 suggest a dominant breastfeeding history for the first ∼5–8 months. Enamel Ca-isotope data alone are not sufficient to distinguish between breastfed or formula-fed infants. In addition, Ca-isotope profiles in deciduous enamel suggest a connection between prominent physiological stress like birth and negative Ca-isotope excursions, underlining the physiological overprint of Ca-isotope signatures.
KW - Ca isotopes
KW - dental enamel
KW - LA-ICPMS
KW - laser-cutting microsampling
KW - Sr/Ca, Ba/Ca
KW - TIMS
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85084860432&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/14614103.2020.1758988
DO - 10.1080/14614103.2020.1758988
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85084860432
SN - 1461-4103
VL - 27
SP - 474
EP - 483
JO - Environmental Archaeology
JF - Environmental Archaeology
IS - 5
ER -