Stable isotope abundances (13C, 15N) in collagen and soft tissues from Pleistocene mammals from Yakutia: Implications for the palaeobiology of the Mammoth Steppe

A suite of skeletons and frozen carcasses of upper Pleistocene mammals from Yakutia (Sakha Republic, Russia) has been analyzed for their stable isotopic abundances in carbon and nitrogen. Results from bone collagen and soft tissues have been compared. The samples studied belong to herbivorous (mammoths, woolly rhinoceros, horse, bison, muskox) and carnivorous (wolf, lion) species. Bone collagen of herbivorous and carnivorous modern mammals from the same region have been analyzed for comparison. ne samples exhibit a very good preservation of collagen. The isotopic enrichment between herbivorous and carnivorous species is similar in modern and Pleistocene specimens, except for the mammoths, which show more negative δ13C values and higher δ15N values of collagen relative to other herbivorous species. A similar isotopic pattern can be seen in upper Pleistocene mammoths from Alaska, and this pattern suggests a paleobiological significance.