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Stable isotopes and diets of Pleistocene horses from southern North America and South America: similarities and differences

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Abstract

The diet and habitat for two Pleistocene Equidae genera that lived in southern North America (southern USA and Mexico) and South America are inferred using carbon and oxygen isotopic data. The South American Hippidion fed upon C3 plants and lived in forest. Equus from both subcontinents were mixed feeders and preferred living in grasslands, prairies, and savannas, while some individuals or populations specialised in consumption of C3 or C4 plants. These results indicate that Equus were generalist in their diet and habitat, while Hippidion were specialists on both traits.

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Acknowledgements

Consejo Nacional de Ciencias y Tecnología (CONACYT) and Programa de Apoyos a Proyectos de Investigación e Innovación Tecnológica (PAPIIT) provided support for the projects: Partición de recursos de los mega y mesoherbívoros del Pleistoceno tardío de el Cedral y Laguna de las Cruces, San Luis Potosí (CONACYT 132620), and Paleomigración de los meso y mega herbívoros del Pleistoceno tardío del Cedral y Laguna de las Cruces, San Luis Potosí, México (PAPIIT IA104017). Grants CGL2016-79334-P from the Spanish DGCYT Grant PICT 2015-01512 partially supported this project. CONABIO supported the creation and enhancement of the database for Quaternary mammals (G-012). Guillermo Acosta and Ximena Ulloa by collected of molar from Los Glifos. Andrew Somerville very kindly reviewed the English wording, C. Ríos-Muñoz very kindly helped to correct the figures format. We thank two anonymous reviewers for the comments that helped to improve the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Geología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Circuito de la Investigación Científica S/N Del. Coyoacán, 04510, Ciudad de México, Mexico

    Víctor Adrián Pérez-Crespo

  2. Centro de Investigaciones Arqueológicas y Paleontológicas del Cuaternario Pampeano, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Del Valle 5/ 31, B7400JWI Olavarría, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    José Luis Prado

  3. Departamento de Paleobiología, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, José Gutiérrez Abascal, 2., 28006, Madrid, Spain

    Maria Teresa Alberdi

  4. Laboratorio de Arqueozoología, Subdirección de Laboratorios y Apoyo Académico, Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Moneda 16 Col. Centro, 06060, Ciudad de México, México

    Joaquín Arroyo-Cabrales

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  1. Víctor Adrián Pérez-Crespo
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  2. José Luis Prado
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  3. Maria Teresa Alberdi
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  4. Joaquín Arroyo-Cabrales
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Correspondence to Víctor Adrián Pérez-Crespo.

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Pérez-Crespo, V.A., Prado, J.L., Alberdi, M.T. et al. Stable isotopes and diets of Pleistocene horses from southern North America and South America: similarities and differences. Palaeobio Palaeoenv 98, 663–674 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12549-018-0330-7

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