Faunal persistence and ecological flexibility in Pleistocene Southeast Asia revealed through multi-isotope analysis
Southeast Asia boasts some of the world's most diverse ecosystems, yet it has experienced a dramatic decline in biodiversity due to extensive deforestation in recent decades. Understanding how species adapted to past habitat loss could provide valuable insights for developing effective conservation strategies to address current threats. We apply state-of-the-art isotope measurements of enamel-bound zinc (δ<sup>66</sup>Zn) and nitrogen (δ<sup>15</sup>N<sub>enamel</sub>) analyses to fossil mammal teeth from Coc Muoi [148 to 117 thousand years (ka) and Duoi U'Oi (70 to 60 ka)], Vietnam. Alongside published regional data (δ<sup>66</sup>Zn, δ<sup>13</sup>C, and δ<sup>18</sup>O), we explore how different taxa adapt their diets and behaviors in the face of climatic and environmental changes. We show that foraging in diverse habitats and diversifying food consumed is associated with extant species, while extinct or locally extirpated taxa show these traits to a lesser extent. We underscore the precariousness of certain species and the pressing need for robust conservation policies to safeguard Southeast Asia's biodiversity.
Authors
- Jennifer Leichliter (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9373-8634)
- Anne‐Marie Bacon
- Philippe Duringer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6213-5726)
- Jeremy McCormack (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5995-877X)
- Thomas Tütken (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2590-8600)
- C.A. Bauman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6706-5456)
- Thonglith Luangkhoth
- Pierre‐Olivier Antoine (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9122-1818)
- Tina Lüdecke (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9165-2586)
- Jean‐Jacques Hublin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6283-8114)
- Patrick Roberts (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4403-7548)
- Souliphane Boualaphane
- Élise Dufour (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8865-7055)
- Nicolas Bourgon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8538-1903)
- Klervia Jaouen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2820-5035)
- Fabrice Demeter (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1288-5534)
- Sven Brömme (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-1264-1915)
- Marissa Vink (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-5654-3198)
- Nguyễn Thị Mai Hương (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5577-7832)
- Alfredo Martínez‐García (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7206-5079)
- Jean-Luc Ponche
- Anh Tuan Nguyen
Institutions
- Goethe University Frankfurt (DE)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Ministry of Culture (IN)
- Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (DE)
- Université Paris Cité (FR)
- Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (FR)
- Observatoire astronomique de Strasbourg (FR)
- Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment (DE)
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (FR)
- Max Planck Institute for Chemistry (DE)
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (DE)
- Institut de Physique et Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg (FR)
- Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (FR)
- Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (FR)
- Lundbeck Foundation (DK)
- Éco-Anthropologie (FR)
- Laboratoire Image, Ville, Environnement (FR)
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History (DE)
- Musée de l'Homme (FR)
- Géosciences Environnement Toulouse (FR)
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR)
- Université de Strasbourg (FR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Science Advances
- Published
- 2025-10-15
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adu3642
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 11.35
Funders
- European Commission
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
- Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
- Max-Planck-Institut für Evolutionäre Anthropologie