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Calcium isotopes offer clues on resource partitioning among Cretaceous predatory dinosaurs.

ABSTRACT: Large predators are overabundant in mid-Cretaceous continental dinosaur assemblages of North Africa. Such unbalanced ecosystem structure involves, among predatory dinosaurs, typical abelisaurid or carcharodontosaurid theropods co-occurring with long-snouted spinosaurids of debated ecology. Here, we report calcium (Ca) isotope values from tooth enamel (expressed as ?44/42Ca) to investigate resource partitioning in mid-Cretaceous assemblages from Niger (Gadoufaoua) and Morocco (Kem Kem Beds). In both assemblages, spinosaurids display a distinct isotopic signature, the most negative in our dataset. This distinct taxonomic clustering in Ca isotope values observed between spinosaurids and other predators provides unambiguous evidence for niche partitioning at the top of the trophic chains: spinosaurids foraged on aquatic environments while abelisaurid and carcharodontosaurid theropods relied almost exclusively on terrestrial resources.

SUBMITTER: Hassler A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5904318 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Calcium isotopes offer clues on resource partitioning among Cretaceous predatory dinosaurs.

Hassler A A Martin J E JE Amiot R R Tacail T T Godet F Arnaud FA Allain R R Balter V V

Proceedings. Biological sciences 20180401 1876

Large predators are overabundant in mid-Cretaceous continental dinosaur assemblages of North Africa. Such unbalanced ecosystem structure involves, among predatory dinosaurs, typical abelisaurid or carcharodontosaurid theropods co-occurring with long-snouted spinosaurids of debated ecology. Here, we report calcium (Ca) isotope values from tooth enamel (expressed as <i>δ</i><sup>44/42</sup>Ca) to investigate resource partitioning in mid-Cretaceous assemblages from Niger (Gadoufaoua) and Morocco (K ...[more]

PMID: 29643213

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Dataset Information

Calcium isotopes offer clues on resource partitioning among Cretaceous predatory dinosaurs.

Publications

Calcium isotopes offer clues on resource partitioning among Cretaceous predatory dinosaurs.

Similar Datasets

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