AUTHOR=Royer Julien , Somerville Andrew D. 

TITLE=Assessing the use of stable isotope values from deer antlers as proxies for seasonal environmental variation

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology

VOLUME=Volume 2 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/environmental-archaeology/articles/10.3389/fearc.2023.1221143

DOI=10.3389/fearc.2023.1221143

ISSN=2813-432X

ABSTRACT=In this paper we assess the feasibility of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) antlers to serve as archives of information on paleoseasonality by analyzing stable isotope values from the antlers of four modern white-tailed deer collected in central Iowa, USA. Because antlers develop from early spring to early fall in Iowa, they may serve as an archive for intra-annual seasonal variations and provide snapshots of past climatic and environmental conditions. Intra-antler samples were collected from the proximal end to distal end along the main beam of each antler and analyzed for carbon and oxygen stable isotope values in bioapatite (δ 13 Capa, δ 18 Oapa) and carbon and nitrogen stable isotope values from collagen (δ 13 Ccol, δ 15 Ncol). Stable isotope data were then correlated with local climate data (precipitation and temperature) from the months leading up to the date of death of each deer and with the 50-year averages of the region. No consistent seasonal patterning was observed between local climate data and isotopic variables across the antlers. δ 13 Capa values from each antler, however, do show a trend of being negatively correlated with precipitation variables and mean temperature. The results of this small exploratory study are discussed with reference to antler biology and to the potential application of stable isotope analysis of antlers in environmental archaeology and wildlife management.