科研之友
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摘要
Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratio analysis of dentine is a powerful tool for examining early childhood diet in past populations. Serial sampling of the dentine can reconstruct an individual's changing diet. Previous serial studies have used homogenized samples that give broad results for age categories. This study presents a new dentine microsampling technique for use in stable isotope ratio analysis that provides stable isotope signals for three important juvenile life stages: fetal life, breastfeeding, and weaning.
A sample of 35 modern deciduous teeth was collected in collaboration with the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, University of Alberta. One half of each tooth was examined histologically to locate the neonatal line, and the other half was sampled for isotopic analysis. Microsamples of dentine were collected occlusal to the neonatal line, directly apical to the neonatal line, and from the growing edge of the tooth; these should reflect the diet of the mother during pregnancy, followed by the infant's breastfeeding and weaning diets. The results of the isotopic assay show dietary changes in individual children over time that can be reasonably explained in terms of modern infant feeding practices in a diverse modern sample.
While the technique will be useful to many stable isotope researchers, it is particularly suited for studying the changing diet of a single individual. The results indicate that microsamples must be above 0.3 mg to give reliable simultaneous results for carbon and nitrogen, though accurate nitrogen results alone can be gained at much smaller weights. Further research will apply this methodology to archaeological remains.
- 出版日期2013-11
