20.500.12556/DiRROS-29224 Isotopic values of prenatal development [delta][sup](13)C and [delta][sup](15)N variation in early-formed human tissues Isotopic values of prenatal development: [delta][sup](13)C and [delta][sup](15)N variation in early-formed human tissues Carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope analysis illuminates diet and physiology in the past, yet interpretation is complicated by development and tissue-specific collagen formation. This study tests whether systematic isotopic offsets occur between auditory ossicles, deciduous dentin, long bones, and ribs in individuals who died as perinate, neonate, or young infants, and assesses implications for reconstructing maternal diet and early-life physiology. Materials and Methods Collagen δ13C and δ15N were measured for 106 samples from 27 individuals recovered from five sites spanning the Early/Late Iron Age, Early Roman, and 17th–19th centuries. Results Results reveal a consistent δ15N trajectory: values generally increase from ossicles to teeth and decrease from teeth to long bone/rib. Tooth–long bone/rib δ15N offsets are significant across the sample and within each age group. δ13C shows a modest, systematic increase from ossicle to tooth; ossicles are significantly lower than long bones/ribs and tooth, whereas tooth to long bone/rib δ13C exhibits no uniform group-level offset. These systematic patterns cannot be explained by maternal dietary variation across time and sites and instead reflect developmental physiology. Discussion These findings indicate that, in perinates, neonates, and young infants (> 4.5 months old), physiological conditions associated with different developmental stages and tissue turnover rather than diet govern collagen isotope variation. Ossicles predominantly archive mid prenatal physiology; deciduous dentin emphasizes late gestation (±immediate perinatal); long bone/rib integrates and dampens signals over a broader interval. This study recommends tissue-aware sampling and reporting when inferring maternal diet, fetal physiology, and early-life stress from collagen. carbon isotopes nitrogen isotopes different skeletal tissues early life physiology ogljikovi izotopi dušikovi izotopi prenatalni razvoj true false true Wiley ZDA Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik © 2026 The Author(s). Neznano 2026-04-28 10:27:28 2026-04-28 10:27:28 2026-04-29 03:43:58 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 0 Nasl. z nasl. zaslona; Soavtorji iz Slovenije: Doris Potočnik, Marjeta Mencin, Nives Ogrinc, Matija Črešnar; Opis vira z dne 23. 4. 2026; str. 1-16 iss. 4 Vol. 189 Apr. 2026 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 2025-09-24 2026-04-01 2026-04-20 543 2692-7691 10.1002/ajpa.70251 276241155 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajpa.70251 1 1c132975-42dc-11f1-a4de-001a4af901a5 https://dirros.openscience.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=43714 RAZ_Leskovar_Tamara_2026.pdf RAZ_Leskovar_Tamara_2026.pdf 1 B4DA5FB2CEF66BCB94B025E6CDC5EF3A a415b50258aebc0fc5f506665e7a4c1f225e0e7ce0acddf9e9ad0352fbeadae4 7c0dfb7b-42dc-11f1-a4de-001a4af901a5 https://dirros.openscience.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=43715 Institut Jožef Stefan 0 0 0