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Keenan M, Misarti N, Horstmann L, Crawford SG, O'Hara T, Rea LD, Avery JP. Total mercury concentrations in Steller sea lion bone: Variability among locations and elements. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2024; 203:116471. [PMID: 38754323 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2024] [Revised: 05/03/2024] [Accepted: 05/04/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
Mercury is a global contaminant that bioaccumulates in a tissue-specific manner in long-lived predators such as Steller sea lions (SSL). Bone is a well-preserved material amenable for studying millennial scale trends; however, little is known about the distribution and variability of total mercury concentrations ([THg]) within individual bones and among bone elements in SSL. We assessed SSL bone [THg] variability with respect to physiologic age, bone type, longitudinally within a bone, and among bone elements. Pup bones (mean ± SD; 31.4 ± 13.58 ppb) had greater [THg] than adults (7.9 ± 1.91 ppb). There were greater and more variable [THg] within individual long bones near epiphyses compared to mid-diaphysis. Pup spongy bone in ribs (62.7 ± 44.79 ppb) had greater [THg] than long bones (23.5 ± 8.83 ppb) and phalanges (19.6 ± 10.78 ppb). These differences are likely due to variability in bone composition, growth, and turnover rate. This study informs standardized sampling procedures for [THg] in bone to improve interpretations of mercury variability over time and space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Keenan
- Water and Environmental Research Center, Institute of Northern Engineering, University of Alaska, 1764 Tanana Loop, PO Box 75 5910, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA; College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska, 2150 Koyukuk Drive, PO Box 757220, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA.
| | - Nicole Misarti
- Water and Environmental Research Center, Institute of Northern Engineering, University of Alaska, 1764 Tanana Loop, PO Box 75 5910, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
| | - Lara Horstmann
- College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska, 2150 Koyukuk Drive, PO Box 757220, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
| | - Stephanie G Crawford
- Water and Environmental Research Center, Institute of Northern Engineering, University of Alaska, 1764 Tanana Loop, PO Box 75 5910, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
| | - Todd O'Hara
- Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, 402 Raymond Stotzer Pkwy, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Lorrie D Rea
- Water and Environmental Research Center, Institute of Northern Engineering, University of Alaska, 1764 Tanana Loop, PO Box 75 5910, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
| | - Julie P Avery
- Water and Environmental Research Center, Institute of Northern Engineering, University of Alaska, 1764 Tanana Loop, PO Box 75 5910, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
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Chen JC, Aldenderfer MS, Eerkens JW, Langlie BS, Viviano Llave C, Watson JT, Haas R. Stable isotope chemistry reveals plant-dominant diet among early foragers on the Andean Altiplano, 9.0-6.5 cal. ka. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0296420. [PMID: 38265974 PMCID: PMC10807835 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0296420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Current models of early human subsistence economies suggest a focus on large mammal hunting. To evaluate this hypothesis, we examine human bone stable isotope chemistry of 24 individuals from the early Holocene sites of Wilamaya Patjxa (9.0-8.7 cal. ka) and Soro Mik'aya Patjxa (8.0-6.5 cal. ka) located at 3800 meters above sea level on the Andean Altiplano, Peru. Contrary to expectation, Bayesian mixing models based on the isotope chemistry reveal that plants dominated the diet, comprising 70-95% of the average diet. Paleoethnobotanical data further show that tubers may have been the most prominent subsistence resource. These findings update our understanding of earliest forager economies and the pathway to agricultural economies in the Andean highlands. The findings furthermore suggest that the initial subsistence economies of early human populations adapting to new landscapes may have been more plant oriented than current models suggest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer C. Chen
- Department of Anthropology, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, United States of America
| | - Mark S. Aldenderfer
- Department of Anthropology and Heritage Studies, University of California, Merced, CA, United States of America
| | - Jelmer W. Eerkens
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United States of America
| | - BrieAnna S. Langlie
- Department of Anthropology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, United States of America
| | | | - James T. Watson
- Arizona State Museum and School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States of America
| | - Randall Haas
- Department of Anthropology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, United States of America
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Abstract
The measurement of naturally occurring stable isotope ratios of the light elements (C, N, H, O, S) in animal tissues and associated organic and inorganic fractions of associated environments holds immense potential as a means of addressing effects of global change on animals. This paper provides a brief review of studies that have used the isotope approach to evaluate changes in diet, isotopic niche, contaminant burden, reproductive and nutritional investment, invasive species and shifts in migration origin or destination with clear links to evaluating effects of global change. This field has now reached a level of maturity that is impressive but generally underappreciated and involves technical as well as statistical advances and access to freely available R-based packages. There is a need for animal ecologists and conservationists to design tissue collection networks that will best answer current and anticipated questions related to the global change and the biodiversity crisis. These developments will move the field of stable isotope ecology toward a more hypothesis driven discipline related to rapidly changing global events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keith A Hobson
- Wildlife Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 0X4, Canada.
- Department of Biology, Western University, London, ON, N6A 5B7, Canada.
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Andrews AJ, Orton D, Onar V, Addis P, Tinti F, Alexander M. Isotopic life-history signatures are retained in modern and ancient Atlantic bluefin tuna vertebrae. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2023. [PMID: 37185985 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Isotopic, tagging and diet studies of modern-day teleosts lack the ability to contextualise life-histories and trophic dynamics with a historical perspective, when exploitation rates were lower and climatic conditions differed. Isotopic analysis of vertebrae, the most plentiful hard-part in archaeological and museum collections, can potentially fill this data-gap. Chemical signatures of habitat and diet use during growth are retained by vertebrae during bone formation. However, to fulfil their potential to reveal life-history and trophic dynamics, we need a better understanding of the time-frame recorded by vertebrae, currently lacking due to a poor understanding of fish bone remodelling. To address this issue, we serially-sectioned four vertebral centra of the highly migratory Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus; BFT) captured off Sardinia (Italy) and analysed their isotopic composition. We show how carbon (δ13 C), nitrogen (δ15 N) and sulfur (δ34 S) isotope values can vary significantly across BFT vertebrae growth-axes, revealing patterning in dietary life-histories. Further, we find similar patterns are revealed through incremental isotopic analysis of inner and outer vertebrae centra samples from thirteen archaeological BFT vertebrae dating between the 9th -13th century CE. Our results indicate that multi-year foraging signatures are retained in vertebrae and allow for the study of life-histories in both modern and paleo-environments. These novel methods can be extended across teleost taxa owing to their potential to inform management and conservation on how teleost trophic dynamics change over time and what their long-term environmental, ecological, and anthropological drivers are.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J Andrews
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Campus of Ravenna, Ravenna, Italy
| | - David Orton
- BioArCh, Department of Archaeology, University of York, York, U.K
| | - Vedat Onar
- Osteoarchaeology Practice and Research Centre and Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Piero Addis
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy
| | - Fausto Tinti
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Campus of Ravenna, Ravenna, Italy
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Four millennia of long-term individual foraging site fidelity in a highly migratory marine predator. Commun Biol 2022; 5:368. [PMID: 35422088 PMCID: PMC9010445 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03310-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractTheory and field studies suggest that long-term individual foraging site fidelity (IFSF) may be an important adaptation to competition from increasing population. However, the driving mechanisms and extent of long-term IFSF in wild populations of long-lived, migratory animals has been logistically difficult to study, with only a few confirmed instances. Temporal isotopic datasets can reveal long-term patterns in geographical foraging behaviour. We investigate the isotopic compositions of endangered short-tailed albatross (Phoebastria albatrus) over four millennia leading up to their near-extinction. Although not exhibited by short-tailed albatross today, we show past sub-populations displayed a high-degree of long-term IFSF, focusing on the same locations for hundreds of generations. This is the first large-scale evidence for the deep antiquity of long-term IFSF and suggests that it’s density-driven. Globally, as populations of species like short-tailed albatross continue to recover from overexploitation, potential for resurgence of geographic specialization may increase exposure to localized hazards, requiring closer conservation monitoring.
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Alp M, Cucherousset J. Food webs speak of human impact: Using stable isotope-based tools to measure ecological consequences of environmental change. FOOD WEBS 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fooweb.2021.e00218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Guiry EJ, Kennedy JR, O'Connell MT, Gray DR, Grant C, Szpak P. Early evidence for historical overfishing in the Gulf of Mexico. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:7/32/eabh2525. [PMID: 34348901 PMCID: PMC8336961 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abh2525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Fisheries encompass complex interplays between social, economic, and environmental factors, but limitations on historical fisheries data can hamper efforts to identify and contextualize the long-term spatiotemporal patterns that shape them. We integrate 2500 years of stable isotope (δ34S, δ13C, and δ15N) and zooarchaeological evidence from Gulf of Mexico fisheries to assess cultural, demographic, and technological changes affecting sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus) populations and fishing practices in Louisiana, USA. Concurrent with human population growth, average sizes of sheepshead caught decreased from the 1720s to 1830s. The size of fish caught after the 1830s increased to pre-1720 levels at the same time that isotopic compositions of fish bone collagen show that fish were being caught from a more diverse range of ecosystems, including distant seagrass beds. Our findings provide the first evidence for large-scale depressions of historical sheepshead populations and the processes driving them, including rapid human population growth and sustained harvesting pressure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric J Guiry
- School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester, Mayor's Walk, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK.
- Department of Anthropology, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Dr., Peterborough, ON K9L 0G2, Canada
| | - Jonathan R Kennedy
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Orleans, Milneburg Hall 352, 2000 Lakeshore Dr., New Orleans, LA 70148, USA
| | - Martin T O'Connell
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New Orleans, 1065 Geology and Psychology Building, 2000 Lakeshore Drive, New Orleans, LA 70148, USA
| | - D Ryan Gray
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Orleans, Milneburg Hall 352, 2000 Lakeshore Dr., New Orleans, LA 70148, USA
| | - Christopher Grant
- Department of Anthropology, University of Chicago, 1126 East 59th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Paul Szpak
- Department of Anthropology, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Dr., Peterborough, ON K9L 0G2, Canada
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Shipley ON, Henkes GA, Gelsleichter J, Morgan CR, Schneider EV, Talwar BS, Frisk MG. Shark tooth collagen stable isotopes (δ 15 N and δ 13 C) as ecological proxies. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:2188-2201. [PMID: 33999410 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
The isotopic composition of tooth-bound collagen has long been used to reconstruct dietary patterns of animals in extant and palaeoecological systems. For sharks that replace teeth rapidly in a conveyor-like system, stable isotopes of tooth collagen (δ13 CTeeth & δ15 NTeeth ) are poorly understood and lacking in ecological context relative to other non-lethally sampled tissues. This tissue holds promise, because shark jaws may preserve isotopic chronologies from which to infer individual-level ecological patterns across a range of temporal resolutions. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope values were measured and compared between extracted tooth collagen and four other non-lethally sampled tissues of varying isotopic turnover rates: blood plasma, red blood cells, fin and muscle, from eight species of sharks. Individual-level isotopic variability of shark tooth collagen was evaluated by profiling teeth of different ages across whole jaws for the shortfin mako shark Isurus oxyrinchus and sandbar shark Carcharhinus plumbeus. Measurements of δ13 CTeeth and δ15 NTeeth were positively correlated with isotopic values from the four other tissues. Collagen δ13 C was consistently 13 C-enriched relative to all other tissues. Patterns for δ15 N were slightly less uniform; tooth collagen was generally 15 N-enriched relative to muscle and red blood cells, but congruent with fin and blood plasma (values clustered around a 1:1 relationship). Significant within-individual variability was observed across whole shortfin mako shark (δ13 C range = 1.4‰, δ15 N range = 3.6‰) and sandbar shark (δ13 C range = 1.2‰-2.4‰, δ15 N range = 1.7‰-2.4‰) jaws, which trended with tooth age. We conclude that amino acid composition and associated patterns of isotopic fractionation result in predictable isotopic offsets between tissues. Within-individual variability of tooth collagen stable isotope values suggests teeth of different ages may serve as ecological chronologies, that could be applied to studies on migration and individual-level diet variation across diverse time-scales. Greater understanding of tooth replacement rates, isotopic turnover and associated fractionation of tooth collagen will help refine potential ecological inferences, outlining clear goals for future scientific inquiry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver N Shipley
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA.,Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Gregory A Henkes
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA.,Department of Geosciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - James Gelsleichter
- Department of Biology, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Clark R Morgan
- Department of Biology, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Eric V Schneider
- Exuma Sound Ecosystem Research Project, Cape Eleuthera Institute, Eleuthera, The Bahamas
| | - Brendan S Talwar
- Exuma Sound Ecosystem Research Project, Cape Eleuthera Institute, Eleuthera, The Bahamas.,Institute of Environment, Department of Biological Sciences, Coastlines and Oceans Division, Florida International University, North Miami, FL, USA
| | - Michael G Frisk
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
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Guiry EJ, Szpak P. Quality control for modern bone collagen stable carbon and nitrogen isotope measurements. Methods Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Eric J. Guiry
- Department of Anthropology Trent University Peterborough ON Canada
- School of Archaeology and Ancient History University of Leicester Leicester UK
| | - Paul Szpak
- Department of Anthropology Trent University Peterborough ON Canada
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