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Moubtahij Z, McCormack J, Bourgon N, Trost M, Sinet-Mathiot V, Fuller BT, Smith GM, Temming H, Steinbrenner S, Hublin JJ, Bouzouggar A, Turner E, Jaouen K. Isotopic evidence of high reliance on plant food among Later Stone Age hunter-gatherers at Taforalt, Morocco. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:1035-1045. [PMID: 38684738 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02382-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
The transition from hunting-gathering to agriculture stands as one of the most important dietary revolutions in human history. Yet, due to a scarcity of well-preserved human remains from Pleistocene sites, little is known about the dietary practices of pre-agricultural human groups. Here we present the isotopic evidence of pronounced plant reliance among Late Stone Age hunter-gatherers from North Africa (15,000-13,000 cal BP), predating the advent of agriculture by several millennia. Employing a comprehensive multi-isotopic approach, we conducted zinc (δ66Zn) and strontium (87Sr/86Sr) analysis on dental enamel, bulk carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) and sulfur (δ34S) isotope analysis on dentin and bone collagen, and single amino acid analysis on human and faunal remains from Taforalt (Morocco). Our results unequivocally demonstrate a substantial plant-based component in the diets of these hunter-gatherers. This distinct dietary pattern challenges the prevailing notion of high reliance on animal proteins among pre-agricultural human groups. It also raises intriguing questions surrounding the absence of agricultural development in North Africa during the early Holocene. This study underscores the importance of investigating dietary practices during the transition to agriculture and provides insights into the complexities of human subsistence strategies across different regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zineb Moubtahij
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
- Géosciences Environnement Toulouse, UMR 5563, CNRS, Observatoire Midi Pyrénées, Toulouse, France.
| | - Jeremy McCormack
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Institute of Geosciences, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Nicolas Bourgon
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- IsoTROPIC Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany
| | - Manuel Trost
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Virginie Sinet-Mathiot
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- PACEA, UMR 5199, CNRS, Université de Bordeaux, Ministère de la Culture, Pessac, France
- CBMN, UMR 5248 and Bordeaux Proteome Platform, Bordeaux INP, CNRS, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Benjamin T Fuller
- Géosciences Environnement Toulouse, UMR 5563, CNRS, Observatoire Midi Pyrénées, Toulouse, France
| | - Geoff M Smith
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Heiko Temming
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sven Steinbrenner
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jean-Jacques Hublin
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Chaire de Paléoanthropologie, CIRB (UMR 7241-U1050), Collège de France, Paris, France
| | - Abdeljalil Bouzouggar
- Institut National des Sciences de l'Archéologie et du Patrimoine, Origin and Evolution of Homo Sapiens Cultures, Rabat, Morocco
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Elaine Turner
- Monrepos Archaeological Research Centre and Museum for Human Behavioural Evolution, LEIZA, Neuwied, Germany
| | - Klervia Jaouen
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Géosciences Environnement Toulouse, UMR 5563, CNRS, Observatoire Midi Pyrénées, Toulouse, France
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2
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Pezo-Lanfranco L, Mut P, Chávez J, Fossile T, Colonese AC, Fernandes R. South American Archaeological Isotopic Database, a regional-scale multi-isotope data compendium for research. Sci Data 2024; 11:336. [PMID: 38575659 PMCID: PMC10995213 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-024-03148-9] [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: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
The South American Archaeological Isotopic Database (SAAID) is a comprehensive open-access resource that aggregates all available bioarchaeological stable and radiogenic isotope measurements, encompassing data from human individuals, animals, and plants across South America. Resulting from a collaborative effort of scholars who work with stable isotopes in this region, SAAID contains 53,781 isotopic measurements across 24,507 entries from individuals/specimens spanning over 12,000 years. SAAID includes valuable contextual information on archaeological samples and respective sites, such as chronology, geographical region, biome, and spatial coordinates, biological details like estimated sex and age for human individuals, and taxonomic description for fauna and flora. SAAID is hosted at the PACHAMAMA community within the Pandora data platform and the CORA repository to facilitate easy access. Because of its rich data structure, SAAID is particularly well-suited for conducting spatiotemporal meta-analyses. It serves as a valuable tool for addressing a variety of research topics, including the spread, adoption, and consumption intensification of food items, paleo-environmental reconstruction, as well as the exploration of mobility patterns across extensive geographic regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Pezo-Lanfranco
- Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain.
- Department of Prehistory, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain.
| | - Patricia Mut
- Departamento de Antropología Biológica, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Juan Chávez
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Riverside, USA
- Observatorio de Patrimonio Cultural y Arqueológico - Instituto de Investigaciones Antropológicas y Arqueológicas, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, La Paz, Bolivia
| | - Thiago Fossile
- Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
- Department of Prehistory, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - André Carlo Colonese
- Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
- Department of Prehistory, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Ricardo Fernandes
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany.
- Faculty of Archaeology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
- Arne Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
- Climate Change and History Research Initiative, Princeton University, Princeton, 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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4
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A Bayesian multi-proxy contribution to the socioeconomic, political, and cultural history of late medieval Capitanata (southern Italy). Sci Rep 2023; 13:4078. [PMID: 36906701 PMCID: PMC10008551 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-30706-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Medieval southern Italy is typically viewed as a region where political, religious, and cultural systems coexisted and clashed. Written sources often focus on elites and give an image of a hierarchical feudal society supported by a farming economy. We undertook an interdisciplinary study combining historical and archaeological evidence with Bayesian modelling of multi-isotope data from human (n = 134) and faunal (n = 21) skeletal remains to inform on the socioeconomic organisation, cultural practices, and demographics of medieval communities in Capitanata (southern Italy). Isotopic results show significant dietary differences within local populations supportive of marked socioeconomic hierarchies. Bayesian dietary modelling suggested that cereal production, followed by animal management practices, was the economic basis of the region. However, minor consumption of marine fish, potentially associated with Christian practices, revealed intra-regional trade. At the site of Tertiveri, isotope-based clustering and Bayesian spatial modelling identified migrant individuals likely from the Alpine region plus one Muslim individual from the Mediterranean coastline. Our results align with the prevailing image of Medieval southern Italy but they also showcase how Bayesian methods and multi-isotope data can be used to directly inform on the history of local communities and of the legacy that these left.
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Tian D, Sun Y, Ritchey MM, Xi T, Ren M, Ma J, Wang J, Zhao Z, Ling X, Liu X. Varying cultivation strategies in eastern Tianshan corresponded to growing pastoral lifeways between 1300 BCE and 300 CE. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.966366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
This study combines plant stable isotope and archaeobotanical analyses to explore how ancient pastoral communities in varying landscapes of eastern Tianshan managed their barley fields. The question is less archaeologically investigated, as recent discussions have focused on pastoral and nomadic activities. Results show that diversified cultivation strategies were employed in barley cultivation at different locations in eastern Tianshan. We also observed a diachronic transition toward less labour-intensive crop management corresponding to a growing pastoral lifeway from the late Bronze Age (1300–800 BCE) to historical periods (400 BCE–300 CE). These results inform us about the mechanism by which southwest Asian originated domesticates were adapted to the Inner Asian environments in the context of the early food globalisation.
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Colette M, Guentas L, Gunkel-Grillon P, Callac N, Della Patrona L. Is halophyte species growing in the vicinity of the shrimp ponds a promising agri-aquaculture system for shrimp ponds remediation in New Caledonia? MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2022; 177:113563. [PMID: 35325793 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Plant culture integration within aquaculture activities is a topic of recent interest with economic and environmental benefits. Shrimp farming activities generate nutrient-rich waste trapped in the sediments of farming ponds or release in the mangrove area. Thus, we investigate if the halophytes species naturally growing around the pond can use nitrogen and carbon from shrimp farming for remediation purposes. Halophyte biomasses and sediments influenced by shrimp farm effluents, were collected in two farms in New-Caledonia. All samples were analyzed for their C and N stable isotopic composition and N content. Higher δ15N values were found in plants influenced by shrimp farm water thus evidenced their abilities to take nutrient derived from shrimp farming. Deep root species Chenopodium murale, Atriplex jubata, Suaeda australis and Enchylaena tomentosa appears more efficient for shrimp pond remediation. This work demonstrates that halophytes cultivation in shrimp ponds with sediments, could be effective for the pond's remediation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Colette
- French Institute for Research in the Science of the Sea (IFREMER), Research Institute for Development (IRD), University of New Caledonia, University of Reunion, CNRS, UMR 9220 ENTROPIE, Noumea, New Caledonia; Institute of Exact and Applied Sciences (ISEA), EA 7484, University of New Caledonia, 98851 Noumea, New Caledonia.
| | - Linda Guentas
- Institute of Exact and Applied Sciences (ISEA), EA 7484, University of New Caledonia, 98851 Noumea, New Caledonia.
| | - Peggy Gunkel-Grillon
- Institute of Exact and Applied Sciences (ISEA), EA 7484, University of New Caledonia, 98851 Noumea, New Caledonia.
| | - Nolwenn Callac
- French Institute for Research in the Science of the Sea (IFREMER), Research Institute for Development (IRD), University of New Caledonia, University of Reunion, CNRS, UMR 9220 ENTROPIE, Noumea, New Caledonia.
| | - Luc Della Patrona
- French Institute for Research in the Science of the Sea (IFREMER), Research Institute for Development (IRD), University of New Caledonia, University of Reunion, CNRS, UMR 9220 ENTROPIE, Noumea, New Caledonia.
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7
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Pezo-Lanfranco L, Machacuay M, Novoa P, Peralta R, Mayer E, Eggers S, Shady R. The diet at the onset of the Andean Civilization: New stable isotope data from Caral and Áspero, North-Central Coast of Peru. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2022; 177:402-424. [PMID: 36787651 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2020] [Revised: 10/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The subsistence system of the first urban centers with monumental architecture from the North-Central Coast of Peru, the core area for the social complexity process of Central Andes, has been debated since the late 1960s. To shed light on this aspect, we report paleodietary data from the two most important sites of the Supe Valley: Caral (3000-200 BC), the major settlement of the middle valley, and Áspero (3000-1800 BC), a notable coastal settlement. Our main objective was to test the Maritime Foundations of Andean Civilization hypothesis. MATERIALS AND METHODS Stable isotope values (δ13 Ccol , δ13 Cap , and δ15 N) from 52 individuals (70 samples: 44 bones and 26 teeth) were analyzed using conventional methods and Bayesian Mixing Models to address the role of marine products and plants in people's diet at both sites over time. RESULTS Our results suggest high C3 carbohydrate consumption (55%-68% total calories in Áspero and >70% in Caral). The consumption of marine resources was stable for Áspero between 3300 and 1800 BC, but it decreased for Caral between 2550 and 200 BC. DISCUSSION Marine protein was more important in Áspero than in Caral over time. C3 plants, possibly tubers, formed the foundation of the diet in both sites during the Formative period (~3000-200 BC). Maize was a marginal food (<12% of calories) at least until 800 BC (29% of calories). The Maritime Foundations hypothesis does not completely account for these findings. Our results suggest the predominance of crop-focused agriculture during the evaluated period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Pezo-Lanfranco
- Laboratório de Antropologia Biológica, Instituto de Biociências-Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Marco Machacuay
- Zona Arqueológica Caral, Unidad Ejecutora 003, Ministerio de Cultura del Peru, Lima, Peru
| | - Pedro Novoa
- Zona Arqueológica Caral, Unidad Ejecutora 003, Ministerio de Cultura del Peru, Lima, Peru.,Escuela Profesional de Arqueología, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru
| | - Rodolfo Peralta
- Zona Arqueológica Caral, Unidad Ejecutora 003, Ministerio de Cultura del Peru, Lima, Peru
| | - Elver Mayer
- Instituto de Estudos do Xingu, São Félix do Xingu, Brazil
| | - Sabine Eggers
- Anthropologische Abteilung, Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ruth Shady
- Zona Arqueológica Caral, Unidad Ejecutora 003, Ministerio de Cultura del Peru, Lima, Peru.,Escuela Profesional de Arqueología, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru
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8
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Climate and demography drive 7000 years of dietary change in the Central Andes. Sci Rep 2022; 12:2026. [PMID: 35132100 PMCID: PMC8821598 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-05774-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Explaining the factors that influence past dietary variation is critically important for understanding changes in subsistence, health, and status in past societies; yet systematic studies comparing possible driving factors remain scarce. Here we compile the largest dataset of past diet derived from stable isotope δ13C‰ and δ15N‰ values in the Americas to quantitatively evaluate the impact of 7000 years of climatic and demographic change on dietary variation in the Central Andes. Specifically, we couple paleoclimatic data from a general circulation model with estimates of relative past population inferred from archaeologically derived radiocarbon dates to assess the influence of climate and population on spatiotemporal dietary variation using an ensemble machine learning model capable of accounting for interactions among predictors. Results reveal that climate and population strongly predict diet (80% of δ15N‰ and 66% of δ13C‰) and that Central Andean diets correlate much more strongly with local climatic conditions than regional population size, indicating that the past 7000 years of dietary change was influenced more by climatic than socio-demographic processes. Visually, the temporal pattern suggests decreasing dietary variation across elevation zones during the Late Horizon, raising the possibility that sociopolitical factors overrode the influence of local climatic conditions on diet during that time. The overall findings and approach establish a general framework for understanding the influence of local climate and demography on dietary change across human history.
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Carbon and Nitrogen Sourcing in High Elevation Landscapes of Mustang in Central Nepal. SUSTAINABILITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/su13116171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Mustang valley in the central Himalaya of Nepal is a unique landscape formed by massive soil mass during a glacial period, which is attributed to a mix of vegetations and long agricultural history. Soil nutrients and their sourcing is highly important to understand the vegetation assemblage and land productivity in this arid zone. Twenty soil samples (from 0 to 20 cm depth) were collected from three landscape positions in Mustang district: valley, ridge, and midslope. We explored nutrient sourcing using natural abundance carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen isotope (δ15N) employing isotope ratio mass spectrophotometry. The results showed that the total soil carbon (TC) and total nitrogen (TN) ranged from 0.3 to 10.5% and 0.3 to 0.7%, respectively. Similarly, the CN ratio ranged from 0.75 to 15.6, whereas soil pH ranged from 6.5 to 7.5. Valley soil showed higher values of TN, CN, and soil pH than the ridge and midslope soils. The valleys had more positive δ15N signatures than ridge and midslope, which indicates higher inorganic and organic N fertilizer inputs in the valley bottom than in the midslope and ridge. This suggests that a higher nutrient content in the valley bottom likely results from agro-inputs management and the transport of nutrients from the ridge and midslope. Soil pH and CN ratio were a non-limiting factor of nutrient availability in the study regions. These findings are crucial in understanding the nutrient dynamics and management in relation to vegetation and agricultural farming in this unique topography of the Trans-Himalayan zone of Mustang in central Nepal.
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Hyland C, Millaire JF, Szpak P. Migration and maize in the Virú Valley: Understanding life histories through multi-tissue carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and strontium isotope analyses. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2021; 176:21-35. [PMID: 33733485 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2020] [Revised: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Stable isotope analysis can provide crucial insight into the function and development of early state-level societies on the north coast of Peru. MATERIALS AND METHODS Multi-tissue (bone collagen, tooth enamel, hair, nail, skin, and tendon) stable isotope analyses (carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and strontium) were conducted for 13 individuals from the lower Virú Valley. RESULTS Non-seasonal changes in a predominantly C4 -based terrestrial diet, with minimal inputs of marine foods were identified. One individual (Burial 5), however, had a stable isotope signature unlike any previously found on the north coast of Peru, indicating both a large contribution of C3 -terrestrial resources to their diet and an 87 Sr/86 Sr value suggestive of highland residence during childhood. DISCUSSION This research provides the first strong stable isotope evidence of a highland individual within a coastal burial in northern Peru, new insight into the ritual killing event at Huaca Santa Clara during the late middle horizon and supporting evidence of the importance of C4 terrestrial resources to the developing Virú polity during the early intermediate period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corrie Hyland
- School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Department of Anthropology, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Paul Szpak
- Department of Anthropology, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
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TAKIGAMI MAI, SEKI YUJI, NAGAOKA TOMOHITO, UZAWA KAZUHIRO, CHOCANO DANIELMORALES, MUKAI HITOSHI, YONEDA MINORU. Isotopic study of maize exploitation during the Formative Period at Pacopampa, Peru. ANTHROPOL SCI 2021. [DOI: 10.1537/ase.210531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- MAI TAKIGAMI
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Yamagata University, Yamagata
| | | | - TOMOHITO NAGAOKA
- Department of Anatomy, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki
| | - KAZUHIRO UZAWA
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of East Asia, Shimonoseki
| | | | - HITOSHI MUKAI
- Center for Global Environmental Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba
| | - MINORU YONEDA
- Laboratory of Radiocarbon Dating, The University Museum, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo
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12
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Haas R, Watson J, Buonasera T, Southon J, Chen JC, Noe S, Smith K, Llave CV, Eerkens J, Parker G. Female hunters of the early Americas. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:6/45/eabd0310. [PMID: 33148651 PMCID: PMC7673694 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abd0310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Accepted: 09/18/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Sexual division of labor with females as gatherers and males as hunters is a major empirical regularity of hunter-gatherer ethnography, suggesting an ancestral behavioral pattern. We present an archeological discovery and meta-analysis that challenge the man-the-hunter hypothesis. Excavations at the Andean highland site of Wilamaya Patjxa reveal a 9000-year-old human burial (WMP6) associated with a hunting toolkit of stone projectile points and animal processing tools. Osteological, proteomic, and isotopic analyses indicate that this early hunter was a young adult female who subsisted on terrestrial plants and animals. Analysis of Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene burial practices throughout the Americas situate WMP6 as the earliest and most secure hunter burial in a sample that includes 10 other females in statistical parity with early male hunter burials. The findings are consistent with nongendered labor practices in which early hunter-gatherer females were big-game hunters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Randall Haas
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Davis, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616, USA.
- Collasuyo Archaeological Research Institute, Jiron Nicaragua 199, Puno, Puno, Peru
| | - James Watson
- Arizona State Museum, The University of Arizona, 1013 E. University Blvd., Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- School of Anthropology, The University of Arizona, 1009 E. South Campus Drive, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Tammy Buonasera
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Davis, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616, USA
- Department of Environmental Toxicology, University of California Davis, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - John Southon
- W.M. Keck Carbon Cycle Accelerator Mass Spectrometer Facility, University of California Irvine, B321 Croul Hall, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Jennifer C Chen
- Department of Anthropology, Penn State University, 410 Carpenter Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Sarah Noe
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Kevin Smith
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Davis, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Carlos Viviano Llave
- Collasuyo Archaeological Research Institute, Jiron Nicaragua 199, Puno, Puno, Peru
| | - Jelmer Eerkens
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Davis, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Glendon Parker
- Department of Environmental Toxicology, University of California Davis, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616, USA
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13
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Guiry EJ, Szpak P. Seaweed-eating sheep show that δ 34 S evidence for marine diets can be fully masked by sea spray effects. RAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY : RCM 2020; 34:e8868. [PMID: 32559821 DOI: 10.1002/rcm.8868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Revised: 06/12/2020] [Accepted: 06/13/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Stable sulfur isotope compositions (δ34 S values) are a useful marker of terrestrial (lower δ34 S) versus marine (higher δ34 S) diets. In coastal areas, 34 S-enriched sea spray can obscure these marine/terrestrial differences. We sought to establish whether δ34 S values of sea spray-affected terrestrial fauna can be distinguished from those of marine-feeding terrestrial fauna. METHODS We measured bone and dentine collagen δ34 S values, as well as stable carbon (δ13 C) and nitrogen (δ15 N) isotope compositions via continuous flow elemental analysis/isotope ratio mass spectrometry of 21 sheep (Ovis aries) raised on an island (North Ronaldsay, UK) of <7 km2 that had widely divergent access to marine (seaweed) and heavily sea spray-affected terrestrial (grass) food sources. We also analyzed the bone collagen of marine and terrestrial fauna from this island. RESULTS Sheep bone collagen showed well-defined trends with highly significant correlations between δ13 C and δ15 N values indicative of feeding along a continuum of fully terrestrial to fully marine diets, consistent with other modern baseline data from marine and terrestrial animals in the same area. In contrast, δ34 S values were generally elevated for all sheep and were not significantly correlated with either δ13 C or δ15 N values. CONCLUSIONS Our findings demonstrate that δ34 S values are poorly suited for differentiating marine and terrestrial diets in terrestrial animals in areas with pronounced sea spray effects. Care must be taken to characterize the isotopic compositions of potential food items before δ34 S values are used as a marker for reliance on marine protein in modern and ancient contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric J Guiry
- School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK
- Department of Anthropology, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough, ON, K9L 0G2, Canada
- Department of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, 6306 NW Marine Drive, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z1, Canada
| | - Paul Szpak
- Department of Anthropology, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough, ON, K9L 0G2, Canada
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Toyne JM, Turner BL. Linking isotope analysis and paleopathology: An andean perspective. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PALEOPATHOLOGY 2020; 29:117-127. [PMID: 32507722 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2019.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2019] [Revised: 10/24/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
This paper reviews the significant advances in isotopic investigations in Andean South America and directs scholars to explore new theoretical and analytical directions, specifically the applicability of isotope data to paleopathology. Excellent preservation and large skeletal collections of human remains make the Central Andes ideal for biogeochemical reconstructions and advancements in isotopic methods. Our aims are twofold: first, we present a meta-analysis of stable and radiogenic isotope research in the Central Andes since 1985, and highlight those that combine analyses of isotope ratios and pathological conditions. Second, we discuss useful directions for incorporating stable isotope analysis more explicitly in studies of paleopathology in the Andes more in the future. Principle research foci have described dietary variation and regional population mobility since the 1980s, where early methodological explorations identified significant trends in isotopic variation. For the years 1980-2017, we identified 96 scholarly publications through a meta-data analysis of major peer-reviewed journals, book chapters, and conference proceedings. These demonstrate specific trends in topical and methodological preferences across the Andean region and a shift from 10 publications pre-1997 to 67 in the last 10 years. However, combined isotope and paleopathology studies in this region remain sparse; given the ecological, geological, and cultural complexity of the Central Andes, analyses of pathological conditions in different regions would significantly benefit from the information on diet, mobility, and local ecology that isotope ratios provide. Isotope analysis requires destruction of archaeological tissues, and interpreting isotope data can be complex, but it can also provide unique insights into the pathogenesis of multifactorial conditions and assist differential diagnosis. Therefore, we also discuss research designs for pairing isotopic and paleopathological variables that will allow researchers to better capture disease ecologies in archaeological samples and their variation across different regions, within related sites, and within individual lifespans.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Marla Toyne
- Department of Anthropology, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, 32803-1631, United States.
| | - Bethany L Turner
- Department of Anthropology, Georgia State University, PO Box 3998, Atlanta, GA 30302-3998, United States.
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Szpak P, Valenzuela D. Camelid husbandry in the Atacama Desert? A stable isotope study of camelid bone collagen and textiles from the Lluta and Camarones Valleys, northern Chile. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0228332. [PMID: 32160199 PMCID: PMC7065742 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0228332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2019] [Accepted: 01/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Management of camelids in the coastal valleys of the Andes has generated much debate in recent years. Zooarchaeological and isotopic studies have demonstrated that in the coastal valleys of northern and southern Peru there were locally maintained camelid herds. Because of the hyperarid conditions of the northern coast of Chile, this region has been assumed to be unsuitable for the raising of camelids. In this study we report stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic compositions of camelid bone collagen and textiles made from camelid fiber from Late Intermediate Period (LIP) and Late Horizon (LH) occupations in northern Chilean river valleys. The camelid bone collagen isotopic compositions are consistent with these animals originating in the highlands, although there is a significant difference in the camelids dating to the LIP and LH, possibly because of changes made to distribution and exchange networks by the Inca in the LH. There were no differences between the isotopic compositions of the camelid fibers sampled from textiles in the LIP and LH, suggesting that either the production of camelid fiber was unchanged by the Inca or the changes that were made do not present visible isotopic evidence. Several camelid fiber samples from both the LIP and LH present very high δ13C and δ15N values, comparable to human hair samples from one site (Huancarane) in the Camarones Valley. These data suggest that people in the northern valleys of Chile may have kept small numbers of animals specifically for fiber production. Overall, however, the vast majority of the textile samples have isotopic compositions that are consistent with an origin in the highlands. These data suggest that the hyperarid coastal river valleys of northern Chile did not support substantial camelid herds as has been interpreted for northern Peru.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Szpak
- Department of Anthropology, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
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Lazzerini N, Coulon A, Simon L, Marchina C, Noost B, Lepetz S, Zazzo A. Grazing high and low: Can we detect horse altitudinal mobility using high-resolution isotope (δ 13 C and δ 15 N values) time series in tail hair? A case study in the Mongolian Altai. RAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY : RCM 2019; 33:1512-1526. [PMID: 31148256 DOI: 10.1002/rcm.8496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2019] [Revised: 05/24/2019] [Accepted: 05/25/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope time series performed in continuously growing tissues (hair, tooth enamel) are commonly used to reconstruct the dietary history of modern and ancient animals. Predicting the effects of altitudinal mobility on animal δ13 C and δ15 N values remains difficult as several variables such as temperature, water availability or soil type can contribute to the isotope composition. Modern references adapted to the region of interest are therefore essential. METHODS Between June 2015 and July 2018, six free-ranging domestic horses living in the Mongolian Altaï were fitted with GPS collars. Tail hairs were sampled each year, prepared for sequential C and N isotope analysis using EA-IRMS. Isotopic variations were compared with altitudinal mobility, and Generalized Additive Mixed (GAMMs) models were used to model the effect of geographic and environmental factors on δ13 C and δ15 N values. RESULTS Less than half of the pasture changes were linked with a significant isotopic shift while numerous isotopic shifts did not correspond to any altitudinal mobility. Similar patterns of δ13 C and δ15 N variations were observed between the different horses, despite differences in mobility patterns. We propose that water availability as well as seasonal availability of N2 fixing type plants primarily controlled horse hair δ13 C and δ15 N values, overprinting the influence of altitude. CONCLUSIONS Our study shows that altitudinal mobility is not the main factor that drives the variations in horse tail hair δ13 C and δ15 N values and that seasonal change in the animal dietary preference also plays an important role. It is therefore risky to interpret variations in δ13 C and δ15 N values of animal tissues in terms of altitudinal mobility alone, at least in C3 -dominated environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Lazzerini
- Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique: sociétés, pratiques et environnements (UMR 7209 AASPE), CNRS, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CP56, 55 rue Buffon, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Aurélie Coulon
- Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (UMR 7204 CESCO), CNRS, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CP135, 57 rue Cuvier, 75005, Paris, France
- CEFE, CNRS, Univ. Montpellier, Univ. Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Laurent Simon
- Univ. Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, ENTPE, UMR 5023 LEHNA, 69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Charlotte Marchina
- Institut Français de Recherche sur l'Asie de l'Est (IFRAE), FRE 2025, Inalco/Université de Paris/CNRS, 2 rue de Lille, 75007, Paris, France
| | - Bayarkhuu Noost
- Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Institute of History and Archaeology, Mongolia
| | - Sébastien Lepetz
- Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique: sociétés, pratiques et environnements (UMR 7209 AASPE), CNRS, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CP56, 55 rue Buffon, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Antoine Zazzo
- Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique: sociétés, pratiques et environnements (UMR 7209 AASPE), CNRS, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CP56, 55 rue Buffon, 75005, Paris, France
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Larsson M, Bergman J, Lagerås P. Manuring practices in the first millennium AD in southern Sweden inferred from isotopic analysis of crop remains. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0215578. [PMID: 30998760 PMCID: PMC6472791 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0215578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2018] [Accepted: 04/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
This study uses crop stable nitrogen isotope analysis of charred grain to explore manuring practices in arable production at the affluent regional center Uppåkra and a set of smaller surrounding sites, dating to the first millennium AD in southern Sweden. The isotopic analysis focuses on hulled barley, the principle crop in the Scandinavian Iron Age, and the minor crops: bread wheat, emmer wheat, rye and oat, are included to compare manuring practices in cultivation of other crop species during this period. A field experiment was first conducted to establish relationships between manuring and δ15N values in modern grain from known growing conditions. The data formed an interpretive framework to reconstruct past agricultural practices and manuring intensity in the archaeological study area. Our results from the ancient grains have demonstrated that barley from the early phase in the study area (AD 0-200) varies widely in its δ15N values, reflecting mixed manuring regimes. In the following periods (AD 200-1000), isotopic values are relatively high overall, indicating systematic input of manure. In this paper, we explore whether the isotopic data that indicates sustained and high manuring levels could reflect the wealth of Uppåkra and its surrounding areas by showing prosperity also in its agricultural production, since intensive manuring would have required more resource and labor investments. The new crop nitrogen isotopic data shed light on the agricultural practices of a long-lived Iron Age center and its surrounding areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikael Larsson
- Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Jakob Bergman
- Department of Statistics, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Per Lagerås
- The Archaeologists, National Historical Museums, Lund, Sweden
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A mass sacrifice of children and camelids at the Huanchaquito-Las Llamas site, Moche Valley, Peru. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0211691. [PMID: 30840642 PMCID: PMC6402755 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0211691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2018] [Accepted: 01/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Here we report the results of excavation and interdisciplinary study of the largest child and camelid sacrifice known from the New World. Stratigraphy, associated artifacts, and radiocarbon dating indicate that it was a single mass killing of more than 140 children and over 200 camelids directed by the Chimú state, c. AD 1450. Preliminary DNA analysis indicates that both boys and girls were chosen for sacrifice. Variability in forms of cranial modification (head shaping) and stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen suggest that the children were a heterogeneous sample drawn from multiple regions and ethnic groups throughout the Chimú state. The Huanchaquito-Las Llamas mass sacrifice opens a new window on a previously unknown sacrificial ritual from fifteenth century northern coastal Peru. While the motivation for such a massive sacrifice is a subject for further research, there is archaeological evidence that it was associated with a climatic event (heavy rainfall and flooding) that could have impacted the economic, political and ideological stability of one of the most powerful states in the New World during the fifteenth century A.D.
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Herrscher E, Poulmarc'h M, Pecqueur L, Jovenet E, Benecke N, Decaix A, Lyonnet B, Guliyev F, André G. Dietary inferences through stable isotope analysis at the Neolithic and Bronze Age in the southern Caucasus (sixth to first millenium BC, Azerbaijan): From environmental adaptation to social impacts. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2018; 167:856-875. [PMID: 30351449 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2017] [Revised: 08/31/2018] [Accepted: 09/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Subsistence strategies are of great interest for understanding how prehistoric societies adapted to their environment. This is particularly the case for the southern Caucasus where relationships have been shown with the northern Caucasus and Mesopotamia since the Neolithic and where societies are alternately described as sedentary and mobile. This article aims, for the first time, to characterize human diets and their evolution using biochemical markers, from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age (sixth-first millenium BC), at Mentesh Tepe, a site in the middle Kura valley in Azerbaijan. MATERIALS AND METHODS The data set belongs to 40 humans, 32 domestic and wild animals, and 42 charred seeds discovered in situ and perfectly dated. Stable isotope analyses were performed, including (a) δ13 Cco and δ15 N for animal and human bone collagens and for seeds, and (b) δ13 Cap for human bone apatite. RESULTS Almost all the data (25/31) suggest an increased contribution of cereals, lentils, and freshwater fish during the Neolithic, whereas afterwards, until the Late Bronze Age, all individuals consumed more animal proteins from their livestock. None of the biological criteria (age at death and sex) and burial types (mass/single graves) were found to be related to a specific diet over time. Comparisons with other isotopic data from contemporary sites in Georgia argue in favor of a wide variety of dietary sources in the vicinity of the Kura valley and for highly mobile populations. Clear evidence of millet consumption has only been found for the Late Bronze Age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Estelle Herrscher
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, Minist Culture, LAMPEA, Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - Modwene Poulmarc'h
- Université de Lyon, Archéorient UMR 5133, Maison de l'Orient et de la Méditerranée, Lyon, France
| | - Laure Pecqueur
- Inrap Centre - Île-de-France, Croissy-Beaubourg, France.,UMR 7206, Ecoanthropologie et ethnobiologie, MNHN, CNRS, Paris, France
| | | | - Norbert Benecke
- Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Referat Naturwissenschaften, Berlin, Allemagne
| | - Alexia Decaix
- UMR 7209, Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique: Sociétés, Pratiques et Environnements, MNHN, CNRS, Paris, France
| | | | - Farhad Guliyev
- Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Bakou, Azerbaijan
| | - Guy André
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, Minist Culture, LAMPEA, Aix-en-Provence, France
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20
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Isotopic evidence for oligotrophication of terrestrial ecosystems. Nat Ecol Evol 2018; 2:1735-1744. [DOI: 10.1038/s41559-018-0694-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2018] [Accepted: 09/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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21
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Chaudhary DR, Seo J, Kang H, Rathore AP, Jha B. Seasonal variation in natural abundance of δ 13C and 15N in Salicornia brachiata Roxb. populations from a coastal area of India. ISOTOPES IN ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH STUDIES 2018; 54:209-224. [PMID: 29105502 DOI: 10.1080/10256016.2017.1391807] [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: 03/21/2017] [Accepted: 09/01/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
High and fluctuating salinity is characteristic for coastal salt marshes, which strongly affect the physiology of halophytes consequently resulting in changes in stable isotope distribution. The natural abundance of stable isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) of the halophyte plant Salicornia brachiata and physico-chemical characteristics of soils were analysed in order to investigate the relationship of stable isotope distribution in different populations in a growing period in the coastal area of Gujarat, India. Aboveground and belowground biomass of S. brachiata was collected from six different populations at five times (September 2014, November 2014, January 2015, March 2015 and May 2015). The δ13C values in aboveground (-30.8 to -23.6 ‰, average: -26.6 ± 0.4 ‰) and belowground biomass (-30.0 to -23.1 ‰, average: -26.3 ± 0.4 ‰) were similar. The δ13C values were positively correlated with soil salinity and Na concentration, and negatively correlated with soil mineral nitrogen. The δ15N values of aboveground (6.7-16.1 ‰, average: 9.6 ± 0.4 ‰) were comparatively higher than belowground biomass (5.4-13.2 ‰, average: 7.8 ± 0.3 ‰). The δ15N values were negatively correlated with soil available P. We conclude that the variation in δ13C values of S. brachiata was possibly caused by soil salinity (associated Na content) and N limitation which demonstrates the potential of δ13C as an indicator of stress in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doongar R Chaudhary
- a Marine Biotechnology and Ecology Division , CSIR - Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute , Bhavnagar , Gujarat , India
| | - Juyoung Seo
- b School of Civil and Environmental Engineering , Yonsei University , Seoul , South Korea
| | - Hojeong Kang
- b School of Civil and Environmental Engineering , Yonsei University , Seoul , South Korea
| | - Aditya P Rathore
- a Marine Biotechnology and Ecology Division , CSIR - Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute , Bhavnagar , Gujarat , India
| | - Bhavanath Jha
- a Marine Biotechnology and Ecology Division , CSIR - Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute , Bhavnagar , Gujarat , India
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Roberts P, Fernandes R, Craig OE, Larsen T, Lucquin A, Swift J, Zech J. Calling all archaeologists: guidelines for terminology, methodology, data handling, and reporting when undertaking and reviewing stable isotope applications in archaeology. RAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY : RCM 2018; 32:361-372. [PMID: 29235694 PMCID: PMC5838555 DOI: 10.1002/rcm.8044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2017] [Revised: 11/25/2017] [Accepted: 11/28/2017] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Stable isotope analysis has been utilized in archaeology since the 1970s, yet standardized protocols for terminology, sampling, pretreatment evaluation, calibration, quality assurance and control, data presentation, and graphical or statistical treatment still remain lacking in archaeological applications. Here, we present recommendations and requirements for each of these in the archaeological context of: bulk stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of organics; bulk stable carbon and oxygen isotope analysis of carbonates; single compound stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis on amino acids in collagen and keratin; and single compound stable carbon and hydrogen isotope analysis on fatty acids. The protocols are based on recommendations from the Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) as well as an expanding geochemical and archaeological science experimental literature. We hope that this will provide a useful future reference for authors and reviewers engaging with the growing number of stable isotope applications and datasets in archaeology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Roberts
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human HistoryKahlaische Str. 10D‐07745JenaGermany
| | - Ricardo Fernandes
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human HistoryKahlaische Str. 10D‐07745JenaGermany
- McDonald Institute for Archaeological ResearchDowning StCambridgeCB2 3ERUK
| | | | - Thomas Larsen
- Leibniz‐Laboratory for Isotope ResearchChristian‐Albrechts‐UniversitätD‐24118KielGermany
| | | | - Jillian Swift
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human HistoryKahlaische Str. 10D‐07745JenaGermany
| | - Jana Zech
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human HistoryKahlaische Str. 10D‐07745JenaGermany
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Tahmasebi F, Longstaffe FJ, Zazula G. Nitrogen isotopes suggest a change in nitrogen dynamics between the Late Pleistocene and modern time in Yukon, Canada. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0192713. [PMID: 29447202 PMCID: PMC5813965 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0192713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2017] [Accepted: 01/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A magnificent repository of Late Pleistocene terrestrial megafauna fossils is contained in ice-rich loess deposits of Alaska and Yukon, collectively eastern Beringia. The stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope compositions of bone collagen from these fossils are routinely used to determine paleodiet and reconstruct the paleoecosystem. This approach requires consideration of changes in C- and N-isotope dynamics over time and their effects on the terrestrial vegetation isotopic baseline. To test for such changes between the Late Pleistocene and modern time, we compared δ13C and δ15N for vegetation and bone collagen and structural carbonate of some modern, Yukon, arctic ground squirrels with vegetation and bones from Late Pleistocene fossil arctic ground squirrel nests preserved in Yukon loess deposits. The isotopic discrimination between arctic ground squirrel bone collagen and their diet was measured using modern samples, as were isotopic changes during plant decomposition; Over-wintering decomposition of typical vegetation following senescence resulted in a minor change (~0-1 ‰) in δ13C of modern Yukon grasses. A major change (~2-10 ‰) in δ15N was measured for decomposing Yukon grasses thinly covered by loess. As expected, the collagen-diet C-isotope discrimination measured for modern samples confirms that modern vegetation δ13C is a suitable proxy for the Late Pleistocene vegetation in Yukon Territory, after correction for the Suess effect. The N-isotope composition of vegetation from the fossil arctic ground squirrel nests, however, is determined to be ~2.8 ‰ higher than modern grasslands in the region, after correction for decomposition effects. This result suggests a change in N dynamics in this region between the Late Pleistocene and modern time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farnoush Tahmasebi
- Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Fred J. Longstaffe
- Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Grant Zazula
- Yukon Palaeontology Program, Department of Tourism & Culture, Government of Yukon, Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada
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Ottaviani G, Keppel G. Contrasting intraspecific foliar trait responses to stressful conditions of two rhizomatous granite outcrop species at different scales in southwestern Australia. AUSTRAL ECOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.12571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gianluigi Ottaviani
- Institute of Botany; Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic; 135 Dukelská Třeboň CZ-379 82 Czech Republic
| | - Gunnar Keppel
- School of Natural and Built Environments; University of South Australia; Adelaide South Australia Australia
- Biodiversity, Macroecology and Biogeography Group; Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology; University of Göttingen; Göttingen Germany
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Alfonso-Durruty M, Troncoso A, Larach P, Becker C, Misarti N. Maize (Zea mays) consumption in the southern andes (30°-31° S. Lat): Stable isotope evidence (2000 BCE-1540 CE). AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2017. [PMID: 28621827 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The timing and dietary role of maize agriculture is central to archaeological discussions in the Andean region. In the semi-arid region of northern Chile (SARNC), archaeological models propose that maize was adopted during the Early Ceramic period in tandem with pottery and sedentism. Through stable isotope (SI) analyses, of bone collagen and apatite, this study assesses the timing of maize introduction, diachronic changes (2,000 BCE to 1,540 CE.), and synchronic dietary variability in the prehistoric SARNC. MATERIALS AND METHODS Fifty-two prehistoric individuals from SARNC were analyzed for δ13 Cap , δ13 Ccol, and δ15 N. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the results by period and location (inland and coast). Between-periods (ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis tests), and synchronic comparisons (inland vs. coast; Student's t-tests), were conducted. A SIAR model was run to further evaluate dietary changes. Dietary interpretations are based on food web data. RESULTS Coastal groups show significant changes in the diet during the Middle (900-1,000CE; enrichment in δ13 C), and Late Intermediate periods (100-1450CE; when the Δ13 Cap-col is above 5.2‰). In the inland, significant changes in SI occurred in the Late Intermediate period (δ13 C enrichment). In the Late period, the inland diet became enriched for δ15 N. Synchronic comparisons showed coastal individuals to have higher δ15 N. DISCUSSION The popularization of maize in the SARNC was not associated with the appearance of pottery and/or sedentism, and its role as a dietary staple was a late phenomenon (c.a. 1,000CE). The results obtained in this study show that the adoption and consumption of maize varied dramatically in the Southern Andes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Alfonso-Durruty
- Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work Department, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas.,Departamento de Antropología, Universidad Alberto Hurtado, Santiago, Chile
| | - Andrés Troncoso
- Departamento de Antropología, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | | | - Cristian Becker
- Área de Antropología, Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Chile
| | - Nicole Misarti
- Water and Environmental Research Center, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska
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Haas R, Stefanescu IC, Garcia-Putnam A, Aldenderfer MS, Clementz MT, Murphy MS, Llave CV, Watson JT. Humans permanently occupied the Andean highlands by at least 7 ka. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2017; 4:170331. [PMID: 28680685 PMCID: PMC5493927 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.170331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2017] [Accepted: 06/01/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
High-elevation environments above 2500 metres above sea level (m.a.s.l.) were among the planet's last frontiers of human colonization. Research on the speed and tempo of this colonization process is active and holds implications for understanding rates of genetic, physiological and cultural adaptation in our species. Permanent occupation of high-elevation environments in the Andes Mountains of South America tentatively began with hunter-gatherers around 9 ka according to current archaeological estimates, though the timing is currently debated. Recent observations on the archaeological site of Soro Mik'aya Patjxa (8.0-6.5 ka), located at 3800 m.a.s.l. in the Andean Altiplano, offer an opportunity to independently test hypotheses for early permanent use of the region. This study observes low oxygen (δ18O) and high carbon (δ13C) isotope values in human bone, long travel distances to low-elevation zones, variable age and sex structure in the human population and an absence of non-local lithic materials. These independent lines of evidence converge to support a model of permanent occupation of high elevations and refute logistical and seasonal use models. The results constitute the strongest empirical support to date for permanent human occupation of the Andean highlands by hunter-gatherers before 7 ka.
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Affiliation(s)
- Randall Haas
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
- Collasuyo Archaeological Research Institute, Puno, Peru
| | - Ioana C. Stefanescu
- Department of Geology and Geophysicis, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
| | | | - Mark S. Aldenderfer
- Collasuyo Archaeological Research Institute, Puno, Peru
- School of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts, University of California Merced, Merced, CA, USA
| | - Mark T. Clementz
- Department of Geology and Geophysicis, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
| | | | | | - James T. Watson
- Arizona State Museum and School of Anthropology, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
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Marsteller SJ, Zolotova N, Knudson KJ. Investigating economic specialization on the central Peruvian coast: A reconstruction of Late Intermediate Period Ychsma diet using stable isotopes. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2016; 162:300-317. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2016] [Revised: 08/02/2016] [Accepted: 09/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sara J. Marsteller
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change; Arizona State University; Tempe Arizona 85287
| | - Natalya Zolotova
- School of Earth and Space Exploration; Arizona State University; Tempe Arizona 85287
| | - Kelly J. Knudson
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change; Arizona State University; Tempe Arizona 85287
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Toyne JM, Church WB, Luis Coronado Tello J, Morales Gamarra R. Exploring imperial expansion using an isotopic analysis of paleodietary and paleomobility indicators in Chachapoyas, Peru. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2016; 162:51-72. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2015] [Revised: 05/23/2016] [Accepted: 08/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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Mosbacher JB, Michelsen A, Stelvig M, Hendrichsen DK, Schmidt NM. Show Me Your Rump Hair and I Will Tell You What You Ate - The Dietary History of Muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) Revealed by Sequential Stable Isotope Analysis of Guard Hairs. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0152874. [PMID: 27097032 PMCID: PMC4838213 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0152874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2015] [Accepted: 03/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The nutritional state of animals is tightly linked to the ambient environment, and for northern ungulates the state strongly influences vital population demographics, such as pregnancy rates. Continuously growing tissues, such as hair, can be viewed as dietary records of animals over longer temporal scales. Using sequential data on nitrogen stable isotopes (δ15N) in muskox guard hairs from ten individuals in high arctic Northeast Greenland, we were able to reconstruct the dietary history of muskoxen over approximately 2.5 years with a high temporal resolution of app. 9 days. The dietary chronology included almost three full summer and winter periods. The diet showed strong intra- and inter-annual seasonality, and was significantly linked to changes in local environmental conditions (temperature and snow depth). The summer diets were highly similar across years, reflecting a graminoid-dominated diet. In contrast, winter diets were markedly different between years, a pattern apparently linked to snow conditions. Snow-rich winters had markedly higher δ15N values than snow-poor winters, indicating that muskoxen had limited access to forage, and relied more heavily on their body stores. Due to the close link between body stores and calf production in northern ungulates, the dietary winter signals could eventually serve as an indicator of calf production the following spring. Our study opens the field for further studies and longer chronologies to test such links. The method of sequential stable isotope analysis of guard hairs thus constitutes a promising candidate for population-level monitoring of animals in remote, arctic areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesper Bruun Mosbacher
- Arctic Research Centre, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Anders Michelsen
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
- Center for Permafrost, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 10, DK-1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark
| | - Mikkel Stelvig
- Copenhagen Zoo, Roskildevej 38, DK-2000 Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | | | - Niels Martin Schmidt
- Arctic Research Centre, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark
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Blumenthal SA, Rothman JM, Chritz KL, Cerling TE. Stable isotopic variation in tropical forest plants for applications in primatology. Am J Primatol 2015; 78:1041-54. [PMID: 26444915 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2015] [Revised: 09/23/2015] [Accepted: 09/25/2015] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Stable isotope analysis is a promising tool for investigating primate ecology although nuanced ecological applications remain challenging, in part due to the complex nature of isotopic variability in plant-animal systems. The aim of this study is to investigate sources of carbon and nitrogen isotopic variation at the base of primate food webs that reflect aspects of primate ecology. The majority of primates inhabit tropical forest ecosystems, which are dominated by C3 vegetation. We used stable isotope ratios in plants from Kibale National Park, Uganda, a well-studied closed-canopy tropical forest, to investigate sources of isotopic variation among C3 plants related to canopy stratification, leaf age, and plant part. Unpredictably, our results demonstrate that vertical stratification within the canopy does not explain carbon or nitrogen isotopic variation in leaves. Leaf age can be a significant source of isotopic variation, although the direction and magnitude of this difference is not consistent across tree species. Some plant parts are clearly differentiated in carbon and nitrogen isotopic composition, particularly leaves compared to non-photosynthetic parts such as reproductive parts and woody stem parts. Overall, variation in the isotopic composition of floral communities, plant species, and plant parts demonstrates that stable isotope studies must include analysis of local plant species and parts consumed by the primates under study from within the study area. Am. J. Primatol. 78:1041-1054, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott A Blumenthal
- Department of Anthropology, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, New York. .,New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, New York. .,Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.
| | - Jessica M Rothman
- Department of Anthropology, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, New York.,New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, New York.,Department of Anthropology, Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, New York
| | - Kendra L Chritz
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Thure E Cerling
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.,Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
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Zazzo A, Cerling TE, Ehleringer JR, Moloney AP, Monahan FJ, Schmidt O. Isotopic composition of sheep wool records seasonality of climate and diet. RAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY : RCM 2015; 29:1357-1369. [PMID: 26147475 DOI: 10.1002/rcm.7228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2015] [Revised: 05/11/2015] [Accepted: 05/11/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Hair keratin is a very important material in ecological and archaeological studies because it grows continuously, can be obtained non-invasively, does not require extensive processing prior to analysis and can be found in archaeological sites. Only a few studies have examined seasonal variations in hair isotope values, and there is no published dataset examining the isotope variability recorded in the keratinous tissues of stationary (i.e., non-migrating) domestic mammals. METHODS Thirty-six Irish sheep were sampled in eight farms every three months between September 2006 and June 2007. A shearing strategy was adopted to sample only the most recently grown wool in order to represent an average of the summer, autumn, winter and spring conditions. The stable isotope ratios of the ground samples were measured using two different stable isotope mass spectrometers operated in dual-inlet (C, N) and continuous-flow (O, H) mode. RESULTS Wool O isotope ratios are a good proxy for seasonal variability in climate and can be used to anchor a chronology independently of other isotope records (C, N) that are influenced by diet or physiology. By contrast, interpretation of seasonal variations in hair H isotope composition in terms of climate is more complex probably due to the influence of dietary H. The C and N isotope values of grass-fed animals varied seasonally, probably reflecting the annual cycle of seasonal variation in grass isotope values. The highest δ(13) C values were measured in summer-grown wool, while the highest δ(15) N values were measured in winter-grown wool. Supplementation of the sheep diet with concentrates was detected easily and was marked by an increase in δ(13) C values and a decrease in δ(15) N values in winter-grown wool. CONCLUSIONS The present study demonstrates that time-resolved sampling and stable isotope ratio analysis of sheep wool can be used to identify short-term changes in diet and climate and therefore offer a tool to examine a wide variety of present and past husbandry practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Zazzo
- CNRS UMR 7209, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, "Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique: Sociétés, Pratiques et Environnements", Département "Ecologie et Gestion de la Biodiversité", CP 56, 55 rue Buffon, F-75005, Paris, France
| | - T E Cerling
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
| | - J R Ehleringer
- Global Change and Sustainability Center and Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
| | - A P Moloney
- Teagasc, Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Dunsany, Co. Meath, Ireland
| | - F J Monahan
- UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - O Schmidt
- UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
- UCD Earth Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
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Somerville AD, Goldstein PS, Baitzel SI, Bruwelheide KL, Dahlstedt AC, Yzurdiaga L, Raubenheimer S, Knudson KJ, Schoeninger MJ. Diet and gender in the Tiwanaku colonies: Stable isotope analysis of human bone collagen and apatite from Moquegua, Peru. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2015; 158:408-22. [PMID: 26173647 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2014] [Revised: 05/31/2015] [Accepted: 06/01/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Gender and other facets of social identity play important roles in the organization of complex societies. This study reconstructs dietary practices within the Middle Horizon (AD 500-1000) Tiwanaku colonies in southern Peru to increase our knowledge of gendered patterns of consumption within this early expansive state. METHODS We use stable isotope analysis of 43 human bone samples representing 14 females, 20 males, 8 juveniles, and 1 indeterminate individual recovered from burial excavations at the sites of Rio Muerto and Omo in the Moquegua Valley. Data are contextualized by comparisons with previously published Tiwanaku isotope data from the period. RESULTS Our results find mean values of δ(13) Capatite = -7.3 ± 1.6% (N = 36, 1SD), δ(13) Ccollagen = -12.3 ± 1.5% (N = 43, 1SD), and δ(15) Ncollagen = 8.4 ± 1.6% (N = 43, 1SD). Between the sexes, Mann-Whitney U tests demonstrate significant differences in δ(13) Ccollagen (U = 74, P = 0.021), but no differences in δ(13) Capatite (U = 58, P = 0.095) or δ(15) Ncollagen (U = 116, P = 0.755) values. CONCLUSIONS These data indicate relatively high C4 plant consumption among the Tiwanaku colonies, and support paleobotanical and archaeological evidence that maize (Zea mays) was the staple crop. Dietary values are similar overall between the sexes, but significantly higher δ(13) Ccollagen values in males is consistent with a model of gendered norms of consumption similar to that of the later Inca (AD 1438-1533), where males consumed more maize than females, often in the form of beer (chicha). Results provide new insights on social dynamics within the Tiwanaku colonies and suggest the increased importance maize consumption for males during the Tiwanaku expansion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew D Somerville
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0532
| | - Paul S Goldstein
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0532
| | - Sarah I Baitzel
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0532
| | - Karin L Bruwelheide
- Anthropology Department, National Museum of Natural History, MRC 112 Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, 20560
| | - Allisen C Dahlstedt
- Center for Bioarchaeological Research, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287
| | - Linda Yzurdiaga
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0532
| | - Sarah Raubenheimer
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0532
| | - Kelly J Knudson
- Center for Bioarchaeological Research, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287
| | - Margaret J Schoeninger
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0532
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Szpak P, Millaire JF, White CD, Lau GF, Surette F, Longstaffe FJ. Origins of Prehispanic Camelid Wool Textiles from the North and Central Coasts of Peru Traced by Carbon and Nitrogen Isotopic Analyses. CURRENT ANTHROPOLOGY 2015. [DOI: 10.1086/680873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Knudson KJ, Torres-Rouff C, Stojanowski CM. Investigating human responses to political and environmental change through paleodiet and paleomobility. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2015; 157:179-201. [PMID: 25641703 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2014] [Revised: 12/17/2014] [Accepted: 12/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Bioarchaeological approaches are well suited for examining past responses to political and environmental changes. In the Andes, we hypothesized that political and environmental changes around AD 1100 resulted in behavioral changes, visible as shifts in paleodiet and paleomobility, among individuals in the San Pedro de Atacama oases and Loa River Valley. To investigate this hypothesis, we generated carbon and oxygen isotope data from cemeteries dating to the early Middle Horizon (Larache, Quitor-5, Solor-3), late Middle Horizon (Casa Parroquial, Coyo Oriental, Coyo-3, Solcor-Plaza, Solcor-3, Tchecar), and Late Intermediate Period (Caspana, Quitor-6 Tardío, Toconce, Yaye-1, Yaye-2, Yaye-3, Yaye-4). Carbon isotope data demonstrate a greater range of carbon sources during the late Middle Horizon compared with the Late Intermediate Period; while most individuals consumed largely C3 sources, some late Middle Horizon individuals consumed more C4 sources. Oxygen isotope data demonstrate greater diversity in drinking water sources during the late Middle Horizon compared with the Late Intermediate Period. Water samples were analyzed to provide baseline data on oxygen isotope variability within the Atacama Desert, and demonstrated that oxygen isotope values are indistinguishable in the San Pedro and Loa Rivers. However, oxygen isotope values in water sources in the high-altitude altiplano and coast are distinct from those in the San Pedro and Loa Rivers. In conclusion, instead of utilizing a wider variety of resources after environmental and political changes, individuals exhibited a wider range of paleodietary and paleomobility strategies during the Middle Horizon, a period of environmental and political stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly J Knudson
- Center for Bioarchaeological Research, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
| | - Christina Torres-Rouff
- Anthropology, School of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts, University of California, Merced, CA.,Instituto de Investigaciones Arqueológicas y Museo, Universidad Católica del Norte, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
| | - Christopher M Stojanowski
- Center for Bioarchaeological Research, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
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Szpak P. Complexities of nitrogen isotope biogeochemistry in plant-soil systems: implications for the study of ancient agricultural and animal management practices. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2014; 5:288. [PMID: 25002865 PMCID: PMC4066317 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2014.00288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2014] [Accepted: 06/02/2014] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Nitrogen isotopic studies have the potential to shed light on the structure of ancient ecosystems, agropastoral regimes, and human-environment interactions. Until relatively recently, however, little attention was paid to the complexities of nitrogen transformations in ancient plant-soil systems and their potential impact on plant and animal tissue nitrogen isotopic compositions. This paper discusses the importance of understanding nitrogen dynamics in ancient contexts, and highlights several key areas of archaeology where a more detailed understanding of these processes may enable us to answer some fundamental questions. This paper explores two larger themes that are prominent in archaeological studies using stable nitrogen isotope analysis: (1) agricultural practices (use of animal fertilizers, burning of vegetation or shifting cultivation, and tillage) and (2) animal domestication and husbandry (grazing intensity/stocking rate and the foddering of domestic animals with cultigens). The paucity of plant material in ancient deposits necessitates that these issues are addressed primarily through the isotopic analysis of skeletal material rather than the plants themselves, but the interpretation of these data hinges on a thorough understanding of the underlying biogeochemical processes in plant-soil systems. Building on studies conducted in modern ecosystems and under controlled conditions, these processes are reviewed, and their relevance discussed for ancient contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Szpak
- Department of Anthropology, University of British ColumbiaVancouver, BC, Canada
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Dufour E, Goepfert N, Gutiérrez Léon B, Chauchat C, Franco Jordán R, Sánchez SV. Pastoralism in northern Peru during pre-Hispanic times: insights from the Mochica Period (100-800 AD) based on stable isotopic analysis of domestic camelids. PLoS One 2014; 9:e87559. [PMID: 24498136 PMCID: PMC3909195 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0087559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2013] [Accepted: 12/23/2013] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Llama (Lama glama) and alpaca (Vicugna pacos) are the only large domesticated animals indigenous to the Americas. Pastoralism occupies a fundamental economic, social and religious role in Andean life. Today, camelid livestock are confined to the ecozone of the puna (above 3,500 masl), while their presence on the Pacific coast during pre-Hispanic times is attested by archaeological skeletal remains. This study aims to document herding practices on the northern Peruvian coast during the Early Intermediate Period (200 BC-600 AD) by gaining insights into diet, location of breeding and mobility of archaeological camelids from the funerary and ritual contexts of two Mochica sites, Uhle Platform in Huacas de Moche and El Brujo. The three first early years and the long-term life histories of the animals were documented by the combined bulk analysis of bone collagen (δ13Ccol and δ15Ncol) and bone structural carbonate (δ13Cbone and δ18Obone) and the serial analysis of structural carbonate of molar tooth enamel (δ13Cenamel and δ18Oenamel). Mochica camelids were bred in the low and/or middle valleys, unlike their modern counterparts, who are restricted to highland puna C3 pastures. Archaeological camelids had diverse and complex life histories, usually with substantial maize foddering. An ontogenetic switch in diet and possible residential mobility during the course of life were identified for some specimens. Although the inference of geographic origin from δ18Obone and δ18Oenamel values was limited because of the lack of understanding of the influence of environmental and biological factors, tooth enamel analysis has great potential for exploring camelid herding practices and Andean pastoralism. Our study suggested that Mochica herders adapted their practices to the difficult lowland environment and that herding practices were varied and not restricted to breeding at higher altitudes. The role of maize in different aspects of the economic life of the Mochicas is also underlined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elise Dufour
- Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle-CNRS, UMR 7209 Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique : sociétés, pratiques et environnements, Département Ecologie et Gestion de la Biodiversité, Paris, France
- * E-mail:
| | - Nicolas Goepfert
- CNRS-Paris 1, UMR 8096 Archéologie des Amériques, Nanterre, France
| | | | - Claude Chauchat
- CNRS-Paris 1, UMR 8096 Archéologie des Amériques, Nanterre, France
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Crowley BE, Blanco MB, Arrigo-Nelson SJ, Irwin MT. Stable isotopes document resource partitioning and effects of forest disturbance on sympatric cheirogaleid lemurs. Naturwissenschaften 2013; 100:943-56. [DOI: 10.1007/s00114-013-1094-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2013] [Revised: 08/19/2013] [Accepted: 08/21/2013] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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Valiela I, Bartholomew M, Giblin A, Tucker J, Harris C, Martinetto P, Otter M, Camilli L, Stone T. Watershed Deforestation and Down-Estuary Transformations Alter Sources, Transport, and Export of Suspended Particles in Panamanian Mangrove Estuaries. Ecosystems 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s10021-013-9709-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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