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Raoult V, Phillips AA, Nelson J, Niella Y, Skinner C, Tilcock MB, Burke PJ, Szpak P, James WR, Harrod C. Why aquatic scientists should use sulfur stable isotope ratios (ẟ 34S) more often. Chemosphere 2024; 355:141816. [PMID: 38556184 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.141816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
Over the last few decades, measurements of light stable isotope ratios have been increasingly used to answer questions across physiology, biology, ecology, and archaeology. The vast majority analyse carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotopes as the 'default' isotopes, omitting sulfur (δ34S) due to time, cost, or perceived lack of benefits and instrumentation capabilities. Using just carbon and nitrogen isotopic ratios can produce results that are inconclusive, uncertain, or in the worst cases, even misleading, especially for scientists that are new to the use and interpretation of stable isotope data. Using sulfur isotope values more regularly has the potential to mitigate these issues, especially given recent advancements that have lowered measurement barriers. Here we provide a review documenting case studies with real-world data, re-analysing different biological topics (i.e. niche, physiology, diet, movement and bioarchaeology) with and without sulfur isotopes to highlight the various strengths of this stable isotope for various applications. We also include a preliminary meta-analysis of the trophic discrimination factor (TDF) for sulfur isotopes, which suggest small (mean -0.4 ± 1.7 ‰ SD) but taxa-dependent mean trophic discrimination. Each case study demonstrates how the exclusion of sulfur comes at the detriment of the results, often leading to very different outputs, or missing valuable discoveries entirely. Given that studies relying on carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes currently underpin most of our understanding of various ecological processes, this has concerning implications. Collectively, these examples strongly suggest that researchers planning to use carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes for their research should incorporate sulfur where possible, and that the new 'default' isotope systems for aquatic science should now be carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Raoult
- Blue Carbon Lab, School of Life and Environmental Science, Deakin University, VIC, Australia; Marine Ecology Group, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW, Australia.
| | - Alexandra A Phillips
- National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - James Nelson
- Department of Marine Science, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Yuri Niella
- Marine Ecology Group, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW, Australia
| | - Christina Skinner
- Marine Spatial Ecology Lab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, QLD, Australia
| | | | - Patrick J Burke
- Marine Ecology Group, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW, Australia
| | - Paul Szpak
- Department of Anthropology, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
| | - W Ryan James
- Institute of Environment, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Chris Harrod
- Instituto Ciencias Naturales Alexander von Humboldt, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile; Millennium Nucleus INVASAL, Concepción, Chile; Universidad de Antofagasta Stable Isotope Facility, Instituto Antofagasta, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile
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2
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Guiry E, Kennedy R, Orton D, Armitage P, Bratten J, Dagneau C, Dawdy S, deFrance S, Gaulton B, Givens D, Hall O, Laberge A, Lavin M, Miller H, Minkoff MF, Niculescu T, Noël S, Pavao-Zuckerman B, Stricker L, Teeter M, Welker M, Wilkoski J, Szpak P, Buckley M. The ratting of North America: A 350-year retrospective on Rattus species compositions and competition. Sci Adv 2024; 10:eadm6755. [PMID: 38569028 PMCID: PMC10990262 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adm6755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
While the impacts of black (Rattus rattus) and brown (Rattus norvegicus) rats on human society are well documented-including the spread of disease, broad-scale environmental destruction, and billions spent annually on animal control-little is known about their ecology and behavior in urban areas due to the challenges of studying animals in city environments. We use isotopic and ZooMS analysis of archaeological (1550s-1900 CE) rat remains from eastern North America to provide a large-scale framework for species arrival, interspecific competition, and dietary ecology. Brown rats arrived earlier than expected and rapidly outcompeted black rats in coastal urban areas. This replacement happened despite evidence that the two species occupy different trophic positions. Findings include the earliest molecularly confirmed brown rat in the Americas and show a deep ecological structure to how rats exploit human-structured areas, with implications for understanding urban zoonosis, rat management, and ecosystem planning as well as broader themes of rat dispersal, phylogeny, evolutionary ecology, and climate impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Guiry
- Department of Anthropology, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Dr., Peterborough, ON K9L 0G2, Canada
- School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester, Mayor’s Walk, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
| | - Ryan Kennedy
- Department of Anthropology, Indiana University Bloomington, 701 E. Kirkwood Ave., Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - David Orton
- BioArCh, Department of Archaeology, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Philip Armitage
- Independent researcher, 7 Park Court, Heath Road, Brixham TQ5 9AX, UK
| | - John Bratten
- Department of Anthropology, University of West Florida, 11000 University Pkwy, Pensacola, FL 32514, USA
| | - Charles Dagneau
- Underwater Archaeology Team, Parks Canada, 1800 Walkley, Ottawa, ON K1H8K3, Canada
| | - Shannon Dawdy
- Department of Anthropology, University of Chicago, 1126 E 59th St, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Susan deFrance
- Department of Anthropology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Barry Gaulton
- Department of Archaeology, Memorial University, Queen's College, 210 Prince Philip Dr., St. John's, NL A1B 3R6, Canada
| | - David Givens
- Jamestown Rediscovery/Preservation Virginia, 1365 Colonial Parkway, Jamestown, VA 23081, USA
| | - Olivia Hall
- Department of Anthropology, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Dr., Peterborough, ON K9L 0G2, Canada
| | - Anne Laberge
- Département des sciences historiques, Université Laval, 1030 avenue des Sciences-Humaines, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Michael Lavin
- Jamestown Rediscovery/Preservation Virginia, 1365 Colonial Parkway, Jamestown, VA 23081, USA
| | - Henry Miller
- Historic St. Mary's City, St. Mary's City, MD 20686, USA
| | - Mary F. Minkoff
- Florida Public Archaeology Network, 207 E Main St., Pensacola, FL 32502, USA
| | - Tatiana Niculescu
- Office of Historic Alexandria/Alexandria Archaeology, 105 North Union Street, #327, Alexandria, VA 22314, USA
| | - Stéphane Noël
- Ville de Quebec, Bureau de projet du tramway de Québec, 226-825 boul. Lebourgneuf, Québec, QC G2J 0B9, Canada
| | - Barnet Pavao-Zuckerman
- Department of Anthropology, University of Maryland, 4302 Chapel Lane, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Leah Stricker
- Jamestown Rediscovery/Preservation Virginia, 1365 Colonial Parkway, Jamestown, VA 23081, USA
| | - Matt Teeter
- Department of Anthropology, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Dr., Peterborough, ON K9L 0G2, Canada
| | - Martin Welker
- Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona, 1013 E University Blvd. Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, 1009 E South Campus Dr., Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Jennifer Wilkoski
- Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 401 W Duke of Gloucester St, Williamsburg, VA 23185, USA
| | - Paul Szpak
- Department of Anthropology, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Dr., Peterborough, ON K9L 0G2, Canada
| | - Michael Buckley
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, School of Natural Sciences, The University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, Manchester M1 7DN, UK
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3
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Westbury MV, Brown SC, Lorenzen J, O’Neill S, Scott MB, McCuaig J, Cheung C, Armstrong E, Valdes PJ, Samaniego Castruita JA, Cabrera AA, Blom SK, Dietz R, Sonne C, Louis M, Galatius A, Fordham DA, Ribeiro S, Szpak P, Lorenzen ED. Impact of Holocene environmental change on the evolutionary ecology of an Arctic top predator. Sci Adv 2023; 9:eadf3326. [PMID: 37939193 PMCID: PMC10631739 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adf3326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
The Arctic is among the most climatically sensitive environments on Earth, and the disappearance of multiyear sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is predicted within decades. As apex predators, polar bears are sentinel species for addressing the impact of environmental variability on Arctic marine ecosystems. By integrating genomics, isotopic analysis, morphometrics, and ecological modeling, we investigate how Holocene environmental changes affected polar bears around Greenland. We uncover reductions in effective population size coinciding with increases in annual mean sea surface temperature, reduction in sea ice cover, declines in suitable habitat, and shifts in suitable habitat northward. Furthermore, we show that west and east Greenlandic polar bears are morphologically, and ecologically distinct, putatively driven by regional biotic and genetic differences. Together, we provide insights into the vulnerability of polar bears to environmental change and how the Arctic marine ecosystem plays a vital role in shaping the evolutionary and ecological trajectories of its inhabitants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael V. Westbury
- Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5-7, Copenhagen DK-1350, Denmark
| | - Stuart C. Brown
- Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5-7, Copenhagen DK-1350, Denmark
- Environment Institute and School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
- Department for Environment and Water, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Julie Lorenzen
- Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5-7, Copenhagen DK-1350, Denmark
| | - Stuart O’Neill
- Environment Institute and School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Michael B. Scott
- Department of Anthropology, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough, Ontario K9L0G2, Canada
| | - Julia McCuaig
- Department of Anthropology, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough, Ontario K9L0G2, Canada
| | - Christina Cheung
- Department of Anthropology, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Edward Armstrong
- Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Paul J. Valdes
- School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | | | - Andrea A. Cabrera
- Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5-7, Copenhagen DK-1350, Denmark
| | - Stine Keibel Blom
- Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5-7, Copenhagen DK-1350, Denmark
| | - Rune Dietz
- Arctic Research Centre (ARC), Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, PO Box 358, Roskilde DK-4000, Denmark
- Section for Marine Mammal Research, Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, Roskilde DK-4000, Denmark
| | - Christian Sonne
- Arctic Research Centre (ARC), Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, PO Box 358, Roskilde DK-4000, Denmark
- Section for Marine Mammal Research, Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, Roskilde DK-4000, Denmark
| | - Marie Louis
- Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5-7, Copenhagen DK-1350, Denmark
- Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Kivioq 2, PO Box 570, Nuuk 3900, Denmark
| | - Anders Galatius
- Section for Marine Mammal Research, Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, Roskilde DK-4000, Denmark
| | - Damien A. Fordham
- Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5-7, Copenhagen DK-1350, Denmark
- Environment Institute and School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Sofia Ribeiro
- Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5-7, Copenhagen DK-1350, Denmark
- Glaciology and Climate Department, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), Øster Voldgade 10, Copenhagen DK-1350, Denmark
| | - Paul Szpak
- Department of Anthropology, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough, Ontario K9L0G2, Canada
| | - Eline D. Lorenzen
- Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5-7, Copenhagen DK-1350, Denmark
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4
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Ruiz-Puerta EJ, Keighley X, Desjardins SPA, Gotfredsen AB, Pan SE, Star B, Boessenkool S, Barrett JH, McCarthy ML, Andersen LW, Born EW, Howse LR, Szpak P, Pálsson S, Malmquist HJ, Rufolo S, Jordan PD, Olsen MT. Holocene deglaciation drove rapid genetic diversification of Atlantic walrus. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231349. [PMID: 37752842 PMCID: PMC10523089 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Rapid global warming is severely impacting Arctic ecosystems and is predicted to transform the abundance, distribution and genetic diversity of Arctic species, though these linkages are poorly understood. We address this gap in knowledge using palaeogenomics to examine how earlier periods of global warming influenced the genetic diversity of Atlantic walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus), a species closely associated with sea ice and shallow-water habitats. We analysed 82 ancient and historical Atlantic walrus mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes), including now-extinct populations in Iceland and the Canadian Maritimes, to reconstruct the Atlantic walrus' response to Arctic deglaciation. Our results demonstrate that the phylogeography and genetic diversity of Atlantic walrus populations was initially shaped by the last glacial maximum (LGM), surviving in distinct glacial refugia, and subsequently expanding rapidly in multiple migration waves during the late Pleistocene and early Holocene. The timing of diversification and establishment of distinct populations corresponds closely with the chronology of the glacial retreat, pointing to a strong link between walrus phylogeography and sea ice. Our results indicate that accelerated ice loss in the modern Arctic may trigger further dispersal events, likely increasing the connectivity of northern stocks while isolating more southerly stocks putatively caught in small pockets of suitable habitat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily J. Ruiz-Puerta
- Section for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Globe Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5-7, 1353 Copenhagen Kobenhavn, Denmark
- Arctic Centre & Groningen Institute of Archaeology, Faculty of Arts, University of Groningen, PO Box 716, 9700 AS Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Xénia Keighley
- Section for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Globe Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5-7, 1353 Copenhagen Kobenhavn, Denmark
- The Bureau of Meteorology, The Treasury Building, Parkes Place West, Parkes, Australian Capital Territory 2600, Australia
| | - Sean P. A. Desjardins
- Arctic Centre & Groningen Institute of Archaeology, Faculty of Arts, University of Groningen, PO Box 716, 9700 AS Groningen, The Netherlands
- Palaeobiology Section, Canadian Museum of Nature, PO Box 3443, Station D, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1P 6P4
| | - Anne Birgitte Gotfredsen
- Section for GeoGenetics, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5-7, 1350 Copenhagen Kobenhavn, Denmark
| | - Shyong En Pan
- Palaeobiology Section, Canadian Museum of Nature, PO Box 3443, Station D, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1P 6P4
| | - Bastiaan Star
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Blindernveien 31, 0371 Oslo, Norway
| | - Sanne Boessenkool
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Blindernveien 31, 0371 Oslo, Norway
| | - James H. Barrett
- Department of Archaeology and Cultural History, NTNU University Museum, 7491 Trondheim, Norway
- McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3ER, UK
| | - Morgan L. McCarthy
- Section for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Globe Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5-7, 1353 Copenhagen Kobenhavn, Denmark
| | - Liselotte W. Andersen
- Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, CF Møllers Allé 4-8, build. 1110, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Erik W. Born
- Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, PO Box 570, 3900 Nuuk, Greenland
| | - Lesley R. Howse
- Archaeology Centre, University of Toronto, 19 Ursula Franklin Street, Toronto, Ontario Canada M5S 2S2
| | - Paul Szpak
- Department of Anthropology, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada K9L 0G2
| | - Snæbjörn Pálsson
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland, Askja, Sturlugata 7, 101 Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - Hilmar J. Malmquist
- Icelandic Museum of Natural History, Suðurlandsbraut 24, 108 Reykjavík, Iceland
| | - Scott Rufolo
- Palaeobiology Section, Canadian Museum of Nature, PO Box 3443, Station D, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1P 6P4
| | - Peter D. Jordan
- Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Lund University, Helgonavägen 3, 223 62 Lund, Sweden
- Global Station for Indigenous Studies and Cultural Diversity (GSI), GI-CoRE, HokkaidoUniversity, Japan
| | - Morten Tange Olsen
- Section for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Globe Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5-7, 1353 Copenhagen Kobenhavn, Denmark
- Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
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5
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Brunson K, Witt KE, Monge S, Williams S, Peede D, Odsuren D, Bukhchuluun D, Cameron A, Szpak P, Amartuvshin C, Honeychurch W, Wright J, Pleuger S, Erdene M, Tumen D, Rogers L, Khatanbaatar D, Batdalai B, Galdan G, Janz L. Ancient Mongolian aurochs genomes reveal sustained introgression and management in East Asia. bioRxiv 2023:2023.08.10.552443. [PMID: 37609302 PMCID: PMC10441390 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.10.552443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
Societies in East Asia have utilized domesticated cattle for over 5000 years, but the genetic history of cattle in East Asia remains understudied. Genome-wide analyses of 23 ancient Mongolian cattle reveal that East Asian aurochs and ancient East Asian taurine cattle are closely related, but neither are closely related to any modern East Asian breeds. We observe binary variation in aurochs diet throughout the early Neolithic, and genomic evidence shows millennia of sustained male-dominated introgression. We identify a unique connection between ancient Mongolian aurochs and the European Hereford breed. These results point to the likelihood of human management of aurochs in Northeast Asia prior to and during the initial adoption of taurine cattle pastoralism.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kelsey E. Witt
- Department of Genetics and Biochemistry and Center for Human Genetics, Clemson University; Clemson, South Carolina 29634, USA
- Center for Computational Molecular Biology, Brown University; Providence 02912, USA
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Brown University; Providence 02912, USA
| | - Susan Monge
- Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Sloan Williams
- Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - David Peede
- Center for Computational Molecular Biology, Brown University; Providence 02912, USA
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Brown University; Providence 02912, USA
- Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Brown University; Providence 02912, USA
| | - Davaakhuu Odsuren
- Department of History, Mongolian National University of Education; Ulaanbaatar, Sukhbaatar district, 210648, Mongolia
- Institute of Archaeology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Ulaanbaatar-51, Mongolia
| | - Dashzeveg Bukhchuluun
- Department of Anthropology, Yale University, 10 Sachem St., New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Asa Cameron
- Department of Anthropology, Yale University, 10 Sachem St., New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Paul Szpak
- Department of Anthropology, Trent University; Peterborough K9J 6Y1, Canada
| | - Chunag Amartuvshin
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, National University of Mongolia; Ulaanbaatar-51, Mongolia
| | - William Honeychurch
- Department of Anthropology, Yale University, 10 Sachem St., New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Joshua Wright
- Department of Archaeology, University of Aberdeen, King’s College; Aberdeen, AB24 3FX, UK
| | - Sarah Pleuger
- School of History, Classics and Archaeology, University of Edinburgh; Edinburgh EH8 9AG, UK
| | - Myagmar Erdene
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, National University of Mongolia; Ulaanbaatar-51, Mongolia
| | - Dashtseveg Tumen
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, National University of Mongolia; Ulaanbaatar-51, Mongolia
| | - Leland Rogers
- Department of Anthropology, University of North Carolina Wilmington; Wilmington, NC 28403, USA
| | - Dorjpurev Khatanbaatar
- School of Business Administration and Humanities, The Mongolian University of Science and Technology; Mongolia
| | - Byambatseren Batdalai
- Archaeological Research Center, National University of Mongolia; Ulaanbaatar-51, Mongolia
| | - Ganbaatar Galdan
- Institute of Archaeology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Ulaanbaatar-51, Mongolia
| | - Lisa Janz
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Scarborough; Scarborough, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
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6
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Rey-Iglesia A, Wilson T, Routledge J, Skovrind M, Garde E, Heide-Jørgensen MP, Szpak P, Lorenzen ED. Combining δ13C and δ15N from bone and dentine in marine mammal palaeoecological research: insights from toothed whales. Isotopes Environ Health Stud 2023; 59:66-77. [PMID: 36445837 DOI: 10.1080/10256016.2022.2145285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopic compositions of bone and dentine collagen extracted from museum specimens have been widely used to study the paleoecology of past populations. Due to possible systematic differences in stable isotope values between bone and dentine, dentine values need to be transformed into bone-collagen equivalent using a correction factor to allow comparisons between the two collagen sources. Here, we provide correction factors to transform dentine δ13C and δ15N values into bone-collagen equivalent for two toothed whales: narwhal and beluga. We sampled bone and dentine from the skulls of 11 narwhals and 26 belugas. In narwhals, dentine was sampled from tusk and embedded tooth; in belugas, dentine was sampled from tooth. δ13C and δ15N were measured, and intra-individual bone and dentine isotopic compositions were used to calculate correction factors for each species. We detected differences in δ13C and δ15N. In both narwhals and belugas, we found lower average δ13C and δ15N in bone compared with dentine. The correction factors provided by the study enable the combined analysis of stable isotope data from bone and dentine in these species.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Mikkel Skovrind
- Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Eva Garde
- Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Copenhagen, Denmark
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7
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Guiry EJ, Orchard TJ, Needs-Howarth S, Szpak P. Freshwater wetland–driven variation in sulfur isotope compositions: Implications for human paleodiet and ecological research. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.953042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Sulfur isotope (δ34S) analyses are an important archaeological and ecological tool for understanding human and animal migration and diet, but δ34S can be difficult to interpret, particularly in archaeological human-mobility studies, when measured isotope compositions are strongly 34S-depleted relative to regional baselines. Sulfides, which accumulate under anoxic conditions and have distinctively low δ34S, are potentially key for understanding this but are often overlooked in studies of vertebrate δ34S. We analyze an ecologically wide range of archaeological taxa to build an interpretive framework for understanding the impact of sulfide-influenced δ34S on vertebrate consumers. Results provide the first demonstration that δ34S of higher-level consumers can be heavily impacted by freshwater wetland resource use. This source of δ34S variation is significant because it is linked to a globally distributed habitat and occurs at the bottom of the δ34S spectrum, which, for archaeologists, is primarily used for assessing human mobility. Our findings have significant implications for rethinking traditional interpretive frameworks of human mobility and diet, and for exploring the historical ecology of past freshwater wetland ecosystems. Given the tremendous importance of wetlands’ ecosystem services today, such insights on the structure and human dynamics of past wetlands could be valuable for guiding restoration work.
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8
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne E. Pilaar Birch
- Department of Anthropology, Department of Geography, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602
| | - Paul Szpak
- Department of Anthropology, Trent University, Peterborough, K9L 0G2 ON, Canada
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9
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Losey RJ, Nomokonova T, Guiry E, Fleming LS, Garvie-Lok SJ, Waters-Rist AL, Bieraugle M, Szpak P, Bachura OP, Bazaliiskii VI, Berdnikova NE, Diatchina NG, Frolov IV, Gorbunov VV, Goriunova OI, Grushin SP, Gusev AV, Iaroslavtseva LG, Ivanov GL, Kharinskii AV, Konstantinov MV, Kosintsev PA, Kovychev EV, Lazin B, Nikitin IG, Papin DV, Popov AN, Sablin MV, Savel'ev NA, Savinetsky AB, Tishkin AA. The evolution of dog diet and foraging: Insights from archaeological canids in Siberia. Sci Adv 2022; 8:eabo6493. [PMID: 35867782 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abo6493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Research on the evolution of dog foraging and diet has largely focused on scavenging during their initial domestication and genetic adaptations to starch-rich food environments following the advent of agriculture. The Siberian archaeological record evidences other critical shifts in dog foraging and diet that likely characterize Holocene dogs globally. By the Middle Holocene, body size reconstruction for Siberia dogs indicates that most were far smaller than Pleistocene wolves. This contributed to dogs' tendencies to scavenge, feed on small prey, and reduce social foraging. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of Siberian dogs reveals that their diets were more diverse than those of Pleistocene wolves. This included habitual consumption of marine and freshwater foods by the Middle Holocene and reliance on C4 foods by the Late Holocene. Feeding on such foods and anthropogenic waste increased dogs' exposure to microbes, affected their gut microbiomes, and shaped long-term dog population history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J Losey
- Department of Anthropology, University of Alberta, Tory Building 13-15 HM, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H4, Canada
- Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Saskatchewan, 55 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B1, Canada
| | - Tatiana Nomokonova
- Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Saskatchewan, 55 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B1, Canada
| | - Eric Guiry
- School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, United Kingdom
- Department of Anthropology, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough, ON K9L 0G2, Canada
| | - Lacey S Fleming
- Tennessee Division of Archaeology, 216 Foster Avenue, Cole Building 3, Nashville, TN 37243, USA
| | - Sandra J Garvie-Lok
- Department of Anthropology, University of Alberta, Tory Building 13-15 HM, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H4, Canada
| | - Andrea L Waters-Rist
- Department of Anthropology, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond St. N., London, ON N6A 5C2, Canada
| | - Megan Bieraugle
- Department of Anthropology, University of Alberta, Tory Building 13-15 HM, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H4, Canada
| | - Paul Szpak
- Department of Anthropology, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough, ON K9L 0G2, Canada
| | - Olga P Bachura
- Palaeoecology Laboratory, Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Division of the Russian Academy of Science, 8 Marta Street #202, Ekaterinburg 620144, Russian Federation
| | - Vladimir I Bazaliiskii
- Laboratory of Archaeology, Ethnology, Problems of Paleoecology and Human Evolution of the Faculty of History, Irkutsk State University, 5th Army Street 52, Irkutsk 664025, Russian Federation
| | - Natalia E Berdnikova
- Scientific Research Center "Baikal Region", Irkutsk State University, K. Marx St. 1, Irkutsk 664003, Russian Federation
| | - Natal'ia G Diatchina
- Trans-Baikal State University, Aleksandro-Zavodskaia St. 30, Chita 672039, Russian Federation
| | - Iaroslav V Frolov
- Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography of Altai, Altai State University, Dimitrova St. 66, Barnaul 656049, Russian Federation
| | - Vadim V Gorbunov
- Department of Archaeology, Ethnography and Museology, Altai State University, Lenin Prospekt St. 61, Barnaul 656049, Russian Federation
| | - Olga I Goriunova
- Scientific Research Center "Baikal Region", Irkutsk State University, K. Marx St. 1, Irkutsk 664003, Russian Federation
| | - Sergei P Grushin
- Department of Archaeology, Ethnography and Museology, Altai State University, Lenin Prospekt St. 61, Barnaul 656049, Russian Federation
| | - Andrei V Gusev
- Scientific Center of Arctic Studies, Respublika St. 20, Salekhard, Iamal-Nenets Autonomous District 629008, Russian Federation
| | - Larisa G Iaroslavtseva
- National Museum of the Republic of Buryatia, Kuibyshev St. 29, Ulan-Ude 670000, Russian Federation
| | - Grigorii L Ivanov
- Irkutsk Museum of Regional Studies, K. Marx St. 13, Irkutsk 664003, Russian Federation
| | - Artur V Kharinskii
- Laboratory of Archaeology, Paleoecology and the Subsistence Strategies of the Peoples of Northern Asia, Irkutsk National Research Technical University, Lermontov St. 83, Irkutsk 664074, Russian Federation
- Faculty of History, Irkutsk State University, K. Marx St. 1, Irkutsk 664003, Russian Federation
| | - Mikhail V Konstantinov
- Trans-Baikal State University, Aleksandro-Zavodskaia St. 30, Chita 672039, Russian Federation
| | - Pavel A Kosintsev
- Palaeoecology Laboratory, Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Division of the Russian Academy of Science, 8 Marta Street #202, Ekaterinburg 620144, Russian Federation
| | - Evgenii V Kovychev
- Trans-Baikal State University, Aleksandro-Zavodskaia St. 30, Chita 672039, Russian Federation
- Institute of Mongolian, Buddhist, and Tibetan Studies, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Science, Sakhiyanovoi St. 6, Ulan-Ude 670047, Russian Federation
| | - Boris Lazin
- Science Museum, Far East Federal University, Okeanskii Prospect 37, Vladivostok 690091, Russian Federation
| | - Iurii G Nikitin
- Museum of Archaeology and Ethnographies, Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnography of the Peoples of the Far East, Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Science, Pushkinskaia St. 89, Vladivostok 690091, Russian Federation
| | - Dmitri V Papin
- Barnaul Laboratory of Archaeology and Ethnography of South Siberia, Altai State University, Dmitrova St. 66, Barnaul 656049, Russian Federation
- Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 17, Acad. Lavretiev Avenue, Novosibirsk 630090, Russian Federation
| | - Alexandr N Popov
- Science Museum, Far East Federal University, Okeanskii Prospect 37, Vladivostok 690091, Russian Federation
| | - Mikhail V Sablin
- Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Science, Universitetskaia nab. 1, Saint Petersburg 199034, Russian Federation
| | - Nikolai A Savel'ev
- Laboratory of Archaeology, Ethnology, Problems of Paleoecology and Human Evolution of the Faculty of History, Irkutsk State University, 5th Army Street 52, Irkutsk 664025, Russian Federation
| | - Arkady B Savinetsky
- A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Science, Leninskii prospect 33, Moscow 119071, Russian Federation
| | - Alexey A Tishkin
- Department of Archaeology, Ethnography and Museology, Altai State University, Lenin Prospekt St. 61, Barnaul 656049, Russian Federation
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Abstract
In this study, we compared the elemental and isotopic composition of modern and ancient bone samples pre-treated using different demineralization agents with acidic and neutral pH. The purpose of our research was to examine if demineralization using a mineral acid such as hydrochloric acid (HCl) significantly alters the δ 15N and δ 13C values of bone collagen. Evidence from the elemental and amino acid composition of the samples were incorporated alongside isotopic compositions to provide a holistic view of the effect of demineralization agents on the composition of bone collagen. The stable isotope compositions of collagen extracts were also compared against equivalent whole bone samples to assess whether whole bone has a stable isotope composition that is comparable to collagen demineralized with a neutral agent. Our results demonstrate that bone demineralization using either ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) or HCl yields collagen extracts with stable isotope compositions that are not significantly different, indicating that mineral acid does not alter δ 15N and δ 13C values of bone collagen. The results comparing whole bone and extracted collagen stable isotope compositions indicate that whole bone cannot be used as an effective replacement for bone collagen due to the significantly different stable isotope compositions between these sample materials. In ecological and archaeological studies performing stable isotope analysis on bone, sample pre-treatment to isolate collagen is a necessity to obtain the most reliable and reproducible isotopic measurements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tess Wilson
- Department of Anthropology, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada,Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Paul Szpak
- Department of Anthropology, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
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11
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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. Sci Adv 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] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [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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McCormack J, Szpak P, Bourgon N, Richards M, Hyland C, Méjean P, Hublin JJ, Jaouen K. Author Correction: Zinc isotopes from archaeological bones provide reliable trophic level information for marine mammals. Commun Biol 2021; 4:811. [PMID: 34163007 PMCID: PMC8222212 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02343-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy McCormack
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Paul Szpak
- Department of Anthropology, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada
| | - Nicolas Bourgon
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.,Applied and Analytical Paleontology, Institute for Geosciences, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Michael Richards
- Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Corrie Hyland
- Department of Anthropology, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada
| | - Pauline Méjean
- Géosciences Environnement Toulouse, UMR 5563, CNRS, Observatoire Midi Pyrénées, Toulouse, France
| | - Jean-Jacques Hublin
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Klervia Jaouen
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.,Géosciences Environnement Toulouse, UMR 5563, CNRS, Observatoire Midi Pyrénées, Toulouse, France
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13
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Keighley X, Bro‐Jørgensen MH, Ahlgren H, Szpak P, Ciucani MM, Sánchez Barreiro F, Howse L, Gotfredsen AB, Glykou A, Jordan P, Lidén K, Olsen MT. Predicting sample success for large-scale ancient DNA studies on marine mammals. Mol Ecol Resour 2021; 21:1149-1166. [PMID: 33463014 PMCID: PMC8248401 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2020] [Revised: 01/03/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, nonhuman ancient DNA studies have begun to focus on larger sample sizes and whole genomes, offering the potential to reveal exciting and hitherto unknown answers to ongoing biological and archaeological questions. However, one major limitation to such studies is the substantial financial and time investments still required during sample screening, due to uncertainty regarding successful sample selection. This study investigates the effect of a wide range of sample properties including latitude, sample age, skeletal element, collagen preservation, and context on endogenous content and DNA damage profiles for 317 ancient and historic pinniped samples collected from across the North Atlantic and surrounding regions. Using generalised linear and mixed-effect models, we found that a range of factors affected DNA preservation within each of the species under consideration. The most important findings were that endogenous content varied significantly within species according to context, the type of skeletal element, the collagen content and collection year. There also appears to be an effect of the sample's geographic origin, with samples from the Arctic generally showing higher endogenous content and lower damage rates. Both latitude and sample age were found to have significant relationships with damage levels, but only for walrus samples. Sex, ontogenetic age and extraction material preparation were not found to have any significant relationship with DNA preservation. Overall, skeletal element and sample context were found to be the most influential factors and should therefore be considered when selecting samples for large-scale ancient genome studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xénia Keighley
- Section for Evolutionary GenomicsGLOBE InstituteUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagen KDenmark
- Arctic Centre/Groningen Institute of ArchaeologyFaculty of ArtsUniversity of GroningenAS GroningenThe Netherlands
| | - Maiken Hemme Bro‐Jørgensen
- Section for Evolutionary GenomicsGLOBE InstituteUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagen KDenmark
- Archaeological Research LaboratoryDepartment of Archaeology and Classical StudiesStockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
| | - Hans Ahlgren
- Archaeological Research LaboratoryDepartment of Archaeology and Classical StudiesStockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
| | - Paul Szpak
- Department of AnthropologyTrent UniversityPeterboroughOntarioCanada
| | - Marta Maria Ciucani
- Section for Evolutionary GenomicsGLOBE InstituteUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagen KDenmark
| | | | - Lesley Howse
- Archaeology CentreUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada
| | | | - Aikaterini Glykou
- Archaeological Research LaboratoryDepartment of Archaeology and Classical StudiesStockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
| | - Peter Jordan
- Department of Archaeology and Ancient HistoryLund UniversityLundSweden
| | - Kerstin Lidén
- Archaeological Research LaboratoryDepartment of Archaeology and Classical StudiesStockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
| | - Morten Tange Olsen
- Section for Evolutionary GenomicsGLOBE InstituteUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagen KDenmark
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14
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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. Am J Phys Anthropol 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] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [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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15
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Louis M, Skovrind M, Garde E, Heide-Jørgensen MP, Szpak P, Lorenzen ED. Population-specific sex and size variation in long-term foraging ecology of belugas and narwhals. R Soc Open Sci 2021; 8:202226. [PMID: 33972883 PMCID: PMC8074634 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.202226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Intraspecific variation in resource use by individuals of different age, sex or size may reflect differing energetic requirements and physiological constraints. Males and females often show differences in diet owing to sexual size dimorphism, different life histories and/or habitat use. Here, we investigate how sex and size influence the long-term foraging ecology of belugas and narwhals in Greenland, using stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen from bone collagen. We show that males have a higher trophic level and a larger ecological niche than females in West Greenland belugas and in East Greenland narwhals. In addition, for these two populations, we find that δ 15N increases with size, particularly in males. We hypothesize that sexual size dimorphism together with strong maternal investment drive these differences. By contrast, we find no differences in foraging ecology between sexes in West Greenland narwhals and observe no influence of size on trophic level. This may reflect the influence of interspecific competition in West Greenland, where the distributions of belugas and narwhals overlap, and/or geographical resource partitioning among different summer aggregations of narwhals. Our results suggest that sex and size variations in diet are population dependent, and probably the result of varying ecological interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Louis
- Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Eva Garde
- Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Paul Szpak
- Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
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16
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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 Commun Mass Spectrom 2020; 34:e8868. [PMID: 32559821 DOI: 10.1002/rcm.8868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [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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17
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Losey RJ, Guiry E, Nomokonova T, Gusev AV, Szpak P. Storing fish?: a dog's isotopic biography provides insight into Iron Age food preservation strategies in the Russian Arctic. Archaeol Anthropol Sci 2020; 12:200. [PMID: 32831958 PMCID: PMC7410107 DOI: 10.1007/s12520-020-01166-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Analysis of individual animal bodies can provide numerous useful insights in archeology, including how humans provisioned such animals, which in turn informs on a variety of other past behaviors such as human dietary patterns. In this study, we conducted stable carbon (δ 13C) and nitrogen (δ 15N) isotope analysis of collagen and keratin from four types of tissues from a dog burial at the Ust'-Polui site in the Iamal region of Arctic Russia. Ust'-Polui is an Iron Age site located on the Lower Ob River, a major northern fishery characterized by extreme seasonal shifts in fish presence. During a 6-month period stretching over the coldest months of the year, fish are nearly entirely absent in the Lower Ob River. Despite this, the stable isotope compositions of the dog's bone and dentine collagen and hair and nail keratin all indicate a monotonous diet focusing on local fish. This pattern indicates the dog was provisioned year-round with fish. This was likely accomplished by mass harvesting of fish using nets or traps. Such fish were then processed and frozen for consumption during the non-fishing season. These findings suggest that people in the Ust'-Polui region also relied to some extent on fish throughout the year. Stored fish likely provided a dietary buffer for uneven returns from reindeer and bird hunting, both of which also are well-evidenced at the site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J. Losey
- Department of Anthropology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Eric Guiry
- School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester, Mayor’s Walk, Leicester, UK
- Department of Anthropology, School of Archaeology and Ancient History, Trent University, Peterborough, Canada
| | - Tatiana Nomokonova
- Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
| | - Andrei V. Gusev
- Scientific Center of Arctic Studies, Iamal-Nenets Autonomous District, Salekhard, Russian Federation
| | - Paul Szpak
- Department of Anthropology, School of Archaeology and Ancient History, Trent University, Peterborough, Canada
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18
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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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19
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Guiry E, Royle TCA, Matson RG, Ward H, Weir T, Waber N, Brown TJ, Hunt BPV, Price MHH, Finney BP, Kaeriyama M, Qin Y, Yang DY, Szpak P. Differentiating salmonid migratory ecotypes through stable isotope analysis of collagen: Archaeological and ecological applications. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0232180. [PMID: 32343728 PMCID: PMC7188214 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0232180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability to distinguish between different migratory behaviours (e.g., anadromy and potamodromy) in fish can provide important insights into the ecology, evolution, and conservation of many aquatic species. We present a simple stable carbon isotope (δ13C) approach for distinguishing between sockeye (anadromous ocean migrants) and kokanee (potamodromous freshwater residents), two migratory ecotypes of Oncorhynchus nerka (Salmonidae) that is applicable throughout most of their range across coastal regions of the North Pacific Ocean. Analyses of kokanee (n = 239) and sockeye (n = 417) from 87 sites spanning the North Pacific (Russia to California) show that anadromous and potamodromous ecotypes are broadly distinguishable on the basis of the δ13C values of their scale and bone collagen. We present three case studies demonstrating how this approach can address questions in archaeology, archival, and conservation research. Relative to conventional methods for determining migratory status, which typically apply chemical analyses to otoliths or involve genetic analyses of tissues, the δ13C approach outlined here has the benefit of being non-lethal (when applied to scales), cost-effective, widely available commercially, and should be much more broadly accessible for addressing archaeological questions since the recovery of otoliths at archaeological sites is rare.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Guiry
- Department of Anthropology, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
- School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
- Department of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Thomas C. A. Royle
- Department of Archaeology, Ancient DNA Laboratory, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - R. G. Matson
- Department of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Hillary Ward
- Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, Government of British Columbia, Penticton, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Tyler Weir
- Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, Government of British Columbia, Penticton, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Nicholas Waber
- Department of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Thomas J. Brown
- Department of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Brian P. V. Hunt
- Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Hakai Institute, Heriot Bay, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Michael H. H. Price
- Department of Biological Sciences, Earth to Ocean Research Group, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Bruce P. Finney
- Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho, United States of America
- Department of Geosciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho, United States of America
| | | | - Yuxue Qin
- School of Marine Science and Environmental Engineering, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, Liaoning, China
| | - Dongya Y. Yang
- Department of Archaeology, Ancient DNA Laboratory, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Paul Szpak
- Department of Anthropology, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
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20
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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] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [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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Delsuc F, Kuch M, Gibb GC, Karpinski E, Hackenberger D, Szpak P, Martínez JG, Mead JI, McDonald HG, MacPhee RDE, Billet G, Hautier L, Poinar HN. Ancient Mitogenomes Reveal the Evolutionary History and Biogeography of Sloths. Curr Biol 2019; 29:2031-2042.e6. [PMID: 31178321 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.05.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2019] [Revised: 04/18/2019] [Accepted: 05/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Living sloths represent two distinct lineages of small-sized mammals that independently evolved arboreality from terrestrial ancestors. The six extant species are the survivors of an evolutionary radiation marked by the extinction of large terrestrial forms at the end of the Quaternary. Until now, sloth evolutionary history has mainly been reconstructed from phylogenetic analyses of morphological characters. Here, we used ancient DNA methods to successfully sequence 10 extinct sloth mitogenomes encompassing all major lineages. This includes the iconic continental ground sloths Megatherium, Megalonyx, Mylodon, and Nothrotheriops and the smaller endemic Caribbean sloths Parocnus and Acratocnus. Phylogenetic analyses identify eight distinct lineages grouped in three well-supported clades, whose interrelationships are markedly incongruent with the currently accepted morphological topology. We show that recently extinct Caribbean sloths have a single origin but comprise two highly divergent lineages that are not directly related to living two-fingered sloths, which instead group with Mylodon. Moreover, living three-fingered sloths do not represent the sister group to all other sloths but are nested within a clade of extinct ground sloths including Megatherium, Megalonyx, and Nothrotheriops. Molecular dating also reveals that the eight newly recognized sloth families all originated between 36 and 28 million years ago (mya). The early divergence of recently extinct Caribbean sloths around 35 mya is consistent with the debated GAARlandia hypothesis postulating the existence at that time of a biogeographic connection between northern South America and the Greater Antilles. This new molecular phylogeny has major implications for reinterpreting sloth morphological evolution, biogeography, and diversification history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frédéric Delsuc
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (ISEM), CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Université de Montpellier, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France.
| | - Melanie Kuch
- McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, Departments of Anthropology and Biochemistry, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Gillian C Gibb
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (ISEM), CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Université de Montpellier, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France; Wildlife and Ecology Group, School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Centennial Drive, Hokowhitu, Palmerston North 4410, New Zealand
| | - Emil Karpinski
- McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, Departments of Anthropology and Biochemistry, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada; Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Dirk Hackenberger
- McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, Departments of Anthropology and Biochemistry, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Paul Szpak
- Department of Anthropology, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough, ON K9L 0G2, Canada
| | - Jorge G Martínez
- Instituto Superior de Estudios Sociales, CONICET-Instituto de Arqueología y Museo, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, San Martín 1545, CP4000 San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Jim I Mead
- The Mammoth Site, Hot Springs, Hot Springs, SD 57747, USA; East Tennessee State University Natural History Museum, 1212 Suncrest Drive, Johnson City, TN 37615, USA
| | - H Gregory McDonald
- Bureau of Land Management, Utah State Office, 440 West 200 South #500, Salt Lake City, UT 84101, USA
| | - Ross D E MacPhee
- Division of Vertebrate Zoology/Mammalogy, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West & 79th Street, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Guillaume Billet
- Centre de Recherche en Paléontologie - Paris (CR2P), UMR CNRS 7207, Sorbonne Université, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 57 Rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Lionel Hautier
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (ISEM), CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Université de Montpellier, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France; Mammal Section, Life Sciences, Vertebrate Division, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Hendrik N Poinar
- McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, Departments of Anthropology and Biochemistry, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada.
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Delsuc F, Kuch M, Gibb GC, Hughes J, Szpak P, Southon J, Enk J, Duggan AT, Poinar HN. Resolving the phylogenetic position of Darwin's extinct ground sloth ( Mylodon darwinii) using mitogenomic and nuclear exon data. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 285:rspb.2018.0214. [PMID: 29769358 PMCID: PMC5966596 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2018] [Accepted: 04/16/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Mylodon darwinii is the extinct giant ground sloth named after Charles Darwin, who first collected its remains in South America. We have successfully obtained a high-quality mitochondrial genome at 99-fold coverage using an Illumina shotgun sequencing of a 12 880-year-old bone fragment from Mylodon Cave in Chile. Low level of DNA damage showed that this sample was exceptionally well preserved for an ancient subfossil, probably the result of the dry and cold conditions prevailing within the cave. Accordingly, taxonomic assessment of our shotgun metagenomic data showed a very high percentage of endogenous DNA with 22% of the assembled metagenomic contigs assigned to Xenarthra. Additionally, we enriched over 15 kb of sequence data from seven nuclear exons, using target sequence capture designed against a wide xenarthran dataset. Phylogenetic and dating analyses of the mitogenomic dataset including all extant species of xenarthrans and the assembled nuclear supermatrix unambiguously place Mylodon darwinii as the sister-group of modern two-fingered sloths, from which it diverged around 22 million years ago. These congruent results from both the mitochondrial and nuclear data support the diphyly of the two modern sloth lineages, implying the convergent evolution of their unique suspensory behaviour as an adaption to arboreality. Our results offer promising perspectives for whole-genome sequencing of this emblematic extinct taxon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frédéric Delsuc
- ISEM, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Montpellier, France
| | - Melanie Kuch
- McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Gillian C Gibb
- ISEM, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Montpellier, France.,Ecology Group, Institute of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - Jonathan Hughes
- McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Paul Szpak
- Department of Anthropology, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada
| | - John Southon
- Keck Carbon Cycle Accelerator Mass Spectrometer, Earth Systems Science Department, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Jacob Enk
- McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.,MYcroarray, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Ana T Duggan
- McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Hendrik N Poinar
- McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
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Rey-Iglesia A, García-Vázquez A, Treadaway EC, van der Plicht J, Baryshnikov GF, Szpak P, Bocherens H, Boeskorov GG, Lorenzen ED. Evolutionary history and palaeoecology of brown bear in North-East Siberia re-examined using ancient DNA and stable isotopes from skeletal remains. Sci Rep 2019; 9:4462. [PMID: 30872771 PMCID: PMC6418263 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-40168-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2018] [Accepted: 02/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Over 60% of the modern distribution range of brown bears falls within Russia, yet palaeoecological data from the region remain scarce. Complete modern Russian brown bear mitogenomes are abundant in the published literature, yet examples of their ancient counterparts are absent. Similarly, there is only limited stable isotopic data of prehistoric brown bears from the region. We used ancient DNA and stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopes retrieved from five Pleistocene Yakutian brown bears (one Middle Pleistocene and four Late Pleistocene), to elucidate the evolutionary history and palaeoecology of the species in the region. We were able to reconstruct the complete mitogenome of one of the Late Pleistocene specimens, but we were unable to assign it to any of the previously published brown bear mitogenome clades. A subsequent analysis of published mtDNA control region sequences, which included sequences of extinct clades from other geographic regions, assigned the ancient Yakutian bear to the extinct clade 3c; a clade previously identified from Late Quaternary specimens from Eastern Beringia and Northern Spain. Our analyses of stable isotopes showed relatively high δ15N values in the Pleistocene Yakutian brown bears, suggesting a more carnivorous diet than contemporary brown bears from Eastern Beringia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alba Rey-Iglesia
- Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, DK-1350, Copenhagen K, Denmark.
| | - Ana García-Vázquez
- Instituto de Xeoloxía Isidro Parga Pondal, ESCI, Campus de Elviña, Universidade da Coruña, 15071A, Coruña, Spain
| | - Eve C Treadaway
- Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, DK-1350, Copenhagen K, Denmark
| | | | | | - Paul Szpak
- Department of Anthropology, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, K9L 0G2, Canada
| | - Hervé Bocherens
- Department of Geosciences, Tübingen University, 72074, Tübingen, Germany.,Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, 72074, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Gennady G Boeskorov
- Diamond and Precious Metals Geology Institute, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, 677980, Yakutsk, Russia
| | - Eline D Lorenzen
- Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, DK-1350, Copenhagen K, Denmark.
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Guiry E, Beglane F, Szpak P, Schulting R, McCormick F, Richards MP. Anthropogenic changes to the Holocene nitrogen cycle in Ireland. Sci Adv 2018; 4:eaas9383. [PMID: 29928695 PMCID: PMC6007156 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aas9383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2018] [Accepted: 04/30/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Humans have always affected their ecosystems, but finding evidence for significant and lasting changes to preindustrial landscapes is rare. We report on human-caused changes to the nitrogen cycle in Ireland in the Bronze Age, associated with intensification of agriculture and animal husbandry that resulted in long-term changes to the nitrogen isotope values of animals (wild and domesticates) during the Holocene. Major changes to inputs and cycling of soil nitrogen occurred through deforestation, land clearance and management, and more intensive animal husbandry and cereal crop cultivation in the later Bronze Age; after this time, the Irish landscape took on its current form. Within the debate concerning the onset of the Anthropocene, our data suggest that human activity in Ireland was significant enough in the Bronze Age to have long-term impact, thereby marking a profound shift in the relationship between humans and their environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Guiry
- Department of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, 303 NW Marine Drive, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada
| | - Fiona Beglane
- Centre for Environmental Research Innovation and Sustainability, School of Science, Institute of Technology Sligo, Ash Lane, Sligo, Ireland
- Glenborin, Donegal Town, County Donegal, Ireland
| | - Paul Szpak
- Department of Anthropology, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough, Ontario K9L 0G2, Canada
| | - Rick Schulting
- School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, 1 South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3TG, UK
| | - Finbar McCormick
- School of Natural and Built Environment, Queen’s University Belfast, University Road, Northern Ireland BT7 1NN, UK
| | - Michael P. Richards
- Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Education Building 9635, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
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Szpak P, Buckley M, Darwent CM, Richards MP. Long-term ecological changes in marine mammals driven by recent warming in northwestern Alaska. Glob Chang Biol 2018; 24:490-503. [PMID: 28850766 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2017] [Revised: 08/07/2017] [Accepted: 08/12/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Carbon and nitrogen isotopes analyses were performed on marine mammal bone collagen from three archaeological sites (ad 1170-1813) on Cape Espenberg (Kotzebue Sound, northwestern Alaska) as well as modern animals harvested from the same area to examine long-term trends in foraging ecology and sea ice productivity. We observed significant and dramatic changes in ringed seal stable isotope values between the early 19th and early 21st centuries, likely due to changing sea ice productivity and reduced delivery of organic matter to the benthos driven by recent warming in the Arctic. These data highlight the importance of the archaeological record for providing a long-term perspective on environmental variation and interpreting recent changes driven by anthropogenic processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Szpak
- Department of Anthropology, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada
| | - Michael Buckley
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
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Braje TJ, Rick TC, Szpak P, Newsome SD, McCain JM, Elliott Smith EA, Glassow M, Hamilton SL. Historical ecology and the conservation of large, hermaphroditic fishes in Pacific Coast kelp forest ecosystems. Sci Adv 2017; 3:e1601759. [PMID: 28164155 PMCID: PMC5287704 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1601759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2016] [Accepted: 12/18/2016] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The intensive commercial exploitation of California sheephead (Semicossyphus pulcher) has become a complex, multimillion-dollar industry. The fishery is of concern because of high harvest levels and potential indirect impacts of sheephead removals on the structure and function of kelp forest ecosystems. California sheephead are protogynous hermaphrodites that, as predators of sea urchins and other invertebrates, are critical components of kelp forest ecosystems in the northeast Pacific. Overfishing can trigger trophic cascades and widespread ecological dysfunction when other urchin predators are also lost from the system. Little is known about the ecology and abundance of sheephead before commercial exploitation. Lack of a historical perspective creates a gap for evaluating fisheries management measures and marine reserves that seek to rebuild sheephead populations to historical baseline conditions. We use population abundance and size structure data from the zooarchaeological record, in concert with isotopic data, to evaluate the long-term health and viability of sheephead fisheries in southern California. Our results indicate that the importance of sheephead to the diet of native Chumash people varied spatially across the Channel Islands, reflecting modern biogeographic patterns. Comparing ancient (~10,000 calibrated years before the present to 1825 CE) and modern samples, we observed variability and significant declines in the relative abundance of sheephead, reductions in size frequency distributions, and shifts in the dietary niche between ancient and modern collections. These results highlight how size-selective fishing can alter the ecological role of key predators and how zooarchaeological data can inform fisheries management by establishing historical baselines that aid future conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Todd J. Braje
- Department of Anthropology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182–6040, USA
| | - Torben C. Rick
- Program in Human Ecology and Archaeobiology, Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013–7012, USA
| | - Paul Szpak
- Department of Anthropology, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario K9L 0G2, Canada
| | - Seth D. Newsome
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131–0001, USA
| | - Joseph M. McCain
- Department of Anthropology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182–6040, USA
| | | | - Michael Glassow
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Scott L. Hamilton
- Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, 8272 Moss Landing Road, Moss Landing, CA 95039, USA
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Guiry EJ, Szpak P, Richards MP. Effects of lipid extraction and ultrafiltration on stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic compositions of fish bone collagen. Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom 2016; 30:1591-1600. [PMID: 27321847 DOI: 10.1002/rcm.7590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2016] [Revised: 04/15/2016] [Accepted: 04/16/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Fish bone collagen isotopic measurements are increasingly important in palaeodietary and paleoenvironmental studies yet differences in the chemical and physical properties of fish relative to other vertebrate bones are rarely considered. Lipid content in fish bone, which can exceed 50%, may underlie the poor collagen integrity criteria typically observed in archaeological studies. METHODS We compare stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic and elemental compositions of bone collagen prepared using four different methods from a wide range of modern fish species to: (1) assess the extent to which lipid content influences bone collagen δ(13) C and δ(15) N values, and (2) evaluate the relative efficacy of chemical (2:1 chloroform/methanol) and physical (30 kDa ultrafilters) methods for removing lipids from bones. RESULTS Lower δ(13) C values were observed when the lipid content exceeded 5% of the initial bone mass. The lipid content did not influence the δ(15) N values. 30 kDa ultrafiltration, a common pretreatment for purifying archaeological collagen, removed fewer lipids and was associated with reduced collagen yields (37% loss) as well as altered amino acid compositions. In contrast, collagen prepared using a 2:1 chloroform/methanol lipid extraction step resulted in significantly improved collagen yields, elemental compositions, and isotopic measurements relative to a control treatment. CONCLUSIONS The chemical lipid extraction method (2:1 chloroform/methanol) performed significantly better than the physical lipid extraction method (30 kDa ultrafilters). Given the high quantities of lipids in fish bones we recommend the inclusion of a chemical lipid extraction step when isolating collagen from modern and archaeological fish bones. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric J Guiry
- Department of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T1Z1, Canada
| | - Paul Szpak
- Department of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T1Z1, Canada
| | - Michael P Richards
- Department of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T1Z1, Canada
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Enk J, Devault A, Widga C, Saunders J, Szpak P, Southon J, Rouillard JM, Shapiro B, Golding GB, Zazula G, Froese D, Fisher DC, MacPhee RDE, Poinar H. Mammuthus Population Dynamics in Late Pleistocene North America: Divergence, Phylogeography, and Introgression. Front Ecol Evol 2016. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2016.00042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
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Abstract
Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios of bone collagen are an established method for dietary reconstruction, but this method is limited by the protein preservation. Zinc (Zn) is found in bioapatite and the isotopic compositions of this element constitute a very promising dietary indicator. The extent of fractionation of Zn isotopes in marine environments, however, remains unknown. We report here on the measurement of zinc, carbon and nitrogen isotopes in 47 marine mammals from the archaeological site of Arvik in the Canadian Arctic. We undertook this study to test and demonstrate the utility of Zn isotopes in recent mammal bone minerals as a dietary indicator by comparing them to other isotopic dietary tracers. We found a correlation between δ66Zn values and trophic level for most species, with the exception of walruses, which may be caused by their large seasonal movements. δ6Zn values can therefore be used as a dietary indicator in marine ecosystems for both modern and recent mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klervia Jaouen
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Human Evolution, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Paul Szpak
- University of British Columbia, Department of Anthropology, Vancouver Campus, 6303 NW Marine Drive, Vancouver, BC Canada, V6T 1Z1
| | - Michael P. Richards
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Human Evolution, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- University of British Columbia, Department of Anthropology, Vancouver Campus, 6303 NW Marine Drive, Vancouver, BC Canada, V6T 1Z1
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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] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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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. Front Plant Sci 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] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [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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Szpak P, White CD, Longstaffe FJ, Millaire JF, Vásquez Sánchez VF. Carbon and nitrogen isotopic survey of northern peruvian plants: baselines for paleodietary and paleoecological studies. PLoS One 2013; 8:e53763. [PMID: 23341996 PMCID: PMC3547067 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0053763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2012] [Accepted: 12/04/2012] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of isotopic baselines for comparison with paleodietary data is crucial, but often overlooked. We review the factors affecting the carbon (δ(13)C) and nitrogen (δ(15)N) isotopic compositions of plants, with a special focus on the carbon and nitrogen isotopic compositions of twelve different species of cultivated plants (n = 91) and 139 wild plant species collected in northern Peru. The cultivated plants were collected from nineteen local markets. The mean δ(13)C value for maize (grain) was -11.8±0.4 ‰ (n = 27). Leguminous cultigens (beans, Andean lupin) were characterized by significantly lower δ(15)N values and significantly higher %N than non-leguminous cultigens. Wild plants from thirteen sites were collected in the Moche River Valley area between sea level and ∼4,000 meters above sea level (masl). These sites were associated with mean annual precipitation ranging from 0 to 710 mm. Plants growing at low altitude sites receiving low amounts of precipitation were characterized by higher δ(15)N values than plants growing at higher altitudes and receiving higher amounts of precipitation, although this trend dissipated when altitude was >2,000 masl and MAP was >400 mm. For C(3) plants, foliar δ(13)C was positively correlated with altitude and precipitation. This suggests that the influence of altitude may overshadow the influence of water availability on foliar δ(13)C values at this scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Szpak
- Department of Anthropology, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
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Szpak P, Longstaffe FJ, Millaire JF, White CD. Stable isotope biogeochemistry of seabird guano fertilization: results from growth chamber studies with maize (Zea mays). PLoS One 2012; 7:e33741. [PMID: 22479435 PMCID: PMC3316503 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0033741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2012] [Accepted: 02/21/2012] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Stable isotope analysis is being utilized with increasing regularity to examine a wide range of issues (diet, habitat use, migration) in ecology, geology, archaeology, and related disciplines. A crucial component to these studies is a thorough understanding of the range and causes of baseline isotopic variation, which is relatively poorly understood for nitrogen (δ(15)N). Animal excrement is known to impact plant δ(15)N values, but the effects of seabird guano have not been systematically studied from an agricultural or horticultural standpoint. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS This paper presents isotopic (δ(13)C and δ(15)N) and vital data for maize (Zea mays) fertilized with Peruvian seabird guano under controlled conditions. The level of (15)N enrichment in fertilized plants is very large, with δ(15)N values ranging between 25.5 and 44.7‰ depending on the tissue and amount of fertilizer applied; comparatively, control plant δ(15)N values ranged between -0.3 and 5.7‰. Intraplant and temporal variability in δ(15)N values were large, particularly for the guano-fertilized plants, which can be attributed to changes in the availability of guano-derived N over time, and the reliance of stored vs. absorbed N. Plant δ(13)C values were not significantly impacted by guano fertilization. High concentrations of seabird guano inhibited maize germination and maize growth. Moreover, high levels of seabird guano greatly impacted the N metabolism of the plants, resulting in significantly higher tissue N content, particularly in the stalk. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE The results presented in this study demonstrate the very large impact of seabird guano on maize δ(15)N values. The use of seabird guano as a fertilizer can thus be traced using stable isotope analysis in food chemistry applications (certification of organic inputs). Furthermore, the fertilization of maize with seabird guano creates an isotopic signature very similar to a high-trophic level marine resource, which must be considered when interpreting isotopic data from archaeological material.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Szpak
- Department of Anthropology, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
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Debruyne R, Chu G, King CE, Bos K, Kuch M, Schwarz C, Szpak P, Gröcke DR, Matheus P, Zazula G, Guthrie D, Froese D, Buigues B, de Marliave C, Flemming C, Poinar D, Fisher D, Southon J, Tikhonov AN, MacPhee RDE, Poinar HN. Out of America: ancient DNA evidence for a new world origin of late quaternary woolly mammoths. Curr Biol 2008; 18:1320-6. [PMID: 18771918 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2008.07.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2008] [Revised: 07/16/2008] [Accepted: 07/17/2008] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Although the iconic mammoth of the Late Pleistocene, the woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius), has traditionally been regarded as the end point of a single anagenetically evolving lineage, recent paleontological and molecular studies have shown that successive allopatric speciation events must have occurred within Pleistocene Mammuthus in Asia, with subsequent expansion and hybridization between nominal taxa [1, 2]. However, the role of North American mammoth populations in these events has not been adequately explored from an ancient-DNA standpoint. To undertake this task, we analyzed mtDNA from a large data set consisting of mammoth samples from across Holarctica (n = 160) and representing most of radiocarbon time. Our evidence shows that, during the terminal Pleistocene, haplotypes originating in and characteristic of New World populations replaced or succeeded those endemic to Asia and western Beringia. Also, during the Last Glacial Maximum, mammoth populations do not appear to have suffered an overall decline in diversity, despite differing responses on either side of the Bering land bridge. In summary, the "Out-of-America" hypothesis holds that the dispersal of North American woolly mammoths into other parts of Holarctica created major phylogeographic structuring within Mammuthus primigenius populations, shaping the last phase of their evolutionary history before their demise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Regis Debruyne
- McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L9, Canada
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