A spring and wooded habitat at FLK Zinj and their relevance to origins of human behavior

AbstractThe 1959 discovery of the hominin fossil Zinjanthropus boisei brought the world's attention to the rich records at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. Subsequent excavations of archaeological level 22 (FLK Zinj) Bed I uncovered remains of Homo habilis and a high-density collection of fossils and Oldowan stone tools. The occurrence of this unusual collection of bones and tools at this specific location has been controversial for decades. We present paleoecological data that provide new insights into the origin of FLK Zinj. Our recent excavations 200 m north of the site uncovered a 0.5-m-thick tufa mound draped by Tuff IC, in the same stratigraphic horizon as level 22. Stable isotope analyses indicate that the carbonates were deposited by a freshwater spring. Phytolith analysis of the waxy clay under Tuff IC revealed abundant woody dicotyledon and palm phytoliths, indicating that the site was wooded to densely wooded. The time equivalency and close physical proximity of the two environments indicate the two are related. This study has provided the first documented evidence of springs in Bed I and these data have important implications for the interpretation of hominin behavior in meat acquisition and the ongoing debate on scavenging versus hunting.

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Nikolaus Rungius: Lifestyle and Status of an Early Seventeenth-Century Northern Finnish Vicar

Historical Archaeology ◽

10.1007/s41636-020-00268-y ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Tiina Väre ◽

Sanna Lipkin ◽

Jenni A. Suomela ◽

Krista Vajanto

Keyword(s):

Seventeenth Century ◽

Stable Isotope ◽

Natural Resources ◽

Domestic Animals ◽

Ct Scans ◽

High Quality ◽

The Subject ◽

The Rich ◽

Protein Rich ◽

Isotope Analyses

Abstract Vicar Nikolaus Rungius’s (ca. 1560–1629) mummified remains have been the subject of research that has provided a wide variety of information on his life. This article examines the ways Rungius’s health and lifestyle highlight his status as a vicar, and this status is visible in his burial and funerary clothing. He was a relatively large man for his time. CT scans even include indications of certain conditions related to being overweight. Likewise, stable-isotope analyses of his nail keratin support the hypothesis that he was consuming a rather heavy, protein-rich diet. Given his status as the vicar of Kemi parish in northern Finland, he likely made sumptuous use of the rich local natural resources of fish, game, and domestic animals as part of his regular diet. In addition to his diet and health, the vicar’s high-quality clothes, while fragmentary, also open an avenue to extend the exploration of his social status and wealth.

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Feeding ecologies of key bivalve and polychaete species in the Bering Sea as elucidated by fatty acid and compound-specific stable isotope analyses

Marine Ecology Progress Series ◽

10.3354/meps11863 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 557 ◽

pp. 161-175 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

LE Oxtoby ◽

SM Budge ◽

K Iken ◽

DM O’Brien ◽

MJ Wooller

Keyword(s):

Fatty Acid ◽

Stable Isotope ◽

Bering Sea ◽

Polychaete Species ◽

Stable Isotope Analyses ◽

Isotope Analyses ◽

The Bering Sea

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Offshore wind farms and the attraction–production hypothesis: insights from a combination of stomach content and stable isotope analyses

Hydrobiologia ◽

10.1007/s10750-021-04553-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ninon Mavraki ◽

Steven Degraer ◽

Jan Vanaverbeke

Keyword(s):

Stable Isotope ◽

Stomach Content ◽

Wind Farms ◽

Offshore Wind ◽

Artificial Reefs ◽

Dietary Composition ◽

Trachurus Trachurus ◽

Offshore Wind Farms ◽

Scomber Scombrus ◽

Isotope Analyses

AbstractOffshore wind farms (OWFs) act as artificial reefs, attracting high abundances of fish, which could potentially increase their local production. This study investigates the feeding ecology of fish species that abundantly occur at artificial habitats, such as OWFs, by examining the short- and the long-term dietary composition of five species: the benthopelagic Gadus morhua and Trisopterus luscus, the pelagic Scomber scombrus and Trachurus trachurus, and the benthic Myoxocephalus scorpioides. We conducted combined stomach content and stable isotope analyses to examine the short- and the time-integrated dietary composition, respectively. Our results indicated that benthopelagic and benthic species utilize artificial reefs, such as OWFs, as feeding grounds for a prolonged period, since both analyses indicated that they exploit fouling organisms occurring exclusively on artificial hard substrates. Trachurus trachurus only occasionally uses artificial reefs as oases of highly abundant resources. Scomber scombrus does not feed on fouling fauna and therefore its augmented presence in OWFs is probably related to reasons other than the enhanced food availability. The long-termed feeding preferences of benthic and benthopelagic species contribute to the hypothesis that the artificial reefs of OWFs could potentially increase the fish production in the area. However, this was not supported for the pelagic species.

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