scholarly journals Direct Evidence for Geophyte Exploitation in the Wyoming Basin

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Kaley Joyce ◽  
Lisbeth A. Louderback ◽  
Erick Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Late Prehistoric ◽  
Starch Granules ◽  
Return Rates ◽  
Early Archaic ◽  
Ground Stone ◽  
Important Food Source ◽  
Two Populations

In the Wyoming Basin, archaeological sites dating from the Early Archaic to Late Prehistoric are often found associated with or adjacent to dense populations of Cymopterus bulbosus (springparsley), a nutritious geophyte that would have been an important food source for prehistoric humans living in the region. Experimental data have shown that the caloric return rates of C. bulbosus were enough to support seasonal exploitation by foragers, yet there has been no direct evidence for the use of this geophyte from the archaeological record. In this study, we examine starch granules from 10 ground stone tools excavated from two stratified, multicomponent archaeological sites in the Wyoming Basin to determine if C. bulbosus was collected and consumed in the past. Taproots of C. bulbosus were collected from two populations in the immediate vicinity of the archaeological sites in order to develop a modern starch reference. Identification of Cymopterus starch granules is based on a systematic study of those reference granules. The presence of Cymopterus starch on the ground stone artifacts suggests that prehistoric foragers were collecting and consuming these geophytes. These findings support previous hypotheses about geophyte use in southern Wyoming and therefore have implications for increasing human populations as well as settlement and subsistence decisions.

The use of scanning electron microscopy in interpreting chenopodium remains from three archaeological sites in northwestern Iowa

1992 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 1112-1113
Author(s):  
Douglas William Jones
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Scanning Electron Microscopy ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Late Prehistoric ◽  
Eastern United States ◽  
Chenopodium Berlandieri ◽  
Seed Identification ◽  
Level 2 ◽  
Scanning Electron

Within the past 20 years, archaeobotanical research in the Eastern United States has documented an early agricultural complex before the dominance of the Mesoamerican domesticates (corn, beans, and squash) in late prehistoric and historic agricultural systems. This early agricultural complex consisted of domesticated plants such as Iva annua var.macrocarpa (Sumpweed or Marshelder), Hellanthus annuus (Sunflower) and Chenopodium berlandieri, (Goosefoot or Lasbsquarters), and heavily utilized plants such as Polygonum erectum (Erect Knotweed), Phalaris caroliniana (May grass), and Hordeum pusillum (Little Barley).Recent research involving the use of Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) specifically on Chenopodium has established diagnostic traits of wild and domesticated species seeds. This is important because carbonized or uncarbonized seeds are the most commonly recovered Chenopodium material from archaeological sites. The diagnostic seed traits assist archaeobotanists in identification of Chenopodium remains and provide a basis for evaluation of Chenopodium utilization in a culture's subsistence patterns. With the aid of SEM, an analysis of Chenopodium remains from three Late Prehistoric sites in Northwest Iowa (Blood Run [Oneota culture], Brewster [Mill Creek culture], and Chan-Ya-Ta [Mill Creek culture]) has been conducted to: 1) attempt seed identification to a species level, 2) evaluate the traits of the seeds for classification as either wild or domesticated, and 3) evaluate the role of Chenopodium utilization in both the Oneota and Mill Creek cultures.

scholarly journals Ceramic Types from Late Prehistoric Sites along the East Fork of the Trinity River

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilson Crook ◽  
Mark Houghston
Keyword(s):  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Red River ◽  
Late Prehistoric ◽  
East Texas ◽  
Ceramic Assemblage ◽  
Trinity River ◽  
Late Prehistoric Period ◽  
Prehistoric Culture ◽  
The Trinity

Ceramics are one of the key diagnostic artifacts that define the Late Prehistoric culture of the peoples that lived along the East Fork of the Trinity and its tributaries. We are completing a 42 year re evaluation of the Late Prehistoric period of the area and have st udied nearly 32,000 artifacts, of which over 10,200 are ceramic sherds. From this study, 20 distinct ceramic types have been recognized. Plain ware, both shell tempered and sandy paste/grog tempered, are the predominant ceramic types present, comprising ov er 90 percent of the total ceramic assemblage. While there is little direct evidence for indigenous manufacture, the abundance of these types suggests they were produced locally. Lesser quantities of decorated ware of distinct Caddo ceramic types from the Red River and East Texas suggest they are likely the product of exchange. There is also a small amount of Puebloan material indicative of a longer distance exchange.

scholarly journals Differences in lipidome and metabolome organization of prefrontal cortex among human populations

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Tkachev ◽  
Vita Stepanova ◽  
Lei Zhang ◽  
Ekaterina Khrameeva ◽  
Dmitry Zubkov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Han Chinese ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Cortical Region ◽  
Molecular Phenotype ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Prefrontal Cortical ◽  
Age Dependent ◽  
Polar Low ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Two Populations

AbstractHuman populations, despite their overwhelming similarity, contain some distinct phenotypic, genetic, epigenetic, and gene expression features. In this study, we explore population differences at yet another level of molecular phenotype: the abundance of non-polar and polar low molecular weight compounds, lipids and metabolites in the prefrontal cortical region of the brain. We assessed the abundance of 1,670 lipids and 258 metabolites in 146 Han Chinese, 97 Western European, and 60 African American individuals of varying ages, covering most of the lifespan. The statistical analysis and logistic regression models both demonstrated extensive lipid and metabolic divergence of the Han Chinese individuals from the other two populations. This divergence was age-dependent, peaking in young adults, and involved metabolites and lipids clustering in specific metabolic pathways.

scholarly journals Female mate preference explains countergradient variation in the sexual coloration of guppies ( Poecilia reticulata )

2011 ◽  
Vol 279 (1734) ◽  
pp. 1684-1690 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerry A. Deere ◽  
Gregory F. Grether ◽  
Aida Sun ◽  
Janet S. Sinsheimer
Keyword(s):  
Geographical Variation ◽  
Poecilia Reticulata ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Carotenoid Content ◽  
Pigment Ratio ◽  
Male Attractiveness ◽  
Countergradient Variation ◽  
Sexual Coloration ◽  
Two Populations ◽  
Orange Spot

We tested the hypothesis that mate choice is responsible for countergradient variation in the sexual coloration of Trinidadian guppies ( Poecilia reticulata ). The nature of the countergradient pattern is that geographical variation in the carotenoid content of the orange spots of males is counterbalanced by genetic variation in drosopterin production, resulting in a relatively uniform pigment ratio. A female hue preference could produce this pattern, because hue is the axis of colour variation most directly affected by the pigment ratio. To test this hypothesis, we crossed two populations differing in drosopterin production and produced an F 2 generation with variable drosopterin levels. When the carotenoid content of the orange spots was held constant, female guppies preferred males with intermediate drosopterin levels. This shows that females do not simply prefer males with greater orange spot pigment content; instead, the ratio of the pigments also affects male attractiveness. To our knowledge, this is the first direct evidence for a hypothesized agent of countergradient sexual selection.

Ground Stone Tools from Serra Orlando (Morgantina) and Stone Axe Studies in Sicily and Southern Italy

1989 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Leighton ◽  
J. E. Dixon ◽  
A. M. Duncan
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Southern Italy ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Preliminary Investigation ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Hellenistic Period ◽  
Thin Sections ◽  
Ground Stone ◽  
Metal Tools ◽  
Polished Stone Axes

Ground and polished stone axes in southern Italy received little attention after a period of lively interest in the late 19th century. The great number of axes from archaeological sites and collections suggests widespread manufacture and exchange on a considerable scale. In eastern Sicily the production of basalt axes was long-lived, beginning in the Neolithic (Stentinello phase) and reaching a peak in the Copper and Early Bronze Ages. Greenstone axes are also found throughout these periods. By the Middle or Late Bronze Age, stone axes were probably little used, having been largely replaced by metal tools.The axes from Serra Orlando (where the historical site of Morgantina is located) form one of the largest collections in Sicily from a single site, where they were found in multi-period contexts, dating from the third millennium BC until the Hellenistic period. Petrological analysis suggests that basalt from the Iblean hills was frequently used for their manufacture, while the serpentinites, tremolite-bearing rocks and pyroxenite probably originate in the Calabro-Peloritani Arc. The results of the analysis of thin sections are presented in appendixes. Raw materials, distribution and manufacture of axes are discussed and a preliminary investigation of their typology is presented. Multiple functions for Sicilian axes, related to morphology and raw materials, are suggested by their archaeological contexts.

scholarly journals Using Debitage Analysis to Investigate an Alberta Archaeological Site

COMPASS ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Hallson
Keyword(s):  
Raw Materials ◽  
Archaeological Site ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Late Prehistoric ◽  
Aggregate Analysis ◽  
New Information ◽  
Lithic Artifacts ◽  
Field Schools

Ahai Mneh (FiPp-33) is a significant pre-contact archaeological site in Alberta. Located west of Edmonton on Lake Wabamun, this site contains material from the Early Prehistoric right up until Late Prehistoric pre-contact times. Ninety-five percent of the lithic artifacts collected are pieces of debitage. Aggregate analysis is a method of examining the whole of the debitage collection, rather than analysing singular pieces. This method is more time efficient, less subject to bias, replicable, and is used often, and successfully, at archaeological sites with immense quantities of debitage. Here I use aggregate analysis to examine the debitage assemblage from two field schools at Ahai Mneh. I investigate various characteristics such as size, raw material type, cortex amount, and number of dorsal scars. I argue that this method is successful, as it provided new information on where people were acquiring raw materials, as well as what types of flintknapping occurred at this site. These analyses resulted in the determination of a focus on local raw material, yet this material was being brought to the site as prepared cores or blanks, rather than complete unaltered cores. Tool production was the focus at this site, and this trend continued throughout time.

scholarly journals An ecological approach to assessing the epidemiology of antimicrobial resistance in animal and human populations

2011 ◽  
Vol 279 (1733) ◽  
pp. 1630-1639 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison E. Mather ◽  
Louise Matthews ◽  
Dominic J. Mellor ◽  
Richard Reeve ◽  
Matthew J. Denwood ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Resistance ◽  
Ecological Approach ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Ecological Diversity ◽  
Animal Population ◽  
Current Policy ◽  
Animal Populations ◽  
Two Populations ◽  
Animal Isolates

We examined long-term surveillance data on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Salmonella Typhimurium DT104 (DT104) isolates from concurrently sampled and sympatric human and animal populations in Scotland. Using novel ecological and epidemiological approaches to examine diversity, and phenotypic and temporal relatedness of the resistance profiles, we assessed the more probable source of resistance of these two populations. The ecological diversity of AMR phenotypes was significantly greater in human isolates than in animal isolates, at the resolution of both sample and population. Of 5200 isolates, there were 65 resistance phenotypes, 13 unique to animals, 30 unique to humans and 22 were common to both. Of these 22, 11 were identified first in the human isolates, whereas only five were identified first in the animal isolates. We conclude that, while ecologically connected, animals and humans have distinguishable DT104 communities, differing in prevalence, linkage and diversity. Furthermore, we infer that the sympatric animal population is unlikely to be the major source of resistance diversity for humans. This suggests that current policy emphasis on restricting antimicrobial use in domestic animals may be overly simplistic. While these conclusions pertain to DT104 in Scotland, this approach could be applied to AMR in other bacteria–host ecosystems.

Archaeology and the population-dispersal hypothesis of modern human origins in Europe

1992 ◽  
Vol 337 (1280) ◽  
pp. 225-234 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
New Technology ◽  
Modern Human ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Human Origins ◽  
Upper Palaeolithic ◽  
Archaeological Evidence ◽  
Modern Human Origins ◽  
The World ◽  
Two Populations ◽  
Behavioural Adaptations

The transition from anatomically ‘archaic’ to ‘modern’ populations would seem to have occurred in most regions of Europe broadly between ca.40 and 30 ka ago: much later than in most other areas of the world. The archaeological evidence supports the view that this transition was associated with the dispersal of new human populations into Europe, equipped with a new technology (‘Aurignacian’) and a range of radical behavioural and cultural innovations which collectively define the ‘Middle-Upper Palaeolithic transition'. In several regions of Europe there is archaeological evidence for a chronological overlap between these populations and the final Neanderthal populations and, apparently, for various forms of contact, interaction and, apparently, ‘acculturation’ between these two populations. The fundamental behavioural adaptations implicit in the ‘Upper Palaeolithic Revolution’ (possibly including language) are thought to have been responsible for this rapid dispersal of human populations over the ecologically demanding environments of last-glacial Europe.

Microevolution and the Skeletal Traits of a Middle Archaic Burial: Metric and Multivariate Comparison to Paleoindians and Modern Amerindians

1999 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 527-545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marjorie Brooks Lovvorn ◽  
George W. Gill ◽  
Gayle F. Carlson ◽  
John R. Bozell ◽  
Terry L. Steinacher
Keyword(s):  
Gene Flow ◽  
Natural Selection ◽  
Cultural History ◽  
Flow Patterns ◽  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
Late Prehistoric ◽  
Early Archaic ◽  
Nonmetric Traits ◽  
Middle Archaic ◽  
Incremental Process

Skeletal remains recovered and analyzed from Archaic and Paleoindian periods demonstrate less pronounced Asiatic/Sinodont features that distinguish them from present day Amerindians. This paper describes the metric and nonmetric traits that link a Middle Plains Archaic male (radiocarbon dated to 2220-2500 B. C.), found near Sidney, Nebraska, to Sinodonts, Sundadonts, and Paleoindians. Metrically, the Sidney male differs from Late Prehistoric and Historic Mandan and Arikara males (1500 to 1830 A.D.) from the same region in cranial vault height (auricular height p ≤ .02 basion-porion height p ≤ .07). His cranium is longer and higher (acrocranic Cranial Breadth-Height Index) than that of the more highly derived Mandan and Arikara males. Several of the Sidney male’s cranial and femoral traits show a blend of Amerindian and earlier protomongoloid traits, distinguishable from recent Amerindian populations. These traits suggest affiliation to a common Eurasian progenitor for Sinodonts, Sundadonts, and Paleoindians, and support the hypothesis that Plains Amerindians descended from the earliest wave of Paleoindians who crossed the Bering Straits. Tracing microevolutionary changes across time is a challenging, incremental process, not yet resolved by the limited Paleoindian and Archaic skeletal remains discovered to date. However, the intermediate skeletal characteristics of the Sidney male indicate gradual adaptation and suggest that natural selection most strongly influenced the adaptation of Plains peoples. Information presented here increases the database needed for future investigations of microevolution, gene flow patterns and the cultural history that may someday link early Archaic populations and Paleoindians to specific tribes among the modern Plains Amerindians.

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