Isotopic Evidence for Environmental Adaptation in Medieval Iin Hamina, Northern Finland

Radiocarbon ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 1117-1131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Lahtinen
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Isotopes ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Environmental Adaptation ◽  
Protein Source ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Bone Collagen ◽  
Tooth Formation ◽  
Main Protein

AbstractThis study investigates human environmental adaptation in northern Finland at the cemetery of Iin Hamina. The cemetery was in use in the 15th and 16th centuries AD during the cool climate anomaly called the Little Ice Age. It is possible that these extreme climatic conditions may have impacted human survival in this agriculturally marginal region. In previous studies, carbon and nitrogen isotopes in the bone collagen of humans and fauna have shown that the main protein source for people at Iin Hamina was fish. In this study, I observe annual changes in diet derived from isotopic studies of teeth. Apart from one individual whose protein source shifted radically during tooth formation, the results show the inhabitants of Iin Hamina experienced only minor changes in diet over periods of several years. Moreover, none of the dietary profiles provided evidence of dietary or physiological stress through raised nitrogen isotope ratios. The results indicate that the individuals in this study appear to have been well-adapted to their environment.

scholarly journals Latitudinal variations of δ<sup>30</sup>Si and δ<sup>15</sup>N signatures along the Peruvian shelf: quantifying the effects of nutrient utilization versus denitrification over the past 600 years

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristin Doering ◽  
Claudia Ehlert ◽  
Philippe Martinez ◽  
Martin Frank ◽  
Ralph Schneider
Keyword(s):  
Isotope Composition ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Nutrient Utilization ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Silicon Isotope ◽  
Short Term ◽  
The Past ◽  
Subsurface Waters ◽  
Minimum Zone

Abstract. The sedimentary stable nitrogen isotope compositions of bulk organic matter (δ15Nbulk) and silicon isotope composition of diatoms (δ30SiBSi) both mainly reflect the degree of past nutrient utilization by primary producers. However, in ocean areas where anoxic and suboxic conditions prevail, the δ15Nbulk signal ultimately recorded within the sediments is also influenced by water column denitrification causing an increase in the subsurface δ15N signature of dissolved nitrate (δ15NO3−) upwelled to the surface. Such conditions are found in the oxygen minimum zone off Peru, where at present an increase in subsurface δ15NO3− from North to South along the shelf is observed due to ongoing denitrification within the pole-ward flowing subsurface waters, while the δ30Si signature of silicic acid (δ30Si(OH)4) at the same time remains unchanged. Here, we present three new δ30SiBSi records between 11° S and 15° S and compare these to previously published δ30SiBSi and δ15Nbulk records from Peru covering the past 600 years. We present a new approach to calculate past subsurface δ15NO3− signatures based on the correlation of δ30SiBSi and δ15Nbulk signatures at a latitudinal resolution for different time periods. Our results show source water δ15NO3− compositions during the last 200 years, the Current Warm Period (CWP) and during short-term arid events prior to that, which are close to modern values increasing southward from 7 to 10 ‰ (between 11° S and 15° S). In contrast, humid conditions during the Little Ice Age (LIA) reflect consistently low δ15NO3− values between 6 and 7.5‰. Furthermore, we are able to relate the short-term variability in both isotope compositions to changes in the ratio of nutrients (NO3− : Si(OH)4) taken up by different dominating phytoplankton groups (diatoms and non-siliceous phytoplankton) under the variable climatic conditions of the past 600 years.

Intra-Community Variation in Diet during the Adoption of a New Staple Crop in the Eastern Woodlands

2008 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 413-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fionnuala Rose
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Isotopes ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Bimodal Distribution ◽  
Bone Collagen ◽  
Middle Woodland ◽  
Eastern Woodlands ◽  
Intensive Exploitation ◽  
Central Illinois ◽  
Staple Crop ◽  
River Valleys

This study investigated intracommunity variation in diet during the introduction and adoption of a new staple crop (maize) into an indigenous horticultural system. Carbon and nitrogen isotopes of human bone collagen were analyzed from five sites in west-central Illinois, dating from the Middle Woodland to Mississippian periods, and the results contrasted with evidence from neighboring river valleys and the wider Eastern Woodlands area. Contrary to speculation, neither the initial adoption of maize nor subsequent intensification in its use were correlated with status, gender, or age. A striking bimodal distribution was observed in consumption of native and introduced crops; growing or eating small amounts of maize was apparently not practiced. Fluoride dating confirms the burials are contemporary, and the pattern persists over several hundred years. Possible explanations include issues related to the economics of maize growing, household requirements for storage, exchange, or levies, or individual taste. Also notable were earlier-than-expected dates for intensive exploitation of the maize in this area, in the early Late Woodland, possibly as early as A.D. 400. Nitrogen isotope ratios were higher for males at all sites and time periods; the cause may have been greater access to dietary protein, or could be the result of physiological differences.

Stable Isotope Evidence for Maize Horticulture and Paleodiet in Southern Ontario, Canada

1995 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 335-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Anne Katzenberg ◽  
Henry P. Schwarcz ◽  
Martin Knyf ◽  
F. Jerome Melbye
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
North America ◽  
Material Culture ◽  
Nitrogen Isotopes ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Extraction Methods ◽  
Animal Protein ◽  
Bone Collagen ◽  
Southern Ontario ◽  
Isotope Data

This paper reports new data on stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes obtained from human skeletal remains found at six prehistoric sites dating between A.D. 400 and 1500 in southern Ontario. Analyses examine more closely the timing and intensity of maize adoption and the importance of animal protein in the diet, adding to earlier work in the region by the same authors (Schwarcz et al. 1985). As a result of changes in preferred methods of extracting bone collagen, a comparison of extraction methods is presented. Results indicate a gradual increase in the importance of maize in the diet over a period of approximately 600 years, from A.D. 650 to 1250, and little change in nitrogen isotope values during the same period. The results are considered within the larger temporal and geographical framework of eastern North America, drawing on stable isotope results from the published literature. Both paleobotanical and isotope data indicate marked differences in the timing and intensity of maize utilization in different regions of northeastern North America. Nitrogen isotope values decrease after around A.D. 1350, suggesting a decrease in animal protein in the diet. Stable isotope data provide one source of evidence for changes in human subsistence patterns and their interpretation relies on complementary data from sources such as the analysis of faunal and botanical remains, settlement patterns, and material culture.

Stable Carbon- and Nitrogen-Isotope Ratios of Bone Collagen Used to Study Coral-Reef and Terrestrial Components of Prehistoric Bahamian Diet

1988 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 320-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
William F. Keegan ◽  
Michael J. DeNiro
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Nitrogen Isotopes ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Isotope Ratios ◽  
Isotopic Signature ◽  
Bone Collagen ◽  
Food Groups ◽  
Stable Carbon ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Consumption Practices

Previous studies have demonstrated that stable carbon- and nitrogen-isotope ratios of bone collagen can be used to distinguish marine and terrestrial components of prehistoric human diet. However, when this method was first applied to prehistoric Bahamians, their bone-collagen nitrogen-isotope ratios were found to be outside the ranges observed for other coastal populations that ate substantial quantities of marine foods. This study examines in detail the distributions of stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes in Bahamian food chains. Our results indicate that the unique isotopic signature in bone collagen of prehistoric Bahamians reflects the enrichment of 13C and the depletion of 15N in seagrass and coral-reef communities relative to other oceanic environments. The results also demonstrate that bone-collagen 13C/12C ratios can be used to distinguish marine from terrestrial contributions in the prehistoric Lucayan Taino diet, and that 15N/14N ratios serve to identify the use of certain marine food groups. This approach should prove useful for the study of consumption practices in other tropical coral-reef environments and as a method for evaluating theoretically predicted optimal diets.

scholarly journals Latitudinal variations in <i>δ</i><sup>30</sup>Si and <i>δ</i><sup>15</sup>N signatures along the Peruvian shelf: quantifying the effects of nutrient utilization versus denitrification over the past 600 years

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (10) ◽  
pp. 2163-2180
Author(s):  
Kristin Doering ◽  
Claudia Ehlert ◽  
Philippe Martinez ◽  
Martin Frank ◽  
Ralph Schneider
Keyword(s):  
Isotope Composition ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Nutrient Utilization ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Silicon Isotope ◽  
Short Term ◽  
The Past ◽  
Subsurface Waters ◽  
Minimum Zone

Abstract. The stable sedimentary nitrogen isotope compositions of bulk organic matter (δ15Nbulk) and the silicon isotope composition of diatoms (δ30SiBSi) both mainly reflect the degree of past nutrient utilization by primary producers. However, in ocean areas where anoxic and suboxic conditions prevail, the δ15Nbulk signal ultimately recorded within the sediments is also influenced by water column denitrification, causing an increase in the subsurface δ15N signature of dissolved nitrate (δ15NO3-) upwelled to the surface. Such conditions are found in the oxygen minimum zone off the coast of Peru, where, at present, an increase in subsurface δ15NO3- from north to south along the shelf is observed due to ongoing denitrification within the poleward-flowing subsurface waters, while the δ30Si signature of silicic acid (δ30Si(OH)4) at the same time remains unchanged. Here, we present three new δ30SiBSi records between 11 and 15∘ S and compare these to previously published δ30SiBSi and δ15Nbulk records from Peru covering the past 600 years. We present a new approach to calculate past subsurface δ15NO3- signatures based on the direct comparison of δ30SiBSi and δ15Nbulk signatures at a latitudinal resolution for different time periods. Our results show that, during the Current Warm Period (CWP, since 1800 CE) and prior short-term arid events, source water δ15NO3- compositions have been close to modern values, increasing southward from 7 to 10 ‰ (between 11 and 15∘ S). In contrast, during the Little Ice Age (LIA) we calculate low δ15NO3- values between 6 ‰ and 7.5 ‰. Furthermore, the direct δ30SiBSi versus δ15Nbulk comparison also enables us to relate the short-term variability in both isotope compositions to changes in the ratio of nutrients (NO3-:Si(OH)4) taken up by different dominating phytoplankton groups (diatoms and non-siliceous phytoplankton) under the variable climatic conditions of the past 600 years. Accordingly, we estimate a shift from a 1:1 (or 1:2) ratio during the CWP and a 2:1 (up to 15:1) ratio during the LIA, associated with a shift from overall high nutrient utilization to NO3--dominated (and thus non-siliceous phytoplankton) utilization.

A new multi-proxy record of environmental change over the last 1000 years on Chiloé Island: Lake Pastahué, south-central Chile (42°S)

The Holocene ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 421-431
Author(s):  
J Max Troncoso Castro ◽  
Carolina Vergara ◽  
Denisse Alvarez ◽  
Gustavo Díaz ◽  
Pablo Fierro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Biological Indicator ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Forest Composition ◽  
Central Chile ◽  
Lake Ecosystems ◽  
South Central ◽  
Recent Part ◽  
Patagonian Forest

Knowledge of past environmental and climatic conditions of lake ecosystems on Chiloé Island on a millennial scale is limited. Hence, this study fills a gap in our understanding of this part of southern Chile. The aim of this study was to reconstruct the environmental and climatic history of the last 1000 years of Lake Pastahué through a multi-proxy sediment core analysis. The 1-m-long core was subsampled every centimeter for the organic matter, magnetic susceptibility, grain-size distribution, and biological indicator (pollen, chironomids) analyses. The age model was constructed from 210Pb, 137Cs, and 14C activity. Pollen results revealed a North Patagonian forest composition represented by Nothofagus, Weinmannia, Drimys, Tepualia, Myrtaceae, Poaceae, and Pteridophyta. The abundance of Rumex and Pinus in the most recent part of the pollen assemblage reflects a clear anthropogenic impact. The sedimentological parameters and chironomid assemblage show similar variations, which highlight changes in the trophic state of the lake. The changes observed in all proxies suggest the influence of climate events such as the ‘Medieval Climate Anomaly’ (MCA) and ‘Little Ice Age’ (LIA). The variations observed since the beginning of the 20th century could be the result of the combined effect of anthropogenic activities and the increase in temperature recorded in south-central Chile and Patagonia.

Diet and subsistence mode of Neolithic Yuan-Shan people in Taiwan: Perspective from carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses of bone collagen

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 18-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheng-Yi Lee ◽  
Maa-Ling Chen ◽  
Peter Ditchfield ◽  
Li-Hung Lin ◽  
Pei-Ling Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Bone Collagen ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Isotope Analyses

scholarly journals Southern Hemisphere anticyclonic circulation drives oceanic and climatic conditions in late Holocene southernmost Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 649-665 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annette Hahn ◽  
Enno Schefuß ◽  
Sergio Andò ◽  
Hayley C. Cawthra ◽  
Peter Frenzel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
South Coast ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Sea Surface Temperatures ◽  
The South ◽  
Anticyclonic Circulation ◽  
Surface Temperatures ◽  
Precipitation Regimes

Abstract. Due to the high sensitivity of southern Africa to climate change, a reliable understanding of its hydrological system is crucial. Recent studies of the regional climatic system have revealed a highly complex interplay of forcing factors on precipitation regimes. This includes the influence of the tropical easterlies, the strength of the southern hemispheric westerlies as well as sea surface temperatures along the coast of the subcontinent. However, very few marine records have been available in order to study the coupling of marine and atmospheric circulation systems. Here we present results from a marine sediment core, recovered in shallow waters off the Gouritz River mouth on the south coast of South Africa. Core GeoB18308-1 allows a closer view of the last  ∼  4 kyr. Climate sensitive organic proxies, like the distribution and isotopic composition of plant-wax lipids as well as indicators for sea surface temperatures and soil input, give information on oceanographic and hydrologic changes during the recorded time period. Moreover, the micropaleontology, mineralogical and elemental composition of the sediments reflect the variability of the terrigenous input to the core site. The combination of down-core sediment signatures and a catchment-wide provenance study indicate that the Little Ice Age ( ∼  300–650 cal yr BP) was characterized by climatic conditions favorable to torrential flood events. The Medieval Climate Anomaly ( ∼  950–650 cal yr BP) is expressed by lower sea surface temperatures in the Mossel Bay area and humid conditions in the Gouritz River catchment. These new results suggest that the coincidence of humid conditions and cooler sea surface temperatures along the south coast of South Africa resulted from a strengthened and more southerly anticyclonic circulation. Most probably, the transport of moisture from the Indian Ocean by strong subtropical easterlies was coupled with Agulhas Bank upwelling pulses, which were initiated by an increase in Agulhas Current strength.

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