Investigating Isotopic Niche Space: Using rKIN for Stable Isotope Studies in Archaeology

Robinson, Joshua R.

doi:10.1007/s10816-021-09541-7

Cited by 11 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 81 publications

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“…These values were discriminated by latitudinal region to generate more reliable inputs for Bayesian models and visual interpretations. An isotopic baseline of potential dietary sources by each sub-region was generated with rKin using Standard Ellipse Areas 81 (see Supporting Information 3 ). All the isotope values were extracted from SAAID.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of farming and fishing in the rise of social complexity in the Central Andes: a stable isotope perspective

Pezo-Lanfranco,

Colonese

2024

Sci Rep

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For many years, the rise of stratified societies along the Central Andean coast, known as the birthplace of Andean civilization, has been closely linked to a marine-oriented economy. This hypothesis has recently been challenged by increasing evidence of plant management and cultivation among Andean populations long before the emergence of complex societies and monumental architecture. The extent to which marine and plant-based economies were integrated and their contributions to early sedentism, population growth, and intra-community stratification, however, remain subjects of ongoing and contentious debate. Using Bayesian Mixing Models we reanalyze the previously published stable isotopes (δ15Ncollagen, δ13Ccollagen, δ13Capatite) values of 572 human individuals from 39 archaeological sites in the Central Andes dated between ca. 7000 BCE and 200 CE to reconstruct dietary regimes in probabilistic terms. Our results reveal that fish, terrestrial fauna, and cultivated plants variably contributed to the diet of prehistoric Andean populations; in coastal and middle valley settlements plant cultivation, not fishing, fueled the development of the earliest complex societies during the Formative Period (from 3000 BCE). Similarly, in the highlands the societies that built ceremonial centers show a plant-based economy. Our findings also show that maize only became a staple food (> 25% dietary contribution) in more recent phases of Andean prehistory, around 500 BCE.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of farming and fishing in the rise of social complexity in the Central Andes: a stable isotope perspective

Pezo-Lanfranco,

Colonese

2024

Sci Rep

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“…For species-speci c niches, we also calculated the overlap of SEAc, whenever necessary and/or useful. A review of the niche space concept and its underlying modeling rationale can be found in Robinson 142 .…”

Section: Data Availabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Earliest evidence for hunter-gatherer impacts on raven diet and ecology in the Gravettian of Southern Moravia

Baumann

Hussain

Roblíčková

et al. 2022

Preprint

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The Early Gravettian of Southern Moravia – the Pavlovian – is notable for its corvid-rich faunal assemblages dominated by common ravens (Corvus corax). Based on the available zooarchaeological and settlement data from the Pavlovian, it has been hypothesized that ravens were attracted by human domestic activities and subsequently captured by Pavlovian people for food and feathers. Here, we report independent δ15N, δ13C and δ34S isotope data obtained from twelve adult common ravens from the Pavlovian key sites of Předmostí I, Pavlov I and Dolní Věstonice I. We show that these ravens had diets surprisingly rich in mammoth, thus strongly aligning in feeding preferences with contemporary early Homo sapiens foragers. We isolate two groups of ravens with distinct dietary profiles and argue that these opportunistic-generalist feeders were both attracted from adjacent regions and encouraged locally through human activity. These data provide the earliest direct evidence for incipient synanthropism among Upper Palaeolithic ravens. We suggest that subtle anthropogenic ecosystem engineering, including carrion supply dynamics, furnishes unique contexts for the emergence of synanthropism, affirming deep-historical roots in Late Pleistocene hunter-gatherer contexts. The coalescence of synanthropic niches can promote novel foraging opportunities and human-environment feedback dynamics and is thus important for understanding early human ecosystem impacts.

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“…KUD is estimated across a regular network of equally spaced points, with the extent of the grid larger than that of the observations (Venables & Ripley 2002, Eckrich et al 2020. The contour lines used are defined in relation to the Euclidean distance of each observation to the centroid in bivariate space (Robinson 2021). For these predictions, different dietto-tissue discrimination factor values based on published studies were used for cephalopods (Δδ 13 C = −0.20 ± 0.5 ‰, Δδ 15 N = 3.37 ± 0.…”

Section: Identification Of the Potential Predators Of N Norvegicus Us...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Using molecular and stable isotope markers to identify the main predators of Nephrops norvegicus in Mediterranean deep-water ecosystems

Vigo

Navarro

Giménez

et al. 2022

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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To obtain a better understanding of the functioning of ecosystems and how they respond to disturbance, it is necessary to identify the relevant biotic interactions and specific trophic roles. Predation is one of the most important biotic interactions that can also define the spatial patterns of other species. Many predators are considered key species for the functioning and maintenance of ecosystems, as they play an important ecological role that can influence the dynamics at lower trophic levels. The Norway lobster Nephrops norvegicus is one of the most valued European fishing stocks. However, its value and capture have declined over the last decade. In the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic cod Gadus morhua is the main predator of N. norvegicus. However, this species is not present in the Mediterranean Sea, and little is known about which species might prey on N. norvegicus in this area. Here, we combine 2 methodologies—genetic identification of stomach contents and stable isotope analyses—to identify, for the first time, the main predators of N. norvegicus in the Mediterranean Sea. Moreover, we have created the Predation Index, which determines the most influential predator affecting N. norvegicus population dynamics. Our results reveal that the major predators are the cephalopods Sepietta spp. and Abralia veranyi, which probably affect the early stages of N. norvegicus, followed by the elasmobranch Scyliorhinus canicula and the bony fishes Merluccius merluccius, Trigla lyra, and Conger conger. To evaluate possible fluctuations in the N. norvegicus population, we consider the assessment of these predator populations crucial.

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Investigating Isotopic Niche Space: Using rKIN for Stable Isotope Studies in Archaeology

Cited by 11 publications

References 81 publications

The role of farming and fishing in the rise of social complexity in the Central Andes: a stable isotope perspective

The role of farming and fishing in the rise of social complexity in the Central Andes: a stable isotope perspective

Earliest evidence for hunter-gatherer impacts on raven diet and ecology in the Gravettian of Southern Moravia

Using molecular and stable isotope markers to identify the main predators of Nephrops norvegicus in Mediterranean deep-water ecosystems

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