LateHolocene environmental change in southwestGreenland – fossil insect assemblages fromTasiusaq

Abstract

Palaeoecological research based on insect remains from the vicinity of a Norse farm at Tasiusaq in southwest Greenland provides information on the area surrounding the farm and new information on extirpations attributed to human impact. Anthropochorous species (spread by people) from the farm faunas are lacking in the assemblages, and the natural faunas provide evidence of moderate exploitation of the landscape as a result of activities related to livestock. The gaps in the stratigraphic sequence of the site are interpreted to be the result of peat‐cutting for structural turfs or fuel, and the implications of this activity are discussed. Insect assemblages from Tasiusaq, and studies from Norse sites in Greenland, do not provide clear evidence for any distinct climatic event during the medieval period. In contrast to what happened on other islands of the North Atlantic, insects introduced to Greenland by the Norse did not find suitable natural habitats and did not survive after the demise of the farms. However, the landscape did not return entirely to its pre‐Landnám biota after the human colonizers disappeared from it. Our findings provide new evidence for the consequences of the Norse and their agricultural practices on the Greenlandic environment and additional information on the fate of insect introductions in the area during the late Holocene.

Present and Norse Greenlandic hayfields – Insect assemblages and human impact in southern Greenland

“…At Tasiusaq (Panagiotakopulu and Buckland, 2013), a profile close to a farm is appropriate for comparison with the modern assemblages from the same area in order to provide ecological context. In addition, there are fossil insect data from the Cathedral farm at Garðar (modern Igaliku, ~16 km to the south) and these are also considered because its history, geography and landscape are broadly comparable to that at Tasiusaq and Qorlortup (Panagiotakopulu et al, 2012).…”

“…The fossil assemblages from Tasiusaq (Panagiotakopulu and Buckland, 2013) include Coleoptera species which have not been recorded from the pitfall trap material and have very few modern records (Table 3). Species associated with willow, Dorytomus imbecillus and Cacopsylla groenlandica , are only present pre-Landnám, and Rutidosoma globulus makes a last appearance at the beginning of Norse settlement.…”

“…What is evident from summarising existing data from pre-Holocene and Holocene assemblages in Greenland is that the increase of Hemiptera in the assemblages coincides with the Norse period and the initiation of haymaking activities. In the case of Garðar, where the practices involved irrigation and manuring, Hemiptera in the insect assemblages recovered from different sections (Panagiotakopulu et al, 2013) show some similarities in terms of species diversity to modern hayfields in the area. A comparison of Coleoptera and Hemiptera from Tasiusaq and Qorlortup with fossil assemblages from Garðar (Column A) and the Norse homefield at Tasiusaq (Supplementary File 1, available online), although constrained by the taphonomic processes forming the palaeoecological assemblages, provides an indication of this similarity.…”

“…N. flavomarginatus, C. (Panagiotakopulu, 2014) through to Norse (Tasiusaq, Garðar) and modern period (Tasiusaq, Qorlortup). (Bennike et al, 2000), Langelandselv (Bennike and Böcher, 1994), Zackenberg (Bennike et al, 1999), Sisimiut (Böcher et al, 2012), Lollandselv (Böcher and Bennike, 1996), Svartenhuk (Bennike, 2000), Thule (Bennike and Böcher, 1992), Asummiut (Böcher, 1998), Niaqussat, Kilaarsafik (Sandnaes), Eqalugialik (Sadler, 1987), Qeqertasussuk (Böcher and Fredskild, 1993), Gården under Sandet (GUS; Panagiotakopulu et al, unpublished), Nipaatsoq (Buckland et al, 1983), Garðar (Panagiotakopulu et al, 2012), Tasiusaq (Panagiotakopulu and Buckland, 2013), Tatsip Ataa (Dussault et al, 2014), Qorlortup (Panagiotakopulu, unpublished). BugsCep was used to collate the records (Buckland and Buckland, 2006 Western Settlement, which range from the priest's seat at Kilaarsarfik (Sandnaes) to smaller farms, such as Nipaatsoq (Figure 3).…”

Archaeoentomological Perspectives on Dorset Occupations in Newfoundland: A Case Study from the Site of Phillip’s Garden (EeBi-1)

“…In the North Atlantic, the body of work on anthropogenic and ecological changes due to or enhanced by human activities and cultural practices has mostly focused on Norse populations and other agro-pastoral occupations (Amorosi et al, 1997;Simpson et al, 2001;Panagiotakopulu and Buckland, 2013;Forbes et al, 2014;Ledger et al, 2014;Panagiotakopulu and Buchan, 2015). Human establishments in these "pristine" environments had a profound and marked effect on the fauna and flora (Amorosi et al, 1997;Dugmore et al, 2005).…”