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

Abstract

This study uses new data on insect biodiversity from a modern sheep farm environment in southern Greenland, and compares the results with fossil assemblages from the same region and other relevant sites in Greenland. The study was conducted on sheep farms at Tasiusaq and Qorlortup Itinnera in southern Greenland (61°N, 45°W). Data have also been drawn from 17 Quaternary and archaeological sites from Greenland with an emphasis on Norse insect assemblages from the same area. Species diversity and abundance of Coleoptera from the modern samples were relatively low, while Hemiptera were dominant in all habitats sampled around the hayfields. The first local extinctions in the natural beetle fauna appear with the initiation of Norse settlement. The diversity of Coleoptera in the modern samples is lower compared with the Norse faunas, and this could partly be a result of mechanised agriculture. The Hemiptera demonstrate the exact opposite pattern. The modern samples include a similar range of Hemiptera species to their Norse equivalent, although the intensification in grass production is evident in the modern faunas. The increase of diversity in Hemiptera coincides with Landnám, with four additional species recorded from the Norse assemblages; the hemipterous faunas provide a signal for haymaking in the fossil record of Greenland.

The Neotoma Paleoecology Database, a multiproxy, international, community-curated data resource

“…Paleoecological data such as fossil pollen, diatoms, and marine foraminifera are the backbone of continental-to global-scale paleoclimatic reconstructions developed to benchmark climate models and assess feedbacks within the earth system (CLIMAP Project Members, 1976;Wright et al, 1993;MARGO Project Members, 2009;Bartlein et al, 2011;Shakun et al, 2012;Viau et al, 2012;Marcott et al, 2013;Trouet et al, 2013) and constrain estimates of climate sensitivity (Schmittner et al, 2011). Paleoecological data help establish ecosystem baselines and trajectories for managers seeking to conserve species and ecosystems of concern (Whitehouse et al, 2008;Dietl et al, 2015;Panagiotakopulu and Buchan, 2015;Clarke and Lynch, 2016;Barnosky et al, 2017). Similarly, paleoecological data are necessary for understanding the interactions between past environmental change and early human evolution, land use, cultural and technological innovation, and dispersal at local to global scales (deMenocal, 2001;Kaplan et al, 2009Kaplan et al, , 2011Gaillard et al, 2010;Muñoz et al, 2010;Ellis et al, 2013;Grant et al, 2014).…”

The life and death of barn beetles: faunas from manure and stored hay inside farm buildings in northern Iceland

“…Archaeoentomologists have often undertaken surveys of live beetles (e.g. Panagiotakopulu & Buchan, ), but seldom included detailed habitat descriptions and/or examined indoor communities. Specific work is necessary in the particular case of Iceland because at such high latitudes some species may be more dependent on artificial habitats than they are in the more southern part of their range (e.g.…”

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).…”