Size differences between limb bones of recent and subfossil mute swans Cygnus olor

Northcote, E. Marjorie

doi:10.1016/0305-4403(81)90014-5

Cited by 11 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 11 publications

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“…Body-size change is one example of the former, e.g. it has been argued that the reduction in size of mute swan (Cygnus olor) documented since the Neolithic/Bronze Age in Cambridgeshire in the UK was probably the result of habitat impoverishment (Northcote, 1981). However, migration is the key strategy employed by birds to adapt to environmental conditions (Newton, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Waterfowl eggshell refines palaeoenvironmental reconstruction and supports multi-species niche construction at the Pleistocene-Holocene transition in the Levant

Yeomans¹,

Codlin²,

Mazzucato³

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Utilising multiple lines of evidence for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction improves our understanding of the past landscapes in which human populations interacted with other species. Illuminating such processes is key for a nuanced understanding of fundamental transitions in human history, such as the shift from hunting and gathering to farming, which move beyond simple deterministic interpretations of climate-driven innovation. Avifaunal remains can provide detailed indications of complex multi-species interactions at the local scale. They allow us to infer relationships between human and non-human animals, but also to reconstruct their niche, because many bird species are sensitive to specific ecological conditions and will often relocate and change their breeding patterns. In this paper, we illustrate how novel evidence that waterfowl reproduced at Levantine wetlands, which we obtained through biomolecular archaeology, as well as modern ornithological data, can reveal conditions of wetlands that are conducive for breeding waterfowl. By understanding the interplay between wetland cover cycles and waterfowl ecology, we argue that human modifications to the environment would have promoted wetland productivity inviting waterfowl to remain year-round. Within this landscape of "mutual ecologies", the feedback resulting from the agency of all species is involved in the construction of the human niche.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Waterfowl eggshell refines palaeoenvironmental reconstruction and supports multi-species niche construction at the Pleistocene-Holocene transition in the Levant

Yeomans¹,

Codlin²,

Mazzucato³

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

The identification of extant european bird remains: a review of the literature

Stewart

Carrasquilla

1997

Int. J. Osteoarchaeol.

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Waterfowl Eggshell Refines Palaeoenvironmental Reconstruction and Supports Multi-species Niche Construction at the Pleistocene-Holocene Transition in the Levant

Yeomans,

Codlin,

Mazzucato

et al. 2024

J Archaeol Method Theory

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Utilising multiple lines of evidence for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction improves our understanding of the past landscapes in which human populations interacted with other species. Illuminating such processes is key for a nuanced understanding of fundamental transitions in human history, such as the shift from hunting and gathering to farming, and allows us to move beyond simple deterministic interpretations of climate-driven innovation. Avifaunal remains provide detailed indications of complex multi-species interactions at the local scale. They allow us to infer relationships between human and non-human animals, but also to reconstruct their niche, because many bird species are sensitive to specific ecological conditions and will often relocate and change their breeding patterns. In this paper, we illustrate how novel evidence that waterfowl reproduced at Levantine wetlands, which we obtained through biomolecular archaeology, together with modern ornithological data reveals conditions of wetlands that are conducive for breeding waterfowl. By understanding the interplay between wetland productivity cycles and waterfowl ecology, we argue that human modifications to the environment could have promoted wetland productivity inviting waterfowl to remain year-round. Within this landscape of “mutual ecologies”, the feedback resulting from the agency of all species is involved in the construction of the human niche.

show abstract

Size differences between limb bones of recent and subfossil mute swans Cygnus olor

Cited by 11 publications

References 11 publications

Waterfowl eggshell refines palaeoenvironmental reconstruction and supports multi-species niche construction at the Pleistocene-Holocene transition in the Levant

Waterfowl eggshell refines palaeoenvironmental reconstruction and supports multi-species niche construction at the Pleistocene-Holocene transition in the Levant

The identification of extant european bird remains: a review of the literature

Waterfowl Eggshell Refines Palaeoenvironmental Reconstruction and Supports Multi-species Niche Construction at the Pleistocene-Holocene Transition in the Levant

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