Stable Carbon Isotopic Evidence for Maize Agriculture in Southeast Missouri and Northeast Arkansas

Abstract

Analysis of bone collagen extracted from human skeletal remains from archaeological sites dating from the Archaic period through Euro-American settlement provides evidence for the introduction of maize into regional subsistence patterns. Stable carbon isotope ratios of samples from both the eastern Ozarks and the Mississippi River alluvial valley indicate that human populations living prior to ca. A.D. 1000 consumed little or no C4 plant material. In populations dating after ca. A.D. 1000, stable carbon isotope ratios indicate that maize represented a significant part of the human diet throughout the region. The change in dietary patterns coincides with a shift in settlement patterns from dispersed hamlets and small villages to civic-ceremonial centers with associated villages, hamlets, and farmsteads. This isotopic evidence indicates that Emergent Mississippian diets did not include substantial quantities of maize or other C4 plant material.

Stable isotope ratios and reforestation potential in Acacia koa populations on Hawai’i

“…Also, carbon isotope ratios vary with plant type. For example, C3 plants typically exhibit lower ratios (-33 to -23‰) than C4 plants (-16 to -10‰) hence, these values can be used to differentiate between the photosynthetic pathways of known and unknown plant species (Lynott et al 1986, Kohn & Thiemens 2010, Magdas et al 2014. Nitrogen isotopes have also been used to describe many phenomena ranging from climate change effects on nutrient cycling to relative density of mycorrhizal fungi in the soil.…”

The Inka mummy from Mount Aconcagua: Decoding the geographic origin of the ?Messenger to the Deities? by means of stable carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur isotope analysis

“…14, NO. 1 Venezuela (Ϫ10.8 to Ϫ9.7‰ ; van der Merwe et al, 1981); from southern Ontario, Canada, where ␦ 13 C reached values between Ϫ15.8 and Ϫ11.3‰ (Schwarcz et al, 1985); in agricultural groups from Missouri and Arkansas, with values between Ϫ15.6 and Ϫ10.4‰ (Lynott et al, 1986); and among the Basketmaker III to Pueblo III groups of SW USA, whose values ranged from Ϫ10.8 to Ϫ6.4‰, averaging Ϫ8.5‰ (Decker and Tieszen, 1989). Burger and van der Merwe (1990) studied the role maize played in the highland Chavin civilization (Peru) by means of stable carbon isotopes.…”

“…A major group of terrestrial plants that follow the Calvin-Benson or C 3 photosynthetic pathway, show ␦ Carbon isotope ratios have been employed in many studies to determine diets of prehistoric individuals (Sealy and van der Merwe, 1986;Lynott et al, 1986;Burleigh and Brothwell, 1978;Chisholm et al, 1982Chisholm et al, , 1983Bender et al, 1981;DeNiro and Epstein, 1978; for a critical evaluation, Sillen et al, 1989) and to reconstruct palaeoenvironments (Vogel, 1983;Ambrose and DeNiro, 1989;Bombin and Muehlenbachs, 1985;Ferná ndez et al, 1991).…”

Age differences in stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in a population of prehistoric maize horticulturists

“…plant cover is predominantly of the C3 photosynthetic pathway (van der Merwe and Vogel, 1978;Bender et al, 1981;Boutton et al, 1984;Lynott et al, 1986;Buikstra et al, 1988). Additional studies have charted the introduction of maize into the Great Lakes region (Stothers and Bechtel, 1987) and into southern Ontario (Schwarcz et al, 1985).…”