Trace element ratios in tooth enamel as palaeodietary indicators of seaweed consumption and coastal grazing, and their broader applicability

被引:3
作者
Blanz, Magdalena [1 ,2 ,3 ]
Stewart, Samuel [4 ,5 ]
Mainland, Ingrid [1 ]
Ascough, Philippa [6 ]
Raab, Andrea [7 ]
Feldmann, Joerg [7 ]
Taggart, Mark A. [4 ]
机构
[1] Univ Highlands & Isl, Orkney Coll UHI, Archaeol Inst, Kirkwall KW15 1LX, Orkney, Scotland
[2] Univ Vienna, Vienna Inst Archaeol Sci VIAS, Franz Klein Gasse 1-3, A-1190 Vienna, Austria
[3] Univ Vienna, Human Evolut & Archaeol Sci HEAS, Vienna, Austria
[4] Univ Highlands & Isl, Environm Res Inst, Castle St, Thurso KW17 7JD, Scotland
[5] Univ Paris Saclay, List, CEA, F-91120 Palaiseau, France
[6] Scottish Univ Environm Res Ctr, NEIF Radiocarbon Lab, Rankine Ave,Scottish Enterprise Technol Pk, E Kilbride G75 0QF, Lanark, Scotland
[7] Karl Franzens Univ Graz, Inst Chem, TESLA Analyt Chem, Univ Pl 1-1, A-8010 Graz, Austria
基金
英国自然环境研究理事会;
关键词
Palaeodietary modelling; Trace elements; Calcium biopurification; Biomagnification; log(Ba/Sr); log(Ba/Ca); log(Sr/Ca); Stable carbon isotopes(delta C-13); Arsenic (As); STABLE-ISOTOPE EVIDENCE; SOIL INGESTION; NORTH RONALDSAY; MARINE; SHEEP; CARBON; BONE; TERRESTRIAL; BARIUM; SR/CA;
D O I
10.1016/j.jas.2022.105551
中图分类号
Q98 [人类学];
学科分类号
030303 ;
摘要
Ratios of barium and strontium concentrations in skeletal samples (e.g. in the logarithmic form lg(Ba/Sr)), are a possible alternative or supplementary marker to stable carbon isotope ratios (delta C-13) for identification of marine food consumption. Previous studies have compared lg(Ba/Sr) values between different species of animals with differing diets, but few studies have been performed where animals of the same species consumed known diets ranging from completely terrestrial to completely marine. Additionally, how seaweed consumption affects dental and bone Ba, Sr and other trace element concentrations has not yet been directly investigated. In this study, tooth enamel from modern sheep (n = 15) that consumed known diets containing varying amounts of terrestrial grasses and seaweeds were analysed for their Sr, Ba, Ca, V, Mn, Co, Ni, As, and U concentrations. Additionally, delta C-13 values were analysed to enable comparison of delta C-13 and trace element ratios as markers of marine plant food consumption. The consumed vegetation types (grasses and seaweeds) were also analysed for trace element ratios, as were soils and sands from areas where the animals were pastured. To investigate how decay processes (i.e., diagenesis) may affect lg(Ba/Sr) in archaeological tooth enamel, teeth of 22 sheep from seven archaeological sites (ranging from ca. 5000 to 1000 years old) on the Orkney Islands, Scotland, were also analysed. The results show that tooth enamel from seaweed-eating sheep had significantly different lg(Ba/Sr) (-2.4 to -1.6) and delta C-13 values (-6.7 parts per thousand to -3.3 parts per thousand) when compared to terrestrial-feeding sheep (lg(Ba/Sr) 0.6 to -0.5; delta C-13 -15.5 parts per thousand to - 14.7 parts per thousand), with a linear correlation between lg(Ba/Sr) and delta C-13 (R-2 = 0.94). Vegetation, soil and sand results confirmed the assumed dependence of enamel lg(Ba/Sr) values on the (bioaccessible) Ba and Sr concentrations of the consumed matter. The archaeological samples had elevated relative amounts of U, V, As, Mn, Co, and Ni, attributable to diagenesis. However, the lg(Ba/Sr) values of the archaeological enamel followed the trend established using the modern samples, indicating that diagenesis did not cause significant changes in lg (Ba/Sr) in these samples. In conclusion, lg(Ba/Sr) values in enamel appear to be a useful indicator of the relative amount of marine food consumed, including seaweeds. This may be particularly advantageous for samples and locations where delta C-13 is unreliable or ambiguous as an indicator of marine food consumption.
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页数:11
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