Dataset Information

Temporal and spatial variability of prehistoric aquatic resource procurement: a case study from Mesolithic Northern Iberia.

ABSTRACT: Prehistoric shell middens hold valuable evidence of past human-environment interactions. In this study, we used carbon (δ¹³C) and oxygen (δ¹⁸O) stable isotopes of Mytilus galloprovincialis shells excavated from El Perro, La Fragua and La Chora, three Mesolithic middens in Cantabria, Northern Spain, to examine hunter-gatherer subsistence strategies in terms of seasonality and collection areas. Furthermore, we used shell δ¹⁸O to reconstruct water temperature during the early Holocene. Stable isotopes reveal a shellfish harvesting diversification trend represented by the gradual establishment of the upper estuaries as new procurement areas and an increase of harvesting mobility in both coastal and in-land sites. These innovations in subsistence strategies during the Mesolithic coincided with major changes in the surrounding environment as attested by the water temperature reconstructions based on δ¹⁸O and backed by several global and regional records. Overall, our results show that shell δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O stable isotopes have an underexplored potential as provenance proxies which stimulates their application to the archaeological record to further understand prehistoric human resource procurement and diet.

SUBMITTER: Milano S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8873316 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Temporal and spatial variability of prehistoric aquatic resource procurement: a case study from Mesolithic Northern Iberia.

Milano Stefania S Schöne Bernd R BR González-Morales Manuel R MR Gutiérrez-Zugasti Igor I

Scientific reports 20220224 1

Prehistoric shell middens hold valuable evidence of past human-environment interactions. In this study, we used carbon (δ13C) and oxygen (δ18O) stable isotopes of Mytilus galloprovincialis shells excavated from El Perro, La Fragua and La Chora, three Mesolithic middens in Cantabria, Northern Spain, to examine hunter-gatherer subsistence strategies in terms of seasonality and collection areas. Furthermore, we used shell δ18O to reconstruct water temperature during ...[more]

PMID: 35210501

Similar Datasets

Project description:A primary goal of modern cheese manufacturing is consistent product quality. One aspect of product quality that remains poorly understood is the variability of microbial subpopulations due to temporal or facility changes within cheese production environments. Therefore, our aim was to quantify this variability by measuring day-day and facility-facility changes in the cheese facility microbiome. In-process product (i.e., milk and cheese) and food-contact surfaces were sampled over the course of three production days at three cheese manufacturing facilities. Microbial communities were characterized using 16S rRNA metabarcoding and by plating on selective growth media. Each facility produced near-identical Cheddar cheese recipes on near-identical processing equipment during the time of sampling. Each facility also used a common pool of Lactococcus starter cultures which were rotated daily as groups of 4-5 strains and selected independently at each facility. Diversity analysis revealed significant facility-facility and day-day differences at each sample location. Facility differences were greatest on the food contact surfaces (i.e., draining-matting conveyor belts), explaining between 25 and 41% of the variance. Conversely, daily differences within each facility explained a greater proportion of the variance in the milk (20% vs. 12%) and cheese (29% vs. 20%). Further investigation into the sources of these differences revealed the involvement of several industrially relevant bacteria, including lactobacilli, which play a central role in flavor and texture development during Cheddar cheese ripening. Additionally, Streptococcus was found to contribute notably to differences observed in milk samples, whereas Acinetobacter, Streptococcus, Lactococcus, Exiguobacterium, and Enterobacteriaceae contributed notably to differences on the food contact surfaces. Facility differences in the cheese were overwhelmingly attributed to the rotation of Lactococcus starter cultures, thus highlighting circumstances where daily microbial shifts could be misinterpreted and emphasizing the importance of repeated sampling over time. The outcomes of this work highlight the complexity of the cheese facility microbiome and demonstrate daily and facility-facility microbial variations which might impact cheese product quality.

Dataset Information

Temporal and spatial variability of prehistoric aquatic resource procurement: a case study from Mesolithic Northern Iberia.

Publications

Temporal and spatial variability of prehistoric aquatic resource procurement: a case study from Mesolithic Northern Iberia.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets