Growth Increment Analysis of Archaeological
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GROWTH INCREMENT ANALYSIS OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL FRESHWATER MUSSELS FROM INTERIOR NORTHERN CALIFORNIA ____________ A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of California State University, Chico ____________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in Anthropology ____________ by Deanna M. Commons Spring 2010 GROWTH INCREMENT ANALYSIS OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL FRESHWATER MUSSELS FROM INTERIOR NORTHERN CALIFORNIA A Thesis by Deanna M. Commons Spring 2010 APPROVED BY THE INTERIM DEAN OF THE SCHOOL OF GRADUATE, INTERNATIONAL, AND INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES: _________________________________ Mark J. Morlock, Ph.D. APPROVED BY THE GRADUATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE: _________________________________ Frank E. Bayham, Ph.D., Chair _________________________________ David Ayers Eaton Jr., Ph.D. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost, I owe my deepest gratitude to Dr. Frank Bayham, my thesis committee chair, for his encouragement, patience, and guidance throughout this process. His early suggestions led me to develop this thesis, and his unending support and thoughtful insights helped me to produce this paper. Throughout my years in graduate school, I gained a tremendous wealth of information and important archaeological skills from his archaeology seminar on human behavioral ecology, lecture on cultural resource management, and zooarchaeology class. He has been a great friend and mentor, and I am forever indebted to his kindness. Secondly, I would like to thank Dr. David Eaton for reading the many chapter drafts and offering me valuable advice. His “outside” perspective greatly improved the quality of my thesis. I would like to thank Dr. James C. Chatters for taking the time to demonstrate his shell growth increment measurement method as well as providing me with a copy of his 1987 report. His technique has the potential to greatly benefit the archaeology community and I hope he receives the recognition he deserves for establishing a valuable alternative seasonality estimation method. I would also like to acknowledge Dr. Eric Bartelink for his recommendations regarding my statistical analysis. In addition, my gratitude extends to Kevin Dalton and the Archaeology Laboratory for the many hours of use of the equipment. iii I would like to thank Dr. Greg White of Pacific Legacy for allowing me use the mussel specimens from the two rockshelters. I am grateful for all the opportunities he offered and the experience I gained working under his leadership. He provided me not only with a wealth of knowledge, but guidance and generosity. I especially would like to thank my husband Michael G. Commons and hydrologist Brian Rasmussen for all their time and effort put into collecting my mussel samples. If it was not for their eager willingness to trudge through the many creeks and rivers in northern California then my thesis would not have been made possible. In addition, I must thank Michael for his ending encouragement and support throughout this process as well as his cartographic contribution. Lastly, I would like to thank all my friends and family for their love and support throughout this process. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE Acknowledgments ...................................................................................................... iii List of Tables.............................................................................................................. vii List of Figures............................................................................................................. viii Abstract....................................................................................................................... ix CHAPTER I. Introduction: Problem Orientation and Rationale .................................... 1 The Potential Value and History of Chatters’ Increment Measurement Technique....................................................... 3 Research Design ........................................................................... 6 Thesis Organization...................................................................... 12 II. Seasonality Studies and an Overview of Shell Growth Increment Measurement Research............................................................................. 14 Definition and Estimation of Seasonality..................................... 15 Shell Growth Increment Measurement Research......................... 20 Chatters’ Increment Measurement Technique.............................. 29 Summary....................................................................................... 33 III. Two Freshwater Mussels and Seasonality of Northern California........... 34 Freshwater Mussels in Northern California ................................. 35 Environment ................................................................................. 41 Cultural Setting............................................................................. 42 Sentinel Bluff and Paynes Creek Rockshelters ............................ 44 Summary....................................................................................... 48 v CHAPTER PAGE IV. Assessment of Chatters’ Increment Measurement Technique ................. 49 Step 1: Obtaining a Control Sample of Margaritifera falcata and Collection Plan................................................... 50 Step 2: Application of Chatters’ Increment Measurement Technique to the Control Sample.......................................... 51 Step 3: Statistical Comparison of Growth Indices ....................... 53 Results Summary.......................................................................... 54 Summary....................................................................................... 56 V. Application of Chatters’ Increment Measurement Technique to Two Archaeological Collections of Freshwater Mussels..................... 58 Sample Selection and Approach................................................... 59 Results .......................................................................................... 63 Summary....................................................................................... 71 VI. Discussion................................................................................................. 74 Potential of CIMT......................................................................... 75 Problems with CIMT.................................................................... 76 Determination of Season of Habitation ........................................ 79 Summary....................................................................................... 82 VII. Conclusions .............................................................................................. 84 Project Statistics ........................................................................... 84 Further Research........................................................................... 85 References Cited......................................................................................................... 86 vi LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE 1. Growth Index Data from Gonidea angulata Control Sample ................... 55 2. Mean Growth Index and Standard Deviation for Control Sample and Chatters’ Study.............................................................. 55 3. Valve Count and Total Shell Weight Data for Unit 1 from Sentinel Bluff Rockshelter................................................................ 61 4. Valve Count and Total Shell Weight Data for Unit 2 from Sentinel Bluff Rockshelter................................................................ 62 5. Valve Count and Total Shell Weight Data for the Back Wall Complex from Paynes Creek Rockshelter ........................................ 63 6. Left Valves Used from the Excavated Units from Sentinel Bluff and Paynes Creek Rockshelters............................................... 64 7. Valve Count Totals and Percent Used from Sentinel Bluff and Paynes Creek Rockshelters ........................................................ 65 8. Month of Death Death for Archaeological Margaritifera falcata Specimens from Unit 1 of Sentinel Bluff Rockshelter ......... 66 9. Month of Death Data for Archaeological Margaritifera falcata Specimens from Unit 2 of Sentinel Bluff Rockshelter ..................... 67 10. Month of Death Data for Archaeological Margaritifera falcata Specimens from the Back Wall Complex of Paynes Creek Rockshelter............................................................................. 70 vii LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE PAGE 1. Inner and Outer Structure of the Left Valve of a Gonidea angulata Specimen............................................................................ 22 2. Annual Growth Lines at the Terminal End of the Resilial Tuberosity of a Gonidea angulata Specimen ................................... 31 3. Workstation for Applying Chatters’ Increment Measurement Technique.......................................................................................... 32 4. Taxonomic Classification of Two Northern California Freshwater Mussels: Margaritifera falcata and Gonidea angulata ............................................................................................ 35 5. Illustration of Margaritifera falcata Right Valve with Shell Features Identification ...................................................................... 37 6. Illustration of Gonidea angulata Left Valve with Shell Features Identification....................................................................................... 40