DOCSLIB.ORG

Taphonomic Analysis of Fish Remains from the Mink Island Site (Xmk-030): Implications for Zooarchaeological and Stable Isotopic Research

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Taphonomic Analysis of Fish Remains from the Mink Island Site (Xmk-030): Implications for Zooarchaeological and Stable Isotopic Research Taphonomic Analysis Of Fish Remains From The Mink Island Site (Xmk-030): Implications For Zooarchaeological And Stable Isotopic Research Item Type Thesis Authors Mckinney, Holly J. Download date 04/10/2021 02:16:03 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/11122/9172 TAPHONOMIC ANALYSIS OF FISH REMAINS FROM THE MINK ISLAND SITE (XMK-030): IMPLICATIONS FOR ZOOARCHAEOLOGICAL AND STABLE ISOTOPIC RESEARCH By Holly J. McKinney RECOMMENDED: Chair, Department of Anthropology APPROVED: ^ 6 -- Date TAPHONOMIC ANALYSIS OF FISH REMAINS FROM THE MINK ISLAND SITE (XMK-030): IMPLICATIONS FOR ZOOARCHAEOLOGICAL AND STABLE ISOTOPIC RESEARCH A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of the University of Alaska Fairbanks in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY By Holly J. McKinney, B.A., B.A., M.A. Fairbanks, Alaska May 2013 UMI Number: 3573006 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Di!ss0?t&iori Piiblish^lg UMI 3573006 Published by ProQuest LLC 2013. Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Abstract This dissertation is focused on shedding the taphonomic overprint at the Mink Island site (XMK-030) to assess temporal variability of the fish bone assemblage and to establish sample selection criteria for stable isotope (61SN, 613C) analysis. These retrospective data may be used to identify the causes and consequences of long-term variability in local fish assemblages when combined with modern fisheries and paleo-oceanographic data. To use these data, it is essential to account for the effects of biostratinomic and diagenic agents. Inter- taxa and inter-elemental differences in bone density, shape, size, protein, and lipid content result in differing preservation and contamination potential. Without mitigating for the effects of these biostratinomic and diagenic agents, temporal changes in abundance may be skewed in favor of skeletal elements that best survive destruction. Moreover, stable isotope values may reflect differences in preservation and contamination rather than variability in ecosystem structure and function. The results of several experiments conducted to assess preservation and contamination levels of Mink Island fish bones revealed that: 1) Preservation and contamination potential are linked with completeness percentages and burial duration, but not with bone volume density; 2) Pacific cod dentaries that are intact, unburned, and free of visible contaminants are best suited for stable isotope analysis; 3) The modified Bell pretreatment method is validated for archaeological fish bones; and 4) Because color-affecting contaminants cannot be removed without heat, color-based methods are unsuitable for assessing the cooking/burning stage of archaeological fish bones. Interactions among humans and fishes at Mink Island were assessed using a four-stage resource depression and intensification model. The Mink Island occupants shifted their focus from small flatfishes during Stage I (7500-4500 cal. BP), to Pacific cod and sculpins during Stages II (4500-2800 cal. BP) and III (2800-900 cal. BP), to a mixture of taxa (sculpins, cods, herring, and salmon) during Stage IV (900-400 cal. BP). A decrease in Pacific cod fork lengths indicates that resource depression occurred during Stage II. Taxonomic proportion, evenness, salmon index, and skeletal element representation data demonstrate that salmon intensification did not occur during any stage at Mink Island. Table of Contents Page Signature Page........................................................................................................................................i Title Page................................................................................................................................................ ii Abstract.......................................................... iii Table of Contents..................................................................................................................................iv List of Figures........................................................................................................................................xi List of Tables....................................................................................................................................... xiv List of Appendices...............................................................................................................................xix Acknowledgements............................................................................................................................ xxii Chapter 1. Introduction........................................................................................................................ 1 Site Location............................................................................................................................. 3 Changing Lifeways....................................................................................................................5 Problem Domain......................................................................................................................6 Broader Implications..............................................................................................................10 Chapter 2. Research Design and Methods.........................................................................................12 Introduction........................................................................................................................... 12 Research Questions, Hypotheses, and Methods.................................................................13 Group A. Taphonomic Analysis Using Zooarchaeological Methods...................... 13 Group B. Taphonomic Analysis Using Stable Isotopic Methods........................... 17 Group C. Interactions among Humans and Fishes at Mink Island........................21 Laboratory Methods............................................................................................................. 24 Fish Bone Analysis................................................................................................................. 25 Sieving Strategies.....................................................................................................25 Analytical Methods..................................................................................................26 Number of Identified Specimens (NISP).................................................................26 Minimum Number of Elements (MNE) ;........................................................ 28 Minimum Number of Individuals (M NI)................................................................ 28 Minimum Animal Units (MAU)............................................................................... 29 Rank Order............................................................................................................... 30 Fish Length from Specific Skeletal Elements......................................................... 31 V Page Season of Death (Site Occupation Seasonality)..................................................... 32 Age at Death.............................................................................................................33 Chapter 3. Environmental Setting.......................................................................................................35 Introduction........................................................................................................................... 35 Regional Environmental Context..........................................................................................35 Physiography.............................................................................................................35 Modern Climate....................................................................................................... 38 Tectonism and Sea Level Change............................................................................ 39 Geology.....................................................................................................................41 Volcanism..................................................................................................................42 Glaciation..................................................................................................................44 Local Resource Distributions and Change over Tim e............................................45 Modern Flora..............................................................................................45 Local Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction..................................................................47 Modern Fauna......................................................................................................... 50 Terrestrial Ecosystem................................................................................ 50 Littoral Ecosystem.......................................................................................52
Load more

Recommended publications
  • EAA Meeting 2016 Vilnius
    www.eaavilnius2016.lt PROGRAMME www.eaavilnius2016.lt PROGRAMME Organisers CONTENTS President Words .................................................................................... 5 Welcome Message ................................................................................ 9 Symbol of the Annual Meeting .............................................................. 13 Commitees of EAA Vilnius 2016 ............................................................ 14 Sponsors and Partners European Association of Archaeologists................................................ 15 GENERAL PROGRAMME Opening Ceremony and Welcome Reception ................................. 27 General Programme for the EAA Vilnius 2016 Meeting.................... 30 Annual Membership Business Meeting Agenda ............................. 33 Opening Ceremony of the Archaelogical Exhibition ....................... 35 Special Offers ............................................................................... 36 Excursions Programme ................................................................. 43 Visiting Vilnius ............................................................................... 57 Venue Maps .................................................................................. 64 Exhibition ...................................................................................... 80 Exhibitors ...................................................................................... 82 Poster Presentations and Programme ...........................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Paleoecology and Biogeography of Ordovician Edrioasteroids
    University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 8-2011 The Paleoecology and Biogeography of Ordovician Edrioasteroids Rene Anne Lewis University of Tennessee - Knoxville, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Part of the Paleontology Commons Recommended Citation Lewis, Rene Anne, "The Paleoecology and Biogeography of Ordovician Edrioasteroids. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2011. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/1094 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Rene Anne Lewis entitled "The Paleoecology and Biogeography of Ordovician Edrioasteroids." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Geology. Michael L. McKinney, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Colin D. Sumrall, Linda C. Kah, Arthur C. Echternacht Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) THE PALEOECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY OF ORDOVICIAN EDRIOASTEROIDS A Dissertation Presented for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree The University of Tennessee, Knoxville René Anne Lewis August 2011 Copyright © 2011 by René Anne Lewis All rights reserved.
    [Show full text]
  • Alaska Park Science 19(1): Arctic Alaska Are Living at the Species’ Northern-Most to Identify Habitats Most Frequented by Bears and 4-9
    National Park Service US Department of the Interior Alaska Park Science Region 11, Alaska Below the Surface Fish and Our Changing Underwater World Volume 19, Issue 1 Noatak National Preserve Cape Krusenstern Gates of the Arctic Alaska Park Science National Monument National Park and Preserve Kobuk Valley Volume 19, Issue 1 National Park June 2020 Bering Land Bridge Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve National Preserve Denali National Wrangell-St Elias National Editorial Board: Park and Preserve Park and Preserve Leigh Welling Debora Cooper Grant Hilderbrand Klondike Gold Rush Jim Lawler Lake Clark National National Historical Park Jennifer Pederson Weinberger Park and Preserve Guest Editor: Carol Ann Woody Kenai Fjords Managing Editor: Nina Chambers Katmai National Glacier Bay National National Park Design: Nina Chambers Park and Preserve Park and Preserve Sitka National A special thanks to Sarah Apsens for her diligent Historical Park efforts in assembling articles for this issue. Her Aniakchak National efforts helped make this issue possible. Monument and Preserve Alaska Park Science is the semi-annual science journal of the National Park Service Alaska Region. Each issue highlights research and scholarship important to the stewardship of Alaska’s parks. Publication in Alaska Park Science does not signify that the contents reflect the views or policies of the National Park Service, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute National Park Service endorsement or recommendation. Alaska Park Science is found online at https://www.nps.gov/subjects/alaskaparkscience/index.htm Table of Contents Below the Surface: Fish and Our Changing Environmental DNA: An Emerging Tool for Permafrost Carbon in Stream Food Webs of Underwater World Understanding Aquatic Biodiversity Arctic Alaska C.
    [Show full text]
  • 71St Annual Meeting Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Paris Las Vegas Las Vegas, Nevada, USA November 2 – 5, 2011 SESSION CONCURRENT SESSION CONCURRENT
    ISSN 1937-2809 online Journal of Supplement to the November 2011 Vertebrate Paleontology Vertebrate Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Society of Vertebrate 71st Annual Meeting Paleontology Society of Vertebrate Las Vegas Paris Nevada, USA Las Vegas, November 2 – 5, 2011 Program and Abstracts Society of Vertebrate Paleontology 71st Annual Meeting Program and Abstracts COMMITTEE MEETING ROOM POSTER SESSION/ CONCURRENT CONCURRENT SESSION EXHIBITS SESSION COMMITTEE MEETING ROOMS AUCTION EVENT REGISTRATION, CONCURRENT MERCHANDISE SESSION LOUNGE, EDUCATION & OUTREACH SPEAKER READY COMMITTEE MEETING POSTER SESSION ROOM ROOM SOCIETY OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS SEVENTY-FIRST ANNUAL MEETING PARIS LAS VEGAS HOTEL LAS VEGAS, NV, USA NOVEMBER 2–5, 2011 HOST COMMITTEE Stephen Rowland, Co-Chair; Aubrey Bonde, Co-Chair; Joshua Bonde; David Elliott; Lee Hall; Jerry Harris; Andrew Milner; Eric Roberts EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Philip Currie, President; Blaire Van Valkenburgh, Past President; Catherine Forster, Vice President; Christopher Bell, Secretary; Ted Vlamis, Treasurer; Julia Clarke, Member at Large; Kristina Curry Rogers, Member at Large; Lars Werdelin, Member at Large SYMPOSIUM CONVENORS Roger B.J. Benson, Richard J. Butler, Nadia B. Fröbisch, Hans C.E. Larsson, Mark A. Loewen, Philip D. Mannion, Jim I. Mead, Eric M. Roberts, Scott D. Sampson, Eric D. Scott, Kathleen Springer PROGRAM COMMITTEE Jonathan Bloch, Co-Chair; Anjali Goswami, Co-Chair; Jason Anderson; Paul Barrett; Brian Beatty; Kerin Claeson; Kristina Curry Rogers; Ted Daeschler; David Evans; David Fox; Nadia B. Fröbisch; Christian Kammerer; Johannes Müller; Emily Rayfield; William Sanders; Bruce Shockey; Mary Silcox; Michelle Stocker; Rebecca Terry November 2011—PROGRAM AND ABSTRACTS 1 Members and Friends of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, The Host Committee cordially welcomes you to the 71st Annual Meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology in Las Vegas.
    [Show full text]
  • The Corporeality of Death
    Clara AlfsdotterClara Linnaeus University Dissertations No 413/2021 Clara Alfsdotter Bioarchaeological, Taphonomic, and Forensic Anthropological Studies of Remains Human and Forensic Taphonomic, Bioarchaeological, Corporeality Death of The The Corporeality of Death The aim of this work is to advance the knowledge of peri- and postmortem Bioarchaeological, Taphonomic, and Forensic Anthropological Studies corporeal circumstances in relation to human remains contexts as well as of Human Remains to demonstrate the value of that knowledge in forensic and archaeological practice and research. This article-based dissertation includes papers in bioarchaeology and forensic anthropology, with an emphasis on taphonomy. Studies encompass analyses of human osseous material and human decomposition in relation to spatial and social contexts, from both theoretical and methodological perspectives. In this work, a combination of bioarchaeological and forensic taphonomic methods are used to address the question of what processes have shaped mortuary contexts. Specifically, these questions are raised in relation to the peri- and postmortem circumstances of the dead in the Iron Age ringfort of Sandby borg; about the rate and progress of human decomposition in a Swedish outdoor environment and in a coffin; how this taphonomic knowledge can inform interpretations of mortuary contexts; and of the current state and potential developments of forensic anthropology and archaeology in Sweden. The result provides us with information of depositional history in terms of events that created and modified human remains deposits, and how this information can be used. Such knowledge is helpful for interpretations of what has occurred in the distant as well as recent pasts. In so doing, the knowledge of peri- and postmortem corporeal circumstances and how it can be used has been advanced in relation to both the archaeological and forensic fields.
    [Show full text]
  • Of Time and Taphonomy: Preservation in the Ediacaran
    See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: http://www.researchgate.net/publication/273127997 Of time and taphonomy: preservation in the Ediacaran CHAPTER · JANUARY 2014 READS 36 2 AUTHORS, INCLUDING: Charlotte Kenchington University of Cambridge 5 PUBLICATIONS 2 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Available from: Charlotte Kenchington Retrieved on: 02 October 2015 ! OF TIME AND TAPHONOMY: PRESERVATION IN THE EDIACARAN CHARLOTTE G. KENCHINGTON! 1,2 AND PHILIP R. WILBY2 1Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EQ, UK <[email protected]! > 2British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham, NG12 5GG, UK ABSTRACT.—The late Neoproterozoic witnessed a revolution in the history of life: the transition from a microbial world to the one known today. The enigmatic organisms of the Ediacaran hold the key to understanding the early evolution of metazoans and their ecology, and thus the basis of Phanerozoic life. Crucial to interpreting the information they divulge is a thorough understanding of their taphonomy: what is preserved, how it is preserved, and also what is not preserved. Fortunately, this Period is also recognized for its abundance of soft-tissue preservation, which is viewed through a wide variety of taphonomic windows. Some of these, such as pyritization and carbonaceous compression, are also present throughout the Phanerozoic, but the abundance and variety of moldic preservation of body fossils in siliciclastic settings is unique to the Ediacaran. In rare cases, one organism is preserved in several preservational styles which, in conjunction with an increased understanding of the taphonomic processes involved in each style, allow confident interpretations of aspects of the biology and ecology of the organisms preserved.
    [Show full text]
  • Ring of Fire Proposed RMP and Final EIS- Volume 1 Cover Page
    U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management N T OF M E TH T E R A IN P T E E D R . I O S R . U M 9 AR 8 4 C H 3, 1 Ring of Fire FINAL Proposed Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement and Final Environmental Impact Statement and Final Environmental Management Plan Resource Proposed Ring of Fire Volume 1: Chapters 1-3 July 2006 Anchorage Field Office, Alaska July 200 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMMENT 6 Volume 1 The Bureau of Land Management Today Our Vision To enhance the quality of life for all citizens through the balanced stewardship of America’s public lands and resources. Our Mission To sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. BLM/AK/PL-06/022+1610+040 BLM File Photos: 1. Aerial view of the Chilligan River north of Chakachamna Lake in the northern portion of Neacola Block 2. OHV users on Knik River gravel bar 3. Mountain goat 1 4. Helicopter and raft at Tsirku River 2 3 4 U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Ring of Fire Proposed Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement Prepared By: Anchorage Field Office July 2006 United States Department of the Interior BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT Alaska State Office 222 West Seventh Avenue, #13 Anchorage, Alaska 995 13-7599 http://www.ak.blm.gov Dear Reader: Enclosed for your review is the Proposed Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement (Proposed RMPIFinal EIS) for the lands administered in the Ring of Fire by the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM's) Anchorage Field Office (AFO).
    [Show full text]
  • Alaska Journal of Anthropology
    Alaska Journal of Anthropology Volume Three, Number 2 2005 ALASKA ANTHROPOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION TABLE oF CoNTENTS lmRouuenoN: THE Allene SMALL TooL TRADITION fmy YEARS ON- DANIEL Om,;s .......................................................................................................... 5 Toms BUT NOT TooLKITs: TRACES or THE Allene SMALL ToOL TRADITION IN THE KoDIAK AllcHJPELAGO- AMY F. SrEFFIAN AND PATRicK G. SAI:I'ONSTAI.L ............................................ 1 7 EVIDENCE FOR THE ARCTic SMALL ToOL TRADITION IN THE EAsrERN ALEUTIANs- RicHARDS. DAVIS AND RICHARD A. KNEcHT .................................................................. 51 THE Allene SMAI.L ToOL TRADITION IN SoUTHE\lN AlAsKA- DoN E. DUMOND ................................................................................................... 67 THE DENBIGH FLINT CoMPJ.IiX IN NoR!lTWF.<;T Au1KA: A SrATIAI ANALYSIS - DouGUIS D. ANDERSON ............................................................................................ 81 TnE DENBIGH FuNT CoMPLEX AT PUNYIK PoiNT, ETIVI.IK LAKE, AlASKA - MICHAEL KUNZ .. " .. "."." .. "." .... " ...... ".".".""." .. "."."" ...... "."." .. ""." .. "."."."." .. 10 1 RADIOCARBON DKI'ING THE Allene SMAI.I. ToOL TRADITION IN AI.ASKA- DAI.E c. SLAUGHTER ............................................................................................... 117 OCCUPATIONAL HisTORY oF THE Ow WHALING Srrur CAPE KRuSENSTERN, AlASKA- JonN DARwmr AND CHRIS'ru\NN DAIRWENT ................................................................... 13 5
    [Show full text]
  • Taphonomy of the Ediacaran Fossil Pteridinium Simplex Preserved Three
    Taphonomy of the Ediacaran Fossil Pteridinium Simplex Preserved Three- Dimensionally in Mass Flow Deposits, Nama Group, Namibia Author(s): Mike Meyer , David Elliott , James D. Schiffbauer , Michael Hall , Karl H. Hoffman , Gabi Schneider , Patricia Vickers-Rich , and Shuhai Xiao Source: Journal of Paleontology, 88(2):240-252. 2014. Published By: The Paleontological Society DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1666/13-047 URL: http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1666/13-047 BioOne (www.bioone.org) is a nonprofit, online aggregation of core research in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences. BioOne provides a sustainable online platform for over 170 journals and books published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses. Your use of this PDF, the BioOne Web site, and all posted and associated content indicates your acceptance of BioOne’s Terms of Use, available at www.bioone.org/page/terms_of_use. Usage of BioOne content is strictly limited to personal, educational, and non-commercial use. Commercial inquiries or rights and permissions requests should be directed to the individual publisher as copyright holder. BioOne sees sustainable scholarly publishing as an inherently collaborative enterprise connecting authors, nonprofit publishers, academic institutions, research libraries, and research funders in the common goal of maximizing access to critical research. Journal of Paleontology, 88(2), 2014, p. 240–252 Copyright Ó 2014, The Paleontological Society 0022-3360/14/0088-0240$03.00 DOI: 10.1666/13-047 TAPHONOMY OF THE EDIACARAN FOSSIL PTERIDINIUM SIMPLEX PRESERVED THREE-DIMENSIONALLY IN MASS FLOW DEPOSITS, NAMA GROUP, NAMIBIA MIKE MEYER,1,5 DAVID ELLIOTT,2 JAMES D. SCHIFFBAUER,3 MICHAEL HALL,2 KARL H.
    [Show full text]
  • APPENDIX B Archaeological Report
    APPENDIX B Archaeological Report preserving the past for future generations 2019 CULTURAL RESOURCES INVESTIGATION AND SECTION 106 RECOMMENDATIONS AND FINDINGS FOR THE DENALI COMMISSION DILLINGHAM WASTEWATER LAGOON RELOCATION STUDY, LOCATED IN DILLINGHAM, ALASKA Prepared for: Bristol Engineering Services Company, LLC Prepared by: Robert L. Meinhardt, MA and Amy Ramirez TNSDS, LLC OCTOBER 2019; REVISED JANUARY 2020 Dillingham Wastewater Lagoon Relocation Study 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The City of Dillingham (City) obtained federal funding from the Denali Commission to improve the existing sewage and wastewater treatment system in Dillingham, Alaska. The Dillingham Wastewater Lagoon Relocation Study is de- signed to look at a range of potential sites for sewage lagoon relocation and rehabilitation, and construction of a new wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Bristol Engineering Services Company, LLC, (BESC) was contracted by the City to complete the study as part of the preliminary engineering design. Given the project is funded by the Denali Commission, consultation pursuant to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA) and its implementing regulations (36 CFR §800) will be required prior to construction to determine whether or not historic properties will be adversely affected by the undertaking. BESC does not have staff meeting professional qualification standards for assessing whether or not the undertaking will result in such effects pursuant to the Act. As such, True North Sustainable Development Solutions, LLC, (TNSDS) was subcontracted by BESC to carry out a cultural resources investigation for providing recommendations to the lead federal agency for issuing a finding per 36 CFR §800. Three alternatives were identified as possible sites for improvement to the existing sewage and wastewater treatment system: the first alternative is east of Dillingham, the second is directly in Dillingham, and the thirds is south of Dill- ingham and towards the Kanakanak Hospital.
    [Show full text]
  • Microbiological Insights Into Ecology and Taphonomy of Prehistoric Wetlands
    Microbiological insights into ecology and taphonomy of prehistoric wetlands. By © 2018 Ashley A Klymiuk M.Sc. Systematics & Evolution, University of Alberta, 2011 B.Sc. Paleontology, University of Alberta, 2009 Submitted to the graduate degree program in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and the Graduate Faculty of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Chair: Benjamin Sikes Mark Holder Ari Jumpponen Leonard Krishtalka Jennifer Roberts Date Defended: 04 December 2018 ii The dissertation committee for Ashley A Klymiuk certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: Microbiological insights into ecology and taphonomy of prehistoric wetlands. Chair: Benjamin Sikes Date Approved: 7 December 2018 iii Abstract In the course of this dissertation, I present investigations of the microbial constituents of fossil plants preserved at an anatomical level of detail, and detail the results of an ecological survey of root-endogenous fungi within the cosmopolitan emergent macrophyte, Typha. These studies together elucidate processes in the taphonomy of fossil plants. Biostratinomy is addressed through descriptions of saprotrophic communities within the Eocene Princeton Chert mire assemblage, and within a Carboniferous fern which previous studies had suggested contained fossilized actinobacteria. Re-investigation of the ‘actinobacteria’ suggests instead that the structures are disordered ferrous dolomites, raising implications for the contribution of sulfate- reducing bacteria to the early-diagenesis mineralization of plants preserved in carbonaceous concretions. The fossilized remains of saprotrophic and putatively endophytic fungi within roots of in-situ plants from the Princeton Chert also provide insight into early diagenesis. Some of the fungi described herein are preserved in several co-occurring developmental phases, providing evidence that early phases of silicification in this assemblage were rapid.
    [Show full text]
  • Evolutionary Paleontology Analysis Links to Primary Literature Biostratigraphy Biological Aspects Additional Readings Taphonomy Evolutionary Process and Life History
    Paleontology - AccessScience from McGraw-Hill Education http://accessscience.com/content/paleontology/484100 (http://accessscience.com/) Article by: Brett, Carlton E. Department of Geological Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York. Gould, Stephen J. Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Last updated: 2014 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.484100 (https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.484100) Content Hide Applications of Paleontology Trace fossil studies (ichnology) Life properties Systematics and taxonomy Paleoecology and paleoenvironmental Sketch of life history Evolutionary paleontology analysis Links to Primary Literature Biostratigraphy Biological Aspects Additional Readings Taphonomy Evolutionary process and life history The study of life history as recorded by fossil remains. The term fossil, from the Latin “fossilis” (digging; dug up), originally referred to a variety of objects dug from the Earth, some of which were believed to be supernatural substances imbued with mystical powers. However, in a modern context, fossils can be defined as recognizable remains or traces of activity of prehistoric life. This broad definition takes in a diversity of ancient remains, but specifically excludes inorganic, mineralized structures, even those that spuriously resemble life forms (for example, dendritic patterns of manganese crystals: dendrites), sometimes termed pseudofossils (false fossils). See also: Fossil (/content/fossil/270100) The definition also makes several qualifying statements: Fossils must be recognizably tied to once-living organisms, excluding amorphous organic matter such as coal and petroleum (but see information on biomarkers below), although these are certainly derived from the products of organisms and sometimes referred to as “fossil fuels.” The definition also encompasses two broad categories of fossils: (a) remains that are primarily skeletal hard parts (body fossils) and (b) traces of activity that is evidence of behavior of living organisms (trace fossils).
    [Show full text]