University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 10-20-2016 The Archaeopalynology of Crystal River Site (8CI1), Citrus County, Florida Kendal Jackson University of South Florida, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons, History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons, and the Plant Biology Commons Scholar Commons Citation Jackson, Kendal, "The Archaeopalynology of Crystal River Site (8CI1), Citrus County, Florida" (2016). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/6517 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Archaeopalynology of Crystal River Site (8CI1), Citrus County, Florida by Kendal R. Jackson A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Applied Anthropology Department of Anthropology College of Arts and Sciences University of South Florida Major Professor: Thomas J. Pluckhahn, Ph.D. Robert H. Tykot, Ph.D. E. Christian Wells, Ph.D. Thomas J. Whitmore, Ph.D. Date of Approval: October 25, 2016 Keywords: Gulf Coast, Pollen Analysis, Woodland Period, Environmental Change, Paleoecology Copyright © 2016, Kendal R. Jackson ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis would not have been at all possible without the support and guidance of my academic mentors, peers, friends, and family. I would first like to thank my advisor, Thomas Pluckhahn, for his constant encouragement, trust, and advocacy throughout my time at USF Applied Anthropology. This research would truly not have happened without the support of Tom Whitmore and Melanie Riedinger-Whitmore who graciously welcomed me into their ecology labs, facilitated my sample processing and analysis, and willingly shared their deep knowledge of Florida ecology. Christian Wells and Robert Tykot have my sincerest gratitude for serving on my thesis committee, and for sharing their insight and expertise. I would also like to thank John and Kathy Arthur for inspiring and cultivating my passion for anthropology. They have remained a constant source of support, guidance, and inspiration in my life over the past six years. I also would like to thank my dear friends and colleagues, Liz Southard-Razzouk and Shaun West, who have been fountains of: reassurance, brilliant ideas, and, occasionally, much-needed ‘real talk’. I wouldn’t have made it through this program without their friendship. Finally, this thesis would have been impossible without the support of my friends and family. Mom and Dad, I can’t thank you enough for your boundless love and unwavering support. My sister Kelly deserves my gratitude for her love and frequent assurances that my work is (at least somewhat) interesting outside of the academy. Lastly, I thank my closest friend and partner, Emily Keen, who has often been a shining beacon in the fog of academia, and has been my loving rescuer in times of doubt and frustration. TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ iv List of Figures ..................................................................................................................................v Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... vii Note on Funding ............................................................................................................................ ix Chapter One: Introduction and Research Questions ........................................................................1 Research Questions ..................................................................................................5 Chapter Two: Background ...............................................................................................................6 The Crystal River Site (8CI1) ..............................................................................................6 Twentieth-Century Investigations ............................................................................9 CREVAP ................................................................................................................11 Phase 1 .......................................................................................................11 Phase 2 .......................................................................................................12 Phase 3 .......................................................................................................13 Phase 4 .......................................................................................................15 Reconstructing Late Holocene Gulf Coast Sea-Level and Climate ...................................17 Proposed Late Holocene Sea-Level Episodes ........................................................20 Sanibel 1 Low Stand – ca. 3000-2000 B.P. ...............................................20 Wulfert High Stand – ca. 1850-1350 B.P. .................................................21 Buck Key Low Stand – ca. 1350-1100 B.P. ..............................................22 La Costa High Stand – ca. 1100-500 B.P. .................................................23 Persistent Issues .....................................................................................................23 ‘Alternative’ Sea-Level Histories ..........................................................................25 Localized Paleoenvironmental Reconstructions ....................................................29 The Big Bend Coast ...........................................................................................................31 Marsh Archipelago Vegetation Patterns ................................................................33 Why Archaeopalynology? .................................................................................................34 Chapter Three: Human-Ecosystem Interaction at Crystal River ...................................................40 Externally-Driven Biophysical Changes and Human Landscapes ....................................42 Palynological Signatures for Occupational Intensity and Ancient Plant Use ....................45 Chapter Four: Methods ..................................................................................................................49 Field Methods ....................................................................................................................49 CREVAP Excavations ...........................................................................................49 i Coring at Crystal River ..........................................................................................52 Laboratory Methods ...........................................................................................................55 Preventing Contamination .....................................................................................55 Subsampling ...........................................................................................................56 Pollen Concentration ..............................................................................................57 Reference sample Preparation................................................................................61 Microscopy Procedures ..........................................................................................62 Taxonomic Identifications .....................................................................................62 The Pollen Count ...................................................................................................63 Chapter Five: Results .....................................................................................................................65 Core 11: Feature B .............................................................................................................65 Stratigraphy ............................................................................................................65 Chronology ............................................................................................................67 Preservation............................................................................................................68 Core 11: Palynological Data ..................................................................................68 Core 11: Zone 5 ........................................................................................71 Core 11: Sand Zone ..................................................................................72 Core 11: Zone 4 ........................................................................................75 Core 11: Zone 3 77 Core 11: Zone 2 ........................................................................................77 Core 11: Zone 1 ........................................................................................77 Core 48: Southwest Marsh .................................................................................................78 Stratigraphy ............................................................................................................78