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Faunal Assemblages (faunal + assemblage)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Earth and Environmental Science	61%
Life Sciences	22%
Humanities and Social Sciences	16%

Selected Abstracts

Carnivores and their prey in the Wezmeh Cave (Kermanshah, Iran): a Late Pleistocene refuge in the Zagros

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OSTEOARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 6 2009
M. Mashkour
Abstract Wezmeh Cave is located on the northeastern edge of the Islamabad plain, a high intermontane valley in the western-central Zagros. In 1999 a disturbed but large faunal assemblage was recovered from this site. The abundant and extremely diverse faunal spectra present at Wezmeh Cave has highlighted the importance of this assemblage. Carnivore remains constitute the bulk of the assemblage; red fox (Vulpes vulpes) has the highest number of identified specimens followed by spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta), brown bear (Ursus arctos), wolf (Canis lupus), felids (lion, leopard, lynx/caracal and wildcat), mustelids (badger, polecat, marten) and viverrids (mongoose). Artiodactyls (bovid, cervid, suid), equids, rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sp.) and small animals (Cape hare, porcupine, tortoise, snake, birds) are also present. According to U-series dating, the site was occupied from around 70 ka BP through to sub-recent periods by carnivores. Amongst this rich assemblage, a human fossil tooth was also found and dated by non-invasive spectrometry gamma dating to 20,25 ka BP. A preliminary zooarchaeological and taphonomic study shows that Wezmeh Cave was used by multiple carnivore species, a unique phenomenon in the Zagros Mountains in particular and southwest Asia in general. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Taphonomy and zooarchaeology of the Upper Palaeolithic cave of Dzudzuana, Republic of Georgia

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OSTEOARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 2 2008
G. Bar-Oz
Abstract We present the results of a detailed taphonomic and zooarchaeological study of the faunal remains from the Upper Palaeolithic layers of Dzudzuana Cave, Republic of Georgia. This study presents the first carefully analysed Upper Palaeolithic faunal assemblage from the southern Caucasus and thus serves as a significant point of reference for inter-regional studies of Upper Palaeolithic subsistence in Eurasia. A series of intra-site taphonomic comparisons are employed to reconstruct the depositional history of the bone assemblages within the different occupational phases at the site and to investigate subsistence, meat procurement and bone-processing strategies. Caucasian tur (Capra caucasica), aurochs (Bos primigenius) and steppe bison (Bison priscus) were the major prey species throughout the Upper Palaeolithic. Their frequencies do not change significantly over time, and nor does bone preservation vary by layer. The assemblage is characterised by significant density-mediated biases, caused by both human bone-processing behaviours and in situ post-burial bone attrition. Bone marrow extraction produced large numbers of unidentified bone fragments, many exhibiting green bone fractures. The density and size of bone assemblages and the extent of fragmentation indicate that Dzudzuana Cave was repeatedly occupied by Upper Palaeolithic foragers over many years. Skeletal part representation and butchery marks from all stages of carcass processing suggest that prey occasionally underwent field butchery. Intra-site taphonomic comparisons highlight uniform patterns of cultural and economic behaviours related to food procurement and processing strategies. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Late Mousterian subsistence and cave use in Dalmatia: the zooarchaeology of Mujina Pe,ina, Croatia

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OSTEOARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 2 2005
P. Miracle
Abstract The faunal assemblage from Mujina Pe,ina provides an initial glimpse of Late Middle Palaeolithic food procurement, management, and site use, in Dalmatia, Croatia. Radiometric dates place the entire sequence at about 42,kyr in the middle of OIS 3 (Oxygen Isotope Stage 3) (Rink et al., 2002). Mujina Pe,ina is located along a potential migration corridor for hominin populations moving into Europe from western Asia. The faunal composition shifts from a co-dominance of red deer and chamois,+,ibex in Layer D1,+,D2 that formed during relatively cold conditions to a clear dominance of wild caprids followed by large bovids and equids in Layer B,+,C that formed during relatively warm conditions. Although non-hominin carnivores played a significant role in the modification of the faunal assemblages throughout the stratigraphic sequence, the Late Mousterian faunal assemblage from Mujina Pe,ina shows the hominins to be competent hunters within a context of considerable competition from non-hominin carnivores. These ,mixed' hominin-carnivore signatures are pulled apart through a detailed taphonomic analysis of this well-excavated assemblage. The Mujina Pe,ina assemblage thus provides a significant point of reference for a broader-scale study of variability in Mousterian subsistence practices in their own right as well as within the context of the Initial Upper Palaeolithic in southeastern Europe. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Null model analysis of communities on gradients

JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, Issue 6 2004
James G. Sanderson
Abstract Aim, I employed a novel null model and metric to uncover unusual species co-occurrence patterns in a herpetofaunal assemblage of 49 species collected at discrete elevations along a gradient. Location, Mount Kupe, Cameroon. Methods, Using a construction algorithm that started from a matrix of 0s, a sample null space of 25,000 unique null matrices was generated by simultaneously conserving (1) the number of occurrences of each species, (2) site richness and (3) species range spans derived from the observed incidence matrix. I then compared the number of times each pair of confamilial species co-occurred in the null space with the same number derived from the observed incidence matrix. Two cases dealing with embedded absences in species ranges were tested: (1) embedded absences were maintained, and (2) embedded absences were assumed to be sampling omissions and were replaced by presences. Results, In the observed absence/presence assemblage there were 147 possible confamilial species pairs. Therefore, 5% or eight were expected by chance alone to have co-occurrence patterns that differed from chance expectations by chance alone. Of these confamilial species pairs, 38 were congeneric and so 5% or two were expected to differ from chance expectations. For case (1) 16, and for case (2) 17 confamilial species pairs' co-occurrence patterns differed significantly from chance expectations. For case (1) nine congeneric species pairs, and for case (2) 10 congeneric pairs differed significantly from chance expectations. For case (1) four, and for case (2) five congeneric species pairs formed checkerboards (patterns of mutual exclusion). Results from case (1) were a proper subset of case (2) indicating that sampling omissions did not alter greatly the results. Main conclusions, I have demonstrated that null models are valuable tools to analyse ecological communities provided that proper models are employed. The choice of the appropriate null space to analyse distributions is critical. The null model employed to analyse birds on islands of an archipelago can be adapted to analyse species along gradients provided an additional range constraint is added to the null model. Moreover, added precision to results can be obtained by analysing each species pair separately, particularly those in the same family or genus, as opposed to applying a community-wide metric to the faunal assemblage. My results support some of the speculations of previous authors who were unable to demonstrate their suspicions analytically. [source]

A RE-EVALUATION OF SPHENACODONTID SYNAPSID MATERIAL FROM THE LOWER PERMIAN FISSURE FILLS NEAR RICHARDS SPUR, OKLAHOMA

PALAEONTOLOGY, Issue 1 2009
DAVID C. EVANS
Abstract:, Early Permian terrestrial vertebrate faunal assemblages of Laurasia are dominated by large ophiacodontid, sphenacodontid, and edaphosaurid synapsids. This pattern contrasts with the fauna recovered from the Early Permian fissure fill deposits near Richards Spur, Oklahoma, where derived nontherapsid synapsids are rare. The fragmentary remains of Thrausmosaurus serratidens constitute the only published report of Sphenacodontidae from this locality. Here, we re-evaluate T. serratidens in light of new information on the faunal assemblage of this locality. We confirm that the type material of T. serratidens cannot be assigned to Sphenacodontidae and conclude that it pertains to an indeterminate varanopid. We also describe new material, including a partial maxilla, several isolated jaw fragments with teeth, an isolated precaniniform tooth and a posterior cervical vertebra that represents unequivocal sphenacodontid remains from the Richards Spur assemblage. This material is the first definitive record of a eupelycosaurian synapsid other than a varanopid from this important locality. Faunal similarities between Richards Spur and the Bromacker Quarry, Germany, may be reflective of upland terrestrial communities during the Early Permian. [source]

New Bradoriid Arthropods from the Early Cambrian Balang Formation of Eastern Guizhou, South China

ACTA GEOLOGICA SINICA (ENGLISH EDITION), Issue 1 2010
Jin PENG
Abstract: The Early Cambrian Balang Formation is comprised of mudrock and shale, which was deposited in a shelf environment in the eastern part of Guizhou, south China. The Balang Fauna, which consists of seven phyla, occurs in the middle and upper parts of the Balang Formation. Arthropods are important constituents of the Balang Fauna and include a great number of trilobites, large bivalved arthropods, and newly-discovered well-preserved bradoriid fossils. The bradoriids present include three genera and four species: Comptaluta inflate (Cheng, 1974) emend Hou et al., 2002; Comptaluta kailiensis sp. nov, and Alutella elongeta sp. nov, Aluta sp. This faunal assemblage in the Balang Formation is distinguished from the Tsunyiella Chang, 1964, Songlinella Yin, 1978 and Kunmingella Hou, 1956 assemblage which occurs in the Niutitang and Mingxinsi formations of the Yangtze Platform in middle region of Guizhou and which is earlier than the Balang Formation in age. However, this assemblage resembles the ComptalutaÖpik, 1968 assemblage from the Early Cambrian Heilinpu Formation in Wuding County, Yuanan Province and from the Ordian Stage of the Cambrian of Australia. The great abundance of ComptalutaÖpik, 1968 and overall taxonomic diversity of the ComptalutaÖpik, 1968 assemblage set it distinctly apart from the Alutella Kobayashi et Kato, 1951 and Aluta Hou, 1956 assemblages of the Balang Formation. Alutella Kobayashi et Kato, 1951 and Aluta Hou, 1956 also occur in the Early Cambrian Niutitang Formation of the Yangtze Platform of Guizhou. Individual Bradoriids from the Balang Formation are characterized by large size (>3 mm). The discovery of new Bradoriid assemblages not only expands the group's geographical range and assemblage affinities, but also indicates that Bradoriids migrated eastward from shallow-water to deeper-water environments during the Early Cambrian, indicating that they were capable of life in deeper-water, and adaptation to a new ecological setting. [source]

A beetle's eye view of London from the Mesolithic to Late Bronze Age

GEOLOGICAL JOURNAL, Issue 5 2009
Scott A. Elias
The aim of this paper is to reconstruct the environmental history of the London region, based on changes in beetle faunal assemblages from the Mesolithic to Late Bronze Age. Eight sites were studied, all but one of which are within 2,km of the modern course of the Thames. The sites produced 128 faunal assemblages that yielded 218 identified species in 41 families of Coleoptera (beetles). Beetle faunas of Mesolithic age indicate extensive wetlands near the Thames, bordered by rich deciduous woodlands. The proportion of woodland species declined in the Neolithic, apparently because of the expansion of wetlands, rather than because of human activities. The Early Bronze Age faunas contained a greater proportion of coniferous woodland and aquatic (standing water) species. An increase in the dung beetle fauna indicates the presence of sheep, cattle and horses, and various beetles associated with crop lands demonstrate the local rise of agriculture, albeit several centuries after the beginnings of farming in other regions of Britain. Late Bronze Age faunas show the continued development of agriculture and animal husbandry along the lower Thames. About 33% of the total identified beetle fauna from the London area sites have limited modern distributions or are extinct in the U.K. Some of these species are associated with the dead wood found in primeval forests; others are wetland species whose habitat has been severely reduced in recent centuries. The third group is stream-dwelling beetles that require clean, clear waters and river bottoms. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Paleopathology and health of native and introduced animals on Southern Peruvian and Bolivian Spanish Colonial sites

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OSTEOARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 5 2010
S. D. Defrance
Abstract Spanish colonial sites in southern Peru and Bolivia contain remains of native camelids and introduced bovids with examples of degenerative paleopathologies that are interpreted as reflecting changes in herd management, animal use and animal health following the Spanish conquest. The archaeological contexts include three Spanish colonial wineries from Moquegua in southern Peru and the nearby colonial village of Torata Alta where indigenous people were forced to resettle under Spanish control. Also from Peru is faunal material from the 14th to 16th century rural agropastoral village of Pillistay located near Camana. Animal remains with bone abnormalities are also present in residential, commercial and industrial sites associated with Spanish silver mining near Potosí, Bolivia at Tarapaya and Cruz Pampa. Eighteen pathological specimens are described including examples of degenerative changes to phalanges, vertebrae, tarsals, limb elements and ribs. Paleopathologies present include exostoses, osteophytes, porosity, grooving and eburnation. Examples of phalangeal exostoses on bovid phalanges indicate the use of these introduced animals as draught cattle. Exostoses on camelid first phalanges suggests their use as cargo animals as do thoracic vertebrae with severe cases of degenerative pathology. Introduced caprines contain few pathologies indicating their primary use as food animals. The bone abnormalities from colonial sites are more severe than those reported for prehispanic faunal assemblages. These data provide insights into the health and work behaviour of indigenous Andean camelids and introduced Eurasian animals following the Spanish conquest. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Examining criteria for identifying and differentiating fossil faunal assemblages accumulated by hyenas and hominins using extant hyenid accumulations

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OSTEOARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 1 2010
B. F. Kuhn
Abstract Numerous authors have put forth criteria for distinguishing between assemblages collected by hyenas and hominins. Of the seven most recognised criteria used to distinguish hyenid from hominin assemblages, it has recently been suggested that four be rejected and three retained. The four rejected criteria are: an excessive proportion of horns and horn cores in hyena accumulated assemblages; the absence of small, hard, compact bones; mortality profiles; and the ratio of cranial bones to postcranial bones. The three criteria previous researchers suggested be retained are: a carnivore MNI ratio of ,20%; an abundance of cylinder fragments; and hyena-inflicted damage upon the bones. In this examination of over 27,000 faunal remains associated with all three species of extant bone-collecting hyenids from four countries and two continents, six of the seven previously established criteria and reconsiderations of criteria have been evaluated. The results of the present study indicate that of the six criteria examined, none, as written, are indicative of hyenid activity on bone assemblages of unknown origin. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Late Mousterian subsistence and cave use in Dalmatia: the zooarchaeology of Mujina Pe,ina, Croatia

Biostratigraphic and aminostratigraphic constraints on the age of the Middle Pleistocene glacial succession in north Norfolk, UK,

JOURNAL OF QUATERNARY SCIENCE, Issue 6 2009
Richard C. Preece
Abstract Considerable debate surrounds the age of the Middle Pleistocene glacial succession in East Anglia following some recent stratigraphical reinterpretations. Resolution of the stratigraphy here is important since it not only concerns the glacial history of the region but also has a bearing on our understanding of the earliest human occupation of north-western Europe. The orthodox consensus that all the tills were emplaced during the Anglian (Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 12) has recently been challenged by a view assigning each major till to a different glacial stage, before, during and after MIS 12. Between Trimingham and Sidestrand on the north Norfolk coast, datable organic sediments occur immediately below and above the glacial succession. The oldest glacial deposit (Happisburgh Till) directly overlies the ,Sidestrand Unio -bed', here defined as the Sidestrand Hall Member of the Cromer Forest-bed Formation. Dating of these sediments therefore has a bearing on the maximum age of the glacial sequence. This paper reviews the palaeobotany and describes the faunal assemblages recovered from the Sidestrand Unio -bed, which accumulated in a fluvial environment in a fully temperate climate with regional deciduous woodland. There are indications from the ostracods for weakly brackish conditions. Significant differences are apparent between the Sidestrand assemblages and those from West Runton, the type site of the Cromerian Stage. These differences do not result from contrasting facies or taphonomy but reflect warmer palaeotemperatures at Sidestrand and a much younger age. This conclusion is suggested by the higher proportion of thermophiles at Sidestrand and the occurrence of a water vole with unrooted molars (Arvicola) rather than its ancestor Mimomyssavini with rooted molars. Amino acid racemisation data also indicate that Sidestrand is significantly younger than West Runton. These data further highlight the stratigraphical complexity of the ,Cromerian Complex' and support the conventional view that the Happisburgh Till was emplaced during the Anglian rather than the recently advanced view that it dates from MIS 16. Moreover, new evidence from the Trimingham lake bed (Sidestrand Cliff Formation) above the youngest glacial outwash sediments (Briton's Lane Formation) indicates that they also accumulated during a Middle Pleistocene interglacial , probably MIS 11. All of this evidence is consistent with a short chronology placing the glacial deposits within MIS 12, rather than invoking multiple episodes of glaciation envisaged in the ,new glacial stratigraphy' during MIS 16, 12, 10 and 6. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

A RE-EVALUATION OF SPHENACODONTID SYNAPSID MATERIAL FROM THE LOWER PERMIAN FISSURE FILLS NEAR RICHARDS SPUR, OKLAHOMA

Morphometric variation in the papionin muzzle and the biochronology of the South African Plio-Pleistocene karst cave deposits

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 3 2010
Christopher C. Gilbert
Abstract Papionin monkeys are widespread, relatively common members of Plio-Pleistocene faunal assemblages across Africa. For these reasons, papionin taxa have been used as biochronological indicators by which to infer the ages of the South African karst cave deposits. A recent morphometric study of South African fossil papionin muzzle shape concluded that its variation attests to a substantial and greater time depth for these sites than is generally estimated. This inference is significant, because accurate dating of the South African cave sites is critical to our knowledge of hominin evolution and mammalian biogeographic history. We here report the results of a comparative analysis of extant papionin monkeys by which variability of the South African fossil papionins may be assessed. The muzzles of 106 specimens representing six extant papionin genera were digitized and interlandmark distances were calculated. Results demonstrate that the overall amount of morphological variation present within the fossil assemblage fits comfortably within the range exhibited by the extant sample. We also performed a statistical experiment to assess the limitations imposed by small sample sizes, such as typically encountered in the fossil record. Results suggest that 15 specimens are sufficient to accurately represent the population mean for a given phenotype, but small sample sizes are insufficient to permit the accurate estimation of the population standard deviation, variance, and range. The suggestion that the muzzle morphology of fossil papionins attests to a considerable and previously unrecognized temporal depth of the South African karst cave sites is unwarranted. Am J Phys Anthropol 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

The importance of bare marine sedimentary habitats for maintaining high polychaete diversity and the implications for the design of marine protected areas

AQUATIC CONSERVATION: MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS, Issue 7 2009
Christopher R. S. Barrio Froján
Abstract 1.Bare intertidal sedimentary habitats have received relatively little attention compared with their neighbouring vegetated habitats. An ecological comparison of benthic faunal assemblages inhabiting tropical intertidal seagrass beds and bare sediments has been made to assess the faunal similarity between the two habitats in south-east Asia. 2.The poorly developed taxonomy of most invertebrate taxa in the region precluded the full identification of many faunal groups. Only the polychaetes , which accounted for 76% of all the macrofaunal organisms collected , were identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level, yielding 177 nominal species belonging to 35 families. Ecological analyses suggested that although each habitat had a distinct polychaete assemblage, there were few differences between habitats based on a range of calculated assemblage diversity metrics. 3.Further analyses were applied to the data to test the performance of three strategies for optimizing the selection of sites for inclusion in potential marine protected areas. Strategies were based either on the total number of species, the number of rare or endemic species, or on the level of species richness (used as a surrogate for community structure). 4.All three strategies consistently captured above average numbers of species at most levels of conservation intensity. The merits of each strategy are considered in turn. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

ASSESSING WHAT LIES BENEATH THE SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF A ZOOARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORD: THE USE OF GIS AND SPATIAL CORRELATIONS AT EL MIRÓN CAVE (SPAIN)*

ARCHAEOMETRY, Issue 3 2009
A. B. MARÍN ARROYO
Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are being incorporated into archaeology as a technique to improve the understanding of spatial organization and the relationships among finds within specific areas. Although their use as a basic tool in predicting the location of archaeological sites or in assessing the extent of their catchment areas is relatively common, in general, they have less often been applied to the study of the spatial distribution of archaeological remains within individual deposits, and in particular to faunal assemblages. Despite this, they can prove essential to understanding dispersion and grouping patterns within deposits fully, and, together with various correlation analytical techniques, they provide valuable information about the economic organization of settlements and inhabitant lifeways. To demonstrate the potential of this methodology, a zooarchaeological GIS has been prepared for the Middle and Late Magdalenian and Azilian layers in El Mirón Cave (eastern Cantabria, Spain), and the spatial distribution patterns of various attributes of the archaeological record have been analysed. Significant conclusions in terms of type and duration of human occupation have been drawn. [source]

Insect diversity and trophic structure differ on native and non-indigenous congeneric rushes in coastal salt marshes

AUSTRAL ECOLOGY, Issue 5 2010
KERINNE J. HARVEY
Abstract Displacement of native plant species by non-indigenous congeners may affect associated faunal assemblages. In endangered salt marshes of south-east Australia, the non-indigenous rush Juncus acutus is currently displacing the native rush Juncus kraussii, which is a dominant habitat-forming species along the upper border of coastal salt marshes. We sampled insect assemblages on multiple plants of these congeneric rushes in coastal salt marshes in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and compared the abundance, richness, diversity, composition and trophic structure between: (i) J. acutus and J. kraussii at invaded locations; and (ii) J. kraussii at locations either invaded or not invaded by J. acutus. Although J. acutus supported a diverse suite of insects, species richness and diversity were significantly greater on the native J. kraussii. Moreover, insect assemblages associated with J. kraussii at sites invaded by J. acutus were significantly different from, and more variable than, those on J. kraussii at non-invaded sites. The trophic structure of the insect assemblages was also different, including the abundance and richness of predators and herbivores, suggesting that J. acutus may be altering consumer interactions, and may be spreading in part because of a reduction in herbivory. This strongly suggests that J. acutus is not playing a functionally similar role to J. kraussii with respect to the plant-associated insect species assemblages. Consequently, at sites where this non-indigenous species successfully displaces the native congener, this may have important ecological consequences for community composition and functioning of these endangered coastal salt marshes. [source]

The influence of changes in habitat structure on the species composition of bird assemblages in the southern Kalahari

AUSTRAL ECOLOGY, Issue 5 2010
COLLEEN L. SEYMOUR
Abstract Land use management practices often change habitat structure, which in turn influence diversity and the composition of floral and faunal assemblages. In the southern Kalahari, southern Africa, heavy grazing after above-average rainfall has lead to bush thickening, and widespread use of arboricides and/or removal of large trees for firewood has also impacted habitat structure. At sites near Kimberley, in South Africa, we investigated the effects of these changes on bird species richness and which aspects of habitat structure most influenced bird assemblage diversity and composition. We also investigated correlations between bird life history traits and habitat characteristics using RLQ analysis. Bird species richness and abundance were both explained by vertical habitat heterogeneity and density of woody species between the heights of 0,2 m, with bird species richness also explained by the density of woody species at heights above 6 m. Large trees within bush-thickened areas dampened the effects of bush thickening on bird assemblages by enabling certain species to persist, consistent with the idea that large trees are keystone structures. Smaller insectivorous gleaners, ball- and cup-nesters, birds with parts of their range extending into arid areas and birds with long-wavelength plumage (i.e. red, orange or yellow plumage) dominated bush-thickened habitats. Seed-eaters, burrow- and ground-nesters, bark-foragers, birds that perch and sally, or perch and swoop to the ground, were all negatively associated with bush thickening. Cavity-nesters, bark-foragers, hawkers, frugivores, birds that perch and sally and species with iridescent plumage were negatively affected by the loss of large trees. Of the common species analysed, nearly 40% of species had life history traits tied to large trees; and 68% had traits negatively associated with bush thickening and removal of large trees together, suggesting that where these changes in habitat occur simultaneously, bird diversity will be strongly affected. [source]