Doctoral Dissertation Research: Investigating Resource Structure and Human Mobility During the Late Pleistocene on the US Southern Plains

博士论文研究：调查美国南部平原更新世晚期的资源结构和人类流动

• 批准号: 0535599
• 负责人: Leland Bement
• 金额: $ 0.52万
• 依托单位: University of Oklahoma Norman Campus
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2005
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2005-09-01 至 2007-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0535599&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Investigating; Resource

Under the supervision of Dr. Leland C. Bement, Adam Graves will examine the trace element content of bison teeth to determine their migratory patterns. Modern and prehistoric bison teeth from the Southern Plains will be analyzed to assess the interrelatedness of Bison antiquus - an extinct form of the North American buffalo - and human movements between 11,900 and 10,200 years ago. These Early Paleoindians are generally inferred to have been small groups of highly mobile large game hunters who increasingly depended on tracking bison herds for subsistence on the Southern Plains. Bison are a migratory species whose exact geographic location each year may not be predictable by hunters who are traveling long distances. Thus, knowing where bison traversed annually provides insight into the frequency and distance specialized hunters had to move to intercept this highly sought prey species.Recent research concludes that animal movement may be assessed by examining tooth and bone chemistry. In addition to calcium and phosphate, enamel also consists of trace elements that are incorporated into the matrix during mineralization. The trace element content in teeth can be correlated with the trace element content of consumed soils, plants, and water which vary across the landscape on a geographical scale. This study will use Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma/Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP/MS) to examine the down-tooth distribution of 13 trace elements in enamel of 20 modern Bison bison from Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas to define the geographical limits and concentrations of specific minerals. In addition, 33 Bison antiquus teeth from nine Early Paleoindian locales on the Southern Plains will be analyzed. The modern bison enamel will provide an elemental map upon which the movements of extinct herds will be assessed. The knowledge of where Bison antiquus gathered would have allowed prehistoric hunters to plan movements or meetings around such aggregations. The research will attempt to reconstruct the scale and frequency of early Paleoindian mobility by examining the locations and timing of kills and the direction of bison movement across the plains.The methods employed by this analysis will be of use to archaeologists, biologists, zoologists, and other natural scientists interested in determining any animal species' - including humans' - diet and mobility in any geographic and chronologic context. The involvement of geochemists, botanists, local bison ranchers, and state parks ensures that the methods used and information learned of the relationship between human settlement and their resources will be shared with a wide audience. Further, Graves will dessiminate the results of the research through publications, documentaries, and public lectures to a widespread audience thus assisting in his professional training.

在Leland C博士的监督下。亚当·格雷夫斯将检查野牛牙齿的微量元素含量，以确定它们的迁徙模式。 来自南部平原的现代和史前野牛牙齿将被分析，以评估野牛--北美布法罗的一种灭绝形式--与11,900年至10,200年前人类活动的相互关系。 这些早期的古印第安人通常被推断为高度移动的大型狩猎者的小团体，他们越来越依赖于追踪南部平原上的野牛群来维持生计。 野牛是一种迁徙物种，长途跋涉的猎人可能无法预测它们每年的确切地理位置。 因此，了解野牛每年穿越的地方，可以深入了解专门的猎人为了拦截这种备受追捧的猎物物种而不得不移动的频率和距离。最近的研究得出结论，可以通过检查牙齿和骨骼化学来评估动物的运动。 除了钙和磷酸盐，釉质还包括在矿化过程中掺入基质的微量元素。 牙齿中的微量元素含量可以与消耗的土壤、植物和水的微量元素含量相关，这些元素在地理尺度上在景观中变化。 本研究将使用激光消融电感耦合等离子体/质谱法（LA-ICP/MS）检测来自科罗拉多、堪萨斯、新墨西哥州、俄克拉荷马州和德克萨斯州的20头现代野牛野牛牙釉质中13种微量元素的下牙分布，以确定特定矿物质的地理界限和浓度。 此外，33个野牛antiquus牙齿从九个早期古印度地区的南部平原将进行分析。 现代野牛的珐琅将提供一张元素地图，在此基础上，我们将评估灭绝的野牛群的活动情况。 知道古野牛的聚集地，史前猎人就可以在这些聚集地周围计划行动或会面。 这项研究将试图通过考察被杀的地点和时间以及野牛在平原上的移动方向来重建早期古印第安人流动的规模和频率。这项分析所采用的方法将对考古学家、生物学家、动物学家和其他对确定任何动物物种--包括人类--在任何地理和年代背景下的饮食和流动感兴趣的自然科学家有用。 地球化学家、植物学家、当地野牛牧场主和州立公园的参与确保了所使用的方法和了解到的人类住区与其资源之间关系的信息将与广大受众分享。 此外，格雷夫斯将通过出版物，纪录片和公开讲座向广大观众介绍研究成果，从而帮助他进行专业培训。