Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Fish Remains from Four Archaic Sites of the Southeastern United States

博士论文改进补助金：美国东南部四个古代遗址的鱼类遗骸

• 批准号: 0912176
• 负责人: Elizabeth Reitz
• 金额: $ 1.48万
• 依托单位: University of Georgia Research Foundation Inc
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-06-01 至 2011-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0912176&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Improvement; Grant; Fish

Under the supervision of Dr. Elizabeth J. Reitz, Carol Colaninno will examine fish remains from the earliest known archaeological sites on the Georgia coast (U.S.A.), for evidence of overfishing and environmental variations. The remains were excavated from four Late Archaic shell rings, occupied by early Native Americans between 3000-1000 B.C: the Marsh and West Rings sites on St. Simons Island, and the St. Catherines and McQueen Rings on St. Catherines Island. Late Archaic shell rings consist of densely packed shell and animal bones encircling relatively shell-free interiors. Archaeological investigations at these and other sites document the complexity of the social and political systems among these fisher-hunter-gatherers. Previous works also demonstrate that fish comprised a large portion of the inhabitants' diet. It is unclear, however, if human populations impacted fish populations or rather if early environmental fluctuations, unrelated to human activity, altered them. This project will clarify this question by pursuing three research objectives; 1) documenting Late Archaic fishing practices off the Georgia coast, 2) examining fish remains for evidence of overexploitation by people, and 3) analyzing fish remains to estimate environmental conditions and fluctuations during this time period. Standard zooarchaeological methods will be used to identify unknown archaeological fish remains to determine the fish and fishing practices used by these Archaic people. To assess whether fish populations represented in these shell rings experienced overfishing, incremental growth bands of fish ear bones (otoliths), which are similar to tree rings, will be examined for changes in growth rates. Ecological theory predicts that fish in overfished populations achieve larger sizes at younger ages. Natural environmental fluctuations, in addition to human fishing pressures, can influence fish growth rates. Before it is possible to determine if overfishing occurred, environmental fluctuations must be eliminated as potential factors affecting fish growth. Geochemical analysis (stable oxygen isotopic profiles) of fish ear bones will be used to establish Mid-Holocene temperatures. The resulting temperatures and growth rates will clarify the relationship between human use and other environmental impacts on fish populations.Recent assessments of fisheries suggest twentieth-century changes in fish populations and growth patterns. It is urgent to establish preindustrial comparisons to which the effect of modern fisheries can be compared and to establish historical changes associated with fishing activities. The use of environmental data in conjunction with fish growth rates is an important step towards determining the causes that influence the health of fisheries. This research will assist in graduate student training in addition to instructing undergraduates in archaeological and museum procedures associated with this project. The results will be presented to a broader audience through the Education and Outreach Program of the Georgia Museum of Natural History.

在伊丽莎白·J·雷茨博士的监督下，卡罗尔·科拉尼诺将研究格鲁吉亚海岸（美国）已知最早的考古遗址中的鱼类遗骸，寻找过度捕捞和环境变化的证据这些遗骸是从四个晚白垩世的贝壳环中挖掘出来的，这些贝壳环在B.C 3000-1000年之间被早期美洲原住民占领：圣西蒙斯岛上的沼泽和西环遗址，以及圣凯瑟琳岛上的圣凯瑟琳和麦昆环。晚白垩世壳环由密集的壳和动物骨骼组成，环绕着相对无壳的内部。在这些和其他遗址的考古调查记录了这些狩猎采集者的社会和政治制度的复杂性。以前的研究也表明，鱼类构成了居民饮食的很大一部分。然而，目前尚不清楚，如果人类人口影响鱼类种群，或者更确切地说，如果早期的环境波动，无关于人类活动，改变了他们。该项目将通过追求三个研究目标来澄清这一问题：1）记录格鲁吉亚海岸的晚白垩世捕捞活动，2）检查鱼类遗骸，以寻找人类过度捕捞的证据，3）分析鱼类遗骸，以估计这一时期的环境条件和波动。标准的动物考古学方法将被用来识别未知的考古鱼类遗骸，以确定鱼类和捕鱼的做法，这些鱼的人使用。为了评估这些贝壳年轮中所代表的鱼类种群是否经历了过度捕捞，将检查与树木年轮相似的鱼耳骨（耳石）的增量生长带的生长率变化。生态学理论预测，过度捕捞的鱼类在更年轻的时候就会变得更大。自然环境的波动，加上人类捕捞的压力，也会影响鱼类的生长速度。在能够确定是否发生过度捕捞之前，必须消除环境波动作为影响鱼类生长的潜在因素。将利用鱼耳骨的地球化学分析（稳定氧同位素剖面）来确定中全新世温度。由此产生的温度和增长率将澄清人类利用和其他环境影响对鱼类种群的关系，最近的渔业评估表明，鱼类种群和增长模式在20世纪发生了变化。迫切需要进行工业化前的比较，以便与现代渔业的影响进行比较，并确定与渔业活动有关的历史变化。结合鱼类生长率使用环境数据是确定影响渔业健康的原因的一个重要步骤。这项研究将有助于研究生培训，除了指导本科生在考古和博物馆程序与此项目相关。研究结果将通过格鲁吉亚自然历史博物馆的教育和推广方案向更广泛的受众展示。