The Role of Diet in Arctic Adaptations

波特兰州立大学的谢尔比·安德森博士和加州大学戴维斯分校的塔米·博纳塞拉博士将对北极过去的水生资源利用进行研究。水产资源是现代卢皮亚克人和因纽特人文化的核心。水产资源(如鱼、海豹、鲸鱼)的重要性远远超出食物和消费，提供社会、精神、社区联系和食物。这种生活方式是在什么时候、为什么以及如何发展起来的，仍然是北极考古中最持久的问题之一。这项研究将是通过脂类和同位素分析对古代北极食物进行的第一次广泛研究。该项目将提供北方土著社区、生物学家和古生态学家感兴趣的北方食物系统和人与动物相互作用的长期数据。Anderson博士和Buoansera博士将研究动物产品(骨、脂肪以及用于食物和燃料的石油)加工在过去4500年来发展和扩大水产重点生存中的作用。在此期间，考古证据表明，北方出现、强化和蔓延了以海洋为重点的自给自足的经济。这方面的证据是间接的；考古学家从这一时期考古遗址出现的季节性沿海栖息地和专门的海洋狩猎技术中推断出水生资源的使用。该项目将通过对考古遗址的陶瓷烹饪器皿残留物和沉积物进行类脂和同位素分析，研究过去水产资源利用的直接证据。研究将解决过去4500年来北极阿拉斯加加工和消费哪些类型的食物的问题。项目活动包括：1)陶器技术和生产的岩相学研究，2)陶器制造和烹饪的实验研究，3)陶瓷和沉淀物残留物的脂肪和化合物特定同位素分析(CSIA)，以及4)对关键现代物种的残留物进行分析，以解释残留物结果。该项目将开始建立一个区域残留物参考数据库的进程，该数据库对北方今后的油脂和同位素研究至关重要。该项目将提供一个学生培训机会和一个硕士论文。最后，这项研究正在解决有关北极水生资源利用和食品加工实践的古老和性质的关键问题，这些问题引起了在环极地区和其他地区工作的社区、考古学家、生物学家和古生态学家的更广泛兴趣。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Dr. Shelby Anderson, Portland State University, and Dr. Tammy Buonasera, University of California-Davis, will carry out research on past aquatic resource use in the Arctic. Aquatic resources are central to modern Iupiaq and Inuit culture. The importance of aquatic resources (e.g. fish, seal, whale) extends far beyond food and consumption, providing social, spiritual, community connection, and sustenance. When, why, and how this way of life developed remains one of the most enduring questions in Arctic archaeology. This research will be the first extensive study of ancient Arctic foodways through lipid and isotopic analysis. The project will provide long-term data on northern food systems and human-animal interactions that are of interest to northern Indigenous communities, biologists, and paleoecologists. Drs. Anderson and Buoansera will study the role of processing of animal products (bone, fat, and oil for food and fuel) in the development and expansion aquatic focused subsistence over the last 4500 years. During this period, archaeological evidence points to the emergence, intensification, and spread of a maritime focused subsistence economy in the North. The evidence for this is indirect; archaeologists infer aquatic resource use from the appearance of seasonal coastal habitation and specialized marine hunting technology in archaeological sites from this time period. This project will study direct evidence of past aquatic resource use by undertaking lipid and isotopic analysis of ceramic cooking vessel residues and sediments from archaeological sites. Research will address the question of what types of foods were processed and consumed over the last 4500 years in Arctic Alaska. Project activities include: 1) a petrographic study of pottery technology and production, 2) an experimental study of pottery manufacturing and cooking, 3) lipid and compound specific isotope analysis (CSIA) of ceramic and sediment residues, and 4) analysis of residues from key modern species to inform interpretation of residue results. This project will begin the process of constructing a regional residue reference database that is critical for future lipid and isotopic research in the North. The project will provide a student training opportunity and a Master's thesis. Lastly, this research is addressing key questions about the antiquity and nature of Arctic aquatic resource use and food processing practices that are of broader interest to communities, archaeologists, biologists, and paleoecologists working across the circumpolar region and beyond.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.