The Utility of Stanols in Species Identification

甾烷醇在物种鉴定中的用途

• 批准号: 2115492
• 负责人: Lora Stevens-Landon
• 金额: $ 24.43万
• 依托单位: California State University-Long Beach Foundation
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-09-01 至 2024-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2115492&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Utility; Stanols; Species; Identification

This project explores the limitations and potential of stanol biomarkers in archaeological research. Stanols are a group of molecules produced during food digestion. The combination of chemicals produced is unique to different organisms, with humans producing a significant amount of the molecule, coprostanol. This signature should allow researchers to differentiate the contribution of humans in the environment. The analysis of these chemicals in ponds, lakes, wetlands and soils is a new and promising geoarchaeological technique for determining human presence on past landscapes. Moreover, changes in the amount of stanols over time allows investigations of population changes. Population events, such as migration episodes, site abandonment, and disease and warfare, are important to understanding regional histories, but traditional demographic approaches frequently rely on historical documentation and archaeological excavation. Stanol analysis is a relatively noninvasive technique that is independent of the historical record and applicable in numerous archaeological and temporal settings. Additionally, the method can be performed alongside paleoenvironmental analyses to directly study human-environmental relations in the past. Despite the method’s promise, its limitations have not been fully explored and a systematic analysis of the usefulness of stanol molecules in archaeological research is needed to ensure reproducible and high-impact results. The project will generate a stanol database that will assist environmental scientists who study contamination in modern waters. This funding supports multidisciplinary training of students at the high school, undergraduate, and postgraduate levels.The research team's multifaceted project seeks to 1) expand the number of documented stanol suites for animals that may be present in ancient human environs and to determine if these animals produce specific stanol molecules in quantities that may interfere with a human signal, 2) determine if compound-specific isotope (CSI) values of stanol molecules can be used to identify dietary changes in ancient populations, and 3) study the factors that affect stanol mobility and preservation in sediments. The research team, composed of geochemistry, biochemistry, and geoarchaeology specialists, employs samples from a targeted selection of zoo animals that have not been previously tested for stanol content.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.

本项目探索甾醇生物标志物在考古研究中的局限性和潜力。甾醇是食物消化过程中产生的一组分子。所产生的化学物质的组合对不同的生物体是独特的，人类产生了大量的分子，coprostanol。这一特征可以让研究人员区分人类对环境的贡献。分析池塘、湖泊、湿地和土壤中的这些化学物质是一种新的、有前途的地质考古技术，可以确定人类在过去的景观上的存在。此外，随着时间的推移，stanols数量的变化使得调查人口变化成为可能。人口事件，如迁移事件、遗址废弃、疾病和战争，对理解区域历史很重要，但传统的人口统计学方法往往依赖于历史文献和考古发掘。固醇分析是一种相对非侵入性的技术，独立于历史记录，适用于许多考古和时间设置。此外，该方法还可以与古环境分析相结合，直接研究过去人类与环境的关系。尽管这种方法很有希望，但它的局限性还没有得到充分的探索，需要对甾醇分子在考古研究中的有用性进行系统的分析，以确保结果的可重复性和高影响力。该项目将建立一个固醇数据库，帮助研究现代水域污染的环境科学家。这笔资金支持高中、本科和研究生阶段的多学科培训。该研究团队的多方面项目旨在：1)扩大记录下来的可能存在于古代人类环境中的动物的甾醇组的数量，并确定这些动物是否会产生可能干扰人类信号的特定甾醇分子；2)确定甾醇分子的化合物特异性同位素（CSI）值是否可以用来识别古代人群的饮食变化。3)研究影响甾醇在沉积物中迁移和保存的因素。这个研究小组由地球化学、生物化学和地质考古学专家组成，他们从动物园挑选了一些动物样本，这些样本以前没有进行过固醇含量测试。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。