Exploring the potential of multi-tissue sulphur and strontium isotope analysis and isoscape modelling to reconstruct past faunal movements

考古动物一生活动的重建可以为我们提供关于过去人类社会的独特视角，当涉及野生物种时，还可以提供对古代生态系统的宝贵见解。获取考古动物群运动模式的直接证据可以阐明人类的狩猎行为和景观利用，以及畜牧业和生存实践的变化，但也可以用来探索行为随时间的保护和可塑性，并-显著地-促进我们对环境变化对动物群群落的影响的理解(Britton，2018)。锶同位素分析越来越多地被用于考古学和古生态学，以更好地理解过去的动物迁徙行为(例如，Gigleux等人，2019年)，牙内锶方法与空间建模的积极结合(‘isoscapes’)可能提供更高分辨率的洞察。硫同位素也有很大的潜力帮助我们更好地了解动物群的运动，但相对未得到充分利用，而且对不同景观中的硫同位素变异性的了解和特征也很少(Nehlich，2015)。通过一系列现代和考古案例研究，并利用环境材料(土壤、植物)、牙齿(递增的釉质和牙本质胶原蛋白)和骨骼(散装胶原蛋白)的样本，该项目将推动这些方法在考古学和古生态学中的应用，提供重要的概念验证和应用数据，探索这些方法的互补性，以重建有蹄类动物的生命周期和年内活动。研究将分两个阶段进行，最初将包括在北美和苏格兰的现代实验研究，包括从不同的环境和动物群样本产生新的硫同位素数据，以及等值图建模。使用已知的终生迁徙的动物群材料，如迁徙驯鹿，将有助于更好地了解这些迁徙与同位素数据之间的关系，并对方法进行测试。考古和古生物学应用将集中在南非早更新世、晚更新世法国和晚更新世-全新世苏格兰。该项目将主要由凯特·布里顿博士监督，她的专长在于应用同位素分析重建人类和动物的运动。共同监督将由地球化学和质谱学专家尼尔·奥格尔博士提供。将通过科学和考古合作者提供更多支持。应聘者应具备动物考古学、古生态学和/或稳定同位素分析方面的背景。该项目将包括所有必要技能的培训，包括环境采样技术、稳定同位素分析(包括样品制备、数据生成和分析)、等值图建模和数据处理。将在昆士兰大学和阿伯丁进行同位素分析，并与其他项目伙伴(如詹姆斯·赫顿研究所、阿伯丁)一起进行分析。

The reconstruction of the lifetime movements of archaeological animals can provide us with unique perspectives on past human societies and - when involving wild species - can also provide valuable insights into ancient ecosystems. Obtaining direct evidence of movement patterns in archaeofaunas can illuminate human hunting behaviours and landscape use, and changes in animal husbandry and subsistence practices, but can also be used to explore conservation and plasticity in behaviour through time and - significantly - advance our understanding of the impact of environmental change on faunal communities (Britton, 2018).Strontium isotope analysis is increasingly being used in archaeology and palaeoecology to better understand animal migratory behaviours in the past (e.g. Gigleux et al., 2019), and the active integration of intra-tooth strontium approaches with spatial modelling ('isoscapes') may provide higher resolution insights. Sulphur isotopes also have great potential to help us better understand faunal movements but are comparatively underused, and sulphur isotope variability across landscapes is poorly understood and characterised (Nehlich, 2015).Through a series of modern and archaeological case studies and utilising the sampling of environmental materials (soils, plants), teeth (incremental enamel and dentinal collagen) and bone (bulk collagen), this project will advance the application of these methodologies in archaeology and palaeoecology by providing important proof-of-concept and application data exploring the complementary of these approaches to reconstructing the life-time and intra-annual movements of ungulates.Research will be two phased and will initially comprise of modern experimental research in North America and Scotland, including the generating of new sulphur isotope data from diverse environmental and faunal samples, and isoscape modelling. The use of faunal materials of known lifetime movement, such as migratory caribou, will permit an enhanced understanding of the relationship between these movements and isotope data, and the testing of methodologies. Archaeological and palaeontological applications will focus on early Pleistocene South Africa, late Pleistocene France and late Pleistocene-Holocene Scotland.The project will be supervised primarily by Dr Kate Britton, whose expertise lies in the application of isotope analysis to the reconstruction of human and faunal movements. Co-supervision will be provided by Dr Neil Ogle, an expert in geochemistry and mass spectrometry. Additional support will be provided through scientific and archaeological collaborators. Applicants will be expected to have some background in zooarchaeology, palaeoecology and/ or stable isotope analysis. The project will include training in all necessary skills including environmental sampling techniques, stable isotope analysis (including sample preparation, data generation and analysis), isoscape modelling and data handling. Isotope analyses will be undertaken at QUB and Aberdeen, and with additional project partners (e.g. the James Hutton Institute, Aberdeen).