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

对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，也可以为古代生态系统提供有价值的见解。获得古动物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，以及畜牧业和生存方式的变化，但也可以用来探索行为随时间的保护和可塑性，并显著提高我们对环境变化对动物群落影响的理解（Britton, 2018）。锶同位素分析越来越多地用于考古学和古生态学，以更好地了解过去的动物迁徙行为（例如Gigleux等人，2019），并且将齿内锶方法与空间建模（“等观图”）积极整合可能会提供更高分辨率的见解。硫同位素也具有帮助我们更好地了解动物运动的巨大潜力，但相对而言未得到充分利用，并且对景观中硫同位素的变异性知之甚少和表征（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（增加的牙釉质和牙本质胶原蛋白）和骨骼（大胶原蛋白）的采样，该项目将通过提供重要的概念验证和应用数据来探索这些方法在重建有蹄动物的生命周期和年度内运动方面的补充，从而推进这些方法在考古学和古生态学中的应用。研究将分为两个阶段，最初将包括在北美和苏格兰进行的现代实验研究，包括从不同的环境和动物样本中产生新的硫同位素数据，以及建立等景模型。利用已知的一生运动的动物材料，如迁徙的北美驯鹿，将有助于加强对这些运动与同位素数据之间关系的理解，并有助于对方法的检验。考古和古生物学应用将集中在早更新世南非，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，她的专长是应用同位素分析来重建人类和动物的活动。地球化学和质谱专家Neil Ogle博士将提供共同监督。将通过科学和考古合作者提供额外支助。申请人将被要求在动物考古学，古生态学和/或稳定同位素分析方面有一定的背景。该项目将包括所有必要技能的培训，包括环境取样技术、稳定同位素分析（包括样品制备、数据生成和分析）、等景模拟和数据处理。同位素分析将在昆士兰大学和阿伯丁进行，并与其他项目合作伙伴（例如，阿伯丁的詹姆斯·赫顿研究所）一起进行。

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).