The purpose of this thesis is to investigate different scales of mobility and social networks in Southern Scandinavia around 7000 BC. An essential basis for this work is the hypothesis that the conical core pressure blade technology, a specific method for producing lithic blades, reached Scandinavia from the east. The process has been discussed and verified in several earlier studies. The study is based on investigations of lithic material and bone tools, as well as human skeletal remains; a multidisciplinary strategy has been applied, which combines technological analyzes of archaeological material with isotope analyzes of human teeth. Materials and data have been collected from a total of 111 sites located mainly in Scandinavia, but also in Finland, the Baltic countries and Russia. The Mesolithic site Norje Sunnansund in Blekinge, southern Sweden is in focus. Analyzes of the chaîne opératoire of lithic and osseous production make it possible to study technological processes as the transmission of culturally conditioned patterns; these patterns underlie the formative principles of each technology complex. By identifying specific traditional knowledge built into the material process, it becomes possible to define prehistoric human traditions and thereby study human interactions and migrations between geographical regions. The analyzes of strontium isotopes in human teeth from Norje Sunnansund enables an additional individual provenancing since the isotopes reflect a geographical-geological variation. The study provides a higher resolution of the arrival and spreading of the pressure blade technology from the northeast. It also strengthens the picture of a Mesolithic society in Southern Scandinavia based on geographically extensive social networks. An increased regionalization and territorialization has previously been proposed for western Scandinavia around 8800-7500 BC. The study confirms that during this period the population seem to consist of several subgroups related to specific territories, but with close and regular contact within a more extensive social network. This fits well with the picture of a group that may have inhabited Norje Sunnansund for extended periods, while social contacts were maintained over longer distances.

Movements of long-distance migratory birds are frequently well timed and routed in order to maximise individual fitness. However, individual timing of events or environmental conditions experienced have a potential to carry over into subsequent annual cycle stages and may have delayed fitness consequences. Therefore, knowledge of these seasonal interactions is crucial to identify key periods and regions that limit survival beyond the breeding period and thus to fully understand population dynamics of migratory species. Despite current evidence for seasonal interactions, there is no detailed knowledge of the complex of relationships within the full annual cycle, differences between sexes and populations or impact of environmental conditions during moult in one species. To unveil this system of seasonal interactions within the annual cycle, we directly tracked 103 great reed warblers (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) using light-level geolocators from five breeding sites across the breeding range to obtain information on timing and positions of annual cycle events. We then combined this information with various remotely sensed habitat condition metrics and stable isotopic composition of feathers from the non-breeding grounds to identify and quantify carry-over effects within the full annual cycle. Our...

<div>Understanding what sea turtles are feeding on and where they are feeding is key to understand their overall biology and will aid in understanding what type of management actions are necessary in order to conserve and protect these endangered species. Here I set out to (1) examine the population-level isotopic profiles of three sea turtle species in the Eastern Tropical Pacific; (2) determine differences in their foraging strategies; (3) attempt to gain insights about their pre-nesting origins; and (4) determine whether body size would influence the isotopic values of an individual turtle.</div><div>Stable isotope analysis (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values) was conducted on tissue samples from 52 sea turtles nesting on Playa Cabuyal, Costa Rica; 28 Pacific green (<i>Chelonia mydas</i>), 20 olive ridley (<i>Lepidochelys olivacea</i>), and 4 leatherback (<i>Dermochelys coriacea</i>). Nine satellite transmitters were also deployed on a separate population of post-nesting Pacific green turtles from Playa Cabuyal.</div><div>Based on isotopic profiles, green turtles in the Eastern Tropical Pacific were found to be feeding at a higher trophic level when compared to green turtles in other regions and this was supported by their increased δ¹⁵N values (16 ± 0.8 ‰). Rather than shifting to herbivory as adults, green turtles foraging in the eastern Pacific are potentially remaining omnivorous. Tracking data further confirmed that green turtles are coastal migrators and are probably inhabiting areas with high δ¹⁵N values within this region. Olive ridley turtles are exhibiting similar behavior to olive ridley turtles elsewhere due to minimal variance in their isotopic profiles (δ¹³C = -15.1 ± 0.7 ‰, δ¹⁵N =14.2 ± 0.8 ‰) and their known nomadic behavior. Although a small sample size, leatherback turtles showed a shift in their foraging habitats suggesting they are also feeding inshore in addition to their pelagic behavior due to their increased δ¹³C values (-15.5 ± 0.4 ‰). Further, as body size increased in olive ridley’s, the δ¹⁵N values significantly decreased suggesting that larger turtles prefer deeper pelagic waters with less enriched N isotope concentrations. However, in order to rule out possible external factors influencing this relationship, knowing where the turtle is originating from is crucial. This project provides data for developing isoscapes in the Eastern Tropical Pacific to aid in understanding the spatial distribution of sea turtles and their foraging grounds and the impact that foraging area may have on overall biology of these species. This information can be used to prioritize high use foraging habitats and determine the most effective management practices for protecting these species and the prey and habitat on which they rely.</div>

Despite an abundance of archaeological material recovered from sites in Island Southeast Asia, the timing and route by which cultigens first arrived in Wallacea remains unclear. Many of the staple crops now grown on these islands were domesticated in mainland Asia, and were deliberately introduced by humans at an unknown point during the Holocene, through several possible routes. In this study, the δ 13C, δ15N and δ18O values of subfossil bones and teeth attributed to Sus celebensis and Sus scrofa are analyzed. These materials, which span the last 5160 years at Liang Bua, Flores, Indonesia are used to determine if and when there was a shift towards agricultural intensification, and whether this intensification included the integration of domesticated C4 crops. The δ13C and δ15N values of the bone and dentin collagen samples indicate an abrupt shift towards enrichment in 13C and depletion in 15N at some time between 5160 and 2750 yBP. This hints at changes in human subsistence patterns that may have included the clearing of forests, and the integration of nonendemic C4 cultigens such as foxtail millet (Setaria italica) onto the island. No statistically significant variation in the δ 18O values of the enamel carbonate samples over time is observed, suggesting that once they appeared on Flores, semidomesticated pigs became an important part of the island ecosystem, and were bred and raised on Flores instead of being continuously imported from elsewhere.

Historical evidence from contemporary documents established that Irish migrants to London during the Great Irish Famine (1845-1852) were likely to come from low socio-economic groups in south-west Ireland, and has characterised mid-19th-century health status and living conditions in both locations. Using samples from 119 individuals from the Catholic cemetery at Lukin Street, London (1843-1854) and 20 from the Union Workhouse Famine cemetery, Kilkenny, Ireland (1847-51), mean bone collagen isotope values were established for the well-documented Irish pre-Famine potato-based diet (¿15N 10.6¿, ¿13C -19.1¿), and the diet of contemporaneous Londoners (¿15N 12.6¿, ¿13C -19.1¿). The introduction of maize as a short-term Famine relief food was identified in three Kilkenny juveniles with bone collagen ¿13C above -17¿, and incremental dentine collagen demonstrating temporal changes in ¿13C consistent with dietary change from C3 to C4 plants. Bone collagen values for two Lukin Street individuals were consistent with high marine protein consumption. Techniques developed in this study to sample increments of dentine representing nine months or less of life have improved temporal resolution not only for migration events but also short-term dietary changes and physiological status during childhood. Combining epigraphic, osteological and archaeological evidence, individual ¿lifeways¿ have been constructed using isotope data and provide insights into the connection between health, diet and skeletal manifestations of deprivation during childhood and adolescence. New models are investigated for examining maternal and infant health using dentine collagen increments formed in utero and combining dentine and bone collagen values to explore the effects of nutritional stress on bone turnover. / Arts and Humanities Council. The British Federation of Women Graduates (the Eila Campbell scholarship). The British Association for Biological, Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology (the Jane Moore prize).

No description available.

Alexandrium tamarense is a harmful algal species that can produce saxitoxins, a suite of powerful neurotoxins that bioaccumulate up the food chain and can have severe economic and health impacts. With harmful algal blooms increasing temporally and spatially, it is important for us to understand the relationship between harmful algal blooms and nutrients, particularly nitrogen from anthropogenic sources. To this end, the stable nitrogen isotopic composition (δ¹⁵N) of medium nitrate, algal cells and toxin in both nitrogen-replete and nitrogen-limited batch cultures of A. tamarense were measured in order to assess the potential for using the δ¹⁵N of the toxin as a tracer of the nitrogen source used for growth. A. tamarense cells grown under nitrate-replete conditions were depleted by 1.5‰ relative to the growth medium, and saxitoxin was depleted by 1.5‰ relative to the whole cells. Under nitrate-limiting conditions, the isotopic difference between cells and saxitoxin changed as nitrate in the growth medium was depleted, indicating uncoupling of toxin synthesis and cell growth rates under changing external nutrient conditions. Determination of the absolute magnitude of the isotopic differences between the medium nitrate and either the cells or the saxitoxin was confounded by 1) using two different nitrate sources – one nitrate source was used to grow the inoculum and a different nitrate source was used for the experimental medium - with different ‰ values and 2) the presence of an unidentified, isotopically-light, nitrogen blank in the low-nitrate medium samples. I conclude that STX nitrogen isotope values have the potential to be used as nitrogen source indicators. However, overall fractionation between whole cells and STX is unknown due to the uncoupling between cell growth and STX synthesis observed during my nitrogen-limited experiment. Based on previous research on cell growth and toxin production dynamics under different nutrient regimes, it is also reasonable to assume that the observed results here may differ if a different nitrogen source was utilized by the cells for STX production. Further research could include isotope analysis of cultures grown on different nitrogen sources, such as ammonium and urea; isotopic analysis of additional compounds, such as amino acids; or use of additional stable isotopes, such as C or O. / text

Red Lustrous Wheelmade Ware (RLWm ware) transport and storage vessels have been excavated from Late Bronze Age (LBA) sites across the eastern Mediterranean. These distinctive vessels were traded for the valuable commodity they contained so far unidentified. Seventy-three sherds (61 RLWm ware, 12 in local fabrics) and two visible residues were analysed for organic residues using standard lipid extraction techniques. Seven residues from a previous study were re-examined. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry identified four materials - beeswax, bitumen, fat/oil and resin. Beeswax, found only in vessels from Hittite sites in Turkey, was probably used as a post-firing treatment. Fat/oil, present in some sherds from every site, represents the contents of the vessels and showed many of the characteristics of degraded plant oil. Two examples contained a plant sterol and three yielded ricinoleic acid, a biomarker for castor oil. Gas-chromatography compound-specific isotope ratio mass spectrometry of selected residues excluded dairy products, ruminant animal fats and fish oils as source materials for the fats/oils, while comparison with a small database of modern oils created during this study does not exclude plant oils. Selected samples analysed by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry did not reveal wine residues. Data on the elemental composition of the fabric collected during another study was re-analysed and compared with data from a further published study, confirming the remarkable consistency of RLWm ware fabric. Volume calculations were also attempted to give an estimate of the capacity of the main vessel forms.

Nearshore marine environments are known to be highly productive systems with relatively high faunal diversity and abundances, but these systems are particularly vulnerable to negative impacts from anthropogenic disturbances that can result in habitat degradation. Despite these challenges, many shark species of various life stages utilize coastal shelf habitats, inshore estuaries, and bays. The inshore habitats of Cumberland and Nassau Sounds in northeast Florida have been proposed as potential nursery grounds by earlier work, but this suggestion did not satisfy all of the standard criteria of shark nursery designation. It has recently been stated that the combination of surveys inside and outside suspected nursery habitats, especially those incorporating mark-recapture studies, would provide a very comprehensive test of the nursery criteria. A primary objective of the present study was to initially describe the composition and abundance of shark populations utilizing the nearshore habitats of northeast Florida, while also comparing them to inshore communities, with emphasis on spatial and temporal variations in assemblages. Fishery-independent longline sampling was conducted across the region and while considerable overlap of species were observed, significant differences in community structure between inshore and nearshore locations were detected. Specifically, the inshore waters of the First Coast support nursery habitat designation for Atlantic sharpnose, blacktip, and sandbar sharks after satisfying the accepted criteria. Given the high amounts of spatial and temporal overlap observed along the First Coast, relative trophic niche dynamics were also investigated via stable isotope analysis of two tissue types. These results revealed varying trophic niche sizes in the long term, but suggest some degree of shared resource use when animals are present on the First Coast. The identification of factors that influence coastal shark habitat utilization, such as competition and resource use, can contribute to understanding and predicting how they may respond to future environmental changes.

Historical evidence from contemporary documents established that Irish migrants to London during the Great Irish Famine (1845-1852) were likely to come from low socio-economic groups in south-west Ireland, and has characterised mid-19th-century health status and living conditions in both locations. Using samples from 119 individuals from the Catholic cemetery at Lukin Street, London (1843-1854) and 20 from the Union Workhouse Famine cemetery, Kilkenny, Ireland (1847-51), mean bone collagen isotope values were established for the well-documented Irish pre-Famine potato-based diet (δ¹⁵N 10.6‰, δ¹³C -19.1‰), and the diet of contemporaneous Londoners (δ¹⁵N 12.6‰, δ¹³C -19.1‰). The introduction of maize as a short-term Famine relief food was identified in three Kilkenny juveniles with bone collagen δ¹³C above -17‰, and incremental dentine collagen demonstrating temporal changes in δ¹³C consistent with dietary change from C3 to C4 plants. Bone collagen values for two Lukin Street individuals were consistent with high marine protein consumption. Techniques developed in this study to sample increments of dentine representing nine months or less of life have improved temporal resolution not only for migration events but also short-term dietary changes and physiological status during childhood. Combining epigraphic, osteological and archaeological evidence, individual 'lifeways' have been constructed using isotope data and provide insights into the connection between health, diet and skeletal manifestations of deprivation during childhood and adolescence. New models are investigated for examining maternal and infant health using dentine collagen increments formed in utero and combining dentine and bone collagen values to explore the effects of nutritional stress on bone turnover.