Kristin D. Sobolik

A molecular analysis of dietary diversity for three archaic Native Americans.

DNA was extracted from three fecal samples, more than 2,000 years old, from Hinds Cave, Texas. Amplification of human mtDNA sequences showed their affiliation with contemporary Native Americans, while sequences from pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep, and cottontail rabbit allowed these animals to be identified as part of the diet of these individuals. Furthermore, amplification of chloroplast DNA sequences identified eight different plants as dietary elements. These archaic humans consumed 2–4 different animal species and 4–8 different plant species during a short time period. The success rate for retrieval of DNA from paleofeces is in strong contrast to that from skeletal remains where the success rate is generally low. Thus, human paleofecal remains represent a source of ancient DNA that significantly complements and may in some cases be superior to that from skeletal tissue.

Insights from Characterizing Extinct Human Gut Microbiomes

In an effort to better understand the ancestral state of the human distal gut microbiome, we examine feces retrieved from archaeological contexts (coprolites). To accomplish this, we pyrosequenced the 16S rDNA V3 region from duplicate coprolite samples recovered from three archaeological sites, each representing a different depositional environment: Hinds Cave (∼8000 years B.P.) in the southern United States, Caserones (1600 years B.P.) in northern Chile, and Rio Zape in northern Mexico (1400 years B.P.). Clustering algorithms grouped samples from the same site. Phyletic representation was more similar within sites than between them. A Bayesian approach to source-tracking was used to compare the coprolite data to published data from known sources that include, soil, compost, human gut from rural African children, human gut, oral and skin from US cosmopolitan adults and non-human primate gut. The data from the Hinds Cave samples largely represented unknown sources. The Caserones samples, retrieved directly from natural mummies, matched compost in high proportion. A substantial and robust proportion of Rio Zape data was predicted to match the gut microbiome found in traditional rural communities, with more minor matches to other sources. One of the Rio Zape samples had taxonomic representation consistent with a child. To provide an idealized scenario for sample preservation, we also applied source tracking to previously published data for Ötzi the Iceman and a soldier frozen for 93 years on a glacier. Overall these studies reveal that human microbiome data has been preserved in some coprolites, and these preserved human microbiomes match more closely to those from the rural communities than to those from cosmopolitan communities. These results suggest that the modern cosmopolitan lifestyle resulted in a dramatic change to the human gut microbiome.

High dietary intake of prebiotic inulin-type fructans in the prehistoric Chihuahuan Desert

Archaeological evidence from dry cave deposits in the northern Chihuahuan Desert reveal intensive utilisation of desert plants that store prebiotic inulin-type fructans as the primary carbohydrate. In this semi-arid region limited rainfall and poor soil conditions prevented the adoption of agriculture and thus provides a unique glimpse into a pure hunter-forager economy spanning over 10 000 years. Ancient cooking features, stable carbon isotope analysis of human skeletons, and well-preserved coprolites and macrobotanical remains reveal a plant-based diet that included a dietary intake of about 135 g prebiotic inulin-type fructans per d by the average adult male hunter-forager. These data reveal that man is well adapted to daily intakes of prebiotics well above those currently consumed in the modern diet.

Lithic Organic Residue Analysis: An Example from the Southwestern Archaic

AbstractOrganic residue analysis from the surface and edges of lithic artifacts is a useful technique to determine stone tool function. This study reports the results of organic residue analysis from 55 stone tools excavated from Hinds Cave in the lower Pecos region of southwestern Texas. Organic residue analysis is combined with stone tool edge-angle and use-wear analysis to determine correlations between tool type and tool function, and types of material used for hafting tools to handles. Although a wide variety of organic residue was observed on the tools, rodent hair and plant debris, mainly of rhaphid phytoliths and various epidermal fiber fragments, were the most prevalent. The study indicates that the stone tools were multipurpose, used for slicing or cutting both plant and animal remains. The most common hafting material was from yucca and agave fiber.

The importance of pollen concentration values from coprolites: An analysis of Southwest Texas samples

Abstract This paper presents the information gained from a palynological analysis of 38 coprolites from the lower Pecos region in southwestern Texas. The study was conducted to determine the subsistence and diet of a group of hunter‐gatherers inhabiting Baker Cave, Val Verde County, at approximately A.D. 900. The Baker Cave inhabitants used what was available in their environment for their subsistence and medicinal needs. The probable economic pollen types observed in the samples include the mustard family (Brassicaceae), sotol (Dasylirion), a sunflower type (high‐spine Asteraceae), sagebrush (Artemisia), and grass (Gramineae). An important aspect of this study also provides an example of the application of pollen concentration to coprolite studies. This study indicates that coprolite samples containing over 100,000 pollen grains per gram of material usually contain high frequencies of a few pollen types, most of which are economic and were ingested only a few days before the sample was deposited. Samples...

Sex Determination of Prehistoric Human Paleofeces

Analysis of 12 prehistoric human paleofecal specimens from the Mammoth Cave System, Kentucky has produced the first estimate of biological sex using fecal material from ancient humans. Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dating indicates that the specimens range in age from ca. 2700 B.P. to 2300 B.P. Dietary contents and steroids were extracted and analyzed. Chromatography and radioimmunoassay were used to measure levels of testosterone and estradiol in both modern fecal reference samples and in ancient feces. Results indicate that all 12 paleofeces were probably deposited by males whose diet included a variety of native crops and wild plants. These preliminary analyses have the potential to revolutionize the investigation of gender difference in diet, health, and nutrition.

Brief Communication: DNA From Early Holocene American Dog

We present the oldest genetically identified dog in the Americas, directly dated to 9,260 ± 170 Cal. B.P. The DNA was extracted from an occipital condyle imbedded in a human paleofecal sample from Hinds Cave in southwest Texas. A 368 base pair fragment of the mitochondrial genome control region was sequenced. These data were analyzed with comparable data, which included other ancient dogs and extant dogs, wolves and coyotes from around the world. Compiled with published data, our results characterize ancient American dogs within clades rooted by Eurasian wolves. In the Americas, these data provide no evidence of local interbreeding with wolves. This is a departure from the genetic pattern in other areas of the world where interbreeding with local wolf populations is apparent. Our discovery of domestic dog bone in a human paleofecal sample provides the earliest direct evidence for human consumption of dogs in the New World. These data support the hypothesis that dogs were a food source for early Paleoamericans.

Direct evidence for the importance of small animals to prehistoric diets: a review of coprolite studies

Researchers tend to underestimate or ignore the importance of small animals to the prehistoric diet due to the difficulty of separating cultural from noncultural faunal debris excavated from sites. Human coprolite analyses (dessicated human feces) indicate prehistoric dietary consumption of small animals. The large number of coprolites analyzed from North America reveals direct ingestion of small animals and indicates that small animal remains from sites indeed reflect human dietary patterns. The coprolites reveal that reptiles, birds, bats, and a large variety of rodents were an important and prevalent component of the prehistoric diet.

Prehistoric Diet from the Lower Pecos Region of Texas

Tlte analysis of 38 coprolites provides a unique view of the diet, health, and subsistence of a group of hunter-gatherers of the Chihuahuan Desert region of southwestern Texas. These prehistoric peoples occupied Baker Cave, Val Verde County, at approximately A.D. 900. The analysis is centered on the micro and macroremains recovered from the coprolite samples which were excavated from a latrine area near the front of the limestone rockshelter. From the coprolites, we learned that the diet of the Baker Cave inhabitants included prickly pear cactus, onion bulbs and fiber, fish, and rodents. Pollen analysis of the samples also suggests that the flowers or seeds from plants in the mustard family, sagebrush, and grass were probably eaten as well. The Baker Cave occupants were using what was available in their environ ment to maintain a relatively stable, healthy population.

Left for the Tide to Take Back: Specialized Processing of Seals on Machias Bay, Maine

ABSTRACT Archaeological investigations at Holmes Point West (Maine site 62-8) on the eastern Maine coast yielded evidence of different processing and disposal practices for two seal species: gray seal (Halichoerus grypus) and harbor seal (Phoca vitulina). The site is associated with a ritually charged place, near an unusual concentration of petroglyphs (rock art) on Machias Bay. The faunal remains are interpreted in the context of Algonquin oral traditions emphasizing respect for the spirit of hunted animals, including the return of the bones of marine animals to the sea. Short of finding discarded bones directly in the sea, it may be difficult to identify and discern the impact of such behaviors, with accidental losses of marine faunal elements on terrestrial occupation sites providing only muted evidence. However, other practices such as retention and protection of specific bone elements can provide a means to evaluate off-site deposition and relationships between ritual and subsistence practices. Here we explore evidence that preferential retention of the left temporal bone (including the distinctive auditory bulla) of the large gray seal represents intentional selection and retention of a skeletal element, with other bones likely left where butchered “for the tide to take back to the ocean.”