Coprolite research: archaeological and paleoenvironmental potentials

Blong, John C.; Shillito, Lisa‐Marie

doi:10.1007/s12520-020-01242-8

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…As Pearsall (2015:219) notes, it does not seem possible to recover organic and inorganic microfossils in a simultaneous procedure (i.e., without splitting into subsamples with different treatments). Because of this, most coprolite research today uses a variation of the sequential approach originally developed by Bryant and expanded upon by Pearsall and others (Blong and Shillito, 2021).…”

Section: Review Of Previous Coprolite Processing Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Coprolites (desiccated or mineralized feces) are increasingly recognized as important archives of paleoecological, paleontological, and archeological data (Reinhard and Bryant, 1992;Shillito et al, 2020a;Blong and Shillito, 2021). Coprolites are unique archives in that they represent a short-term record of an individual organism's diet and environment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sequential biomolecular, macrofossil, and microfossil extraction from coprolites for reconstructing past behavior and environments

Blong¹,

Whelton²,

Asperen³

et al. 2023

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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The study of macroscopic, microscopic, and biomolecular remains recovered from coprolites can provide a wide range of information on past human and animal behavior and environments. In earlier studies, research tended to focus on one or two proxies, but multiproxy approaches combining data from all remains within coprolites are becoming more common. Multiproxy analyses have demonstrated value for strengthening our understanding of the past and reducing equifinality. Here we present a sequential biomolecular, macrofossil, and microfossil extraction protocol that separates all different coprolite components and is intended as a best-practice guideline for coprolite analysis. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this method by applying it to an assemblage of coprolites from the Paisley Caves, Oregon, USA. By combining a wide range of proxies, this study provides important information on the taxonomy and behavior of organisms in the past as well as the paleoecological context of behavior.

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Section: Review Of Previous Coprolite Processing Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%