Exceptionally preserved asphaltic coprolites expand the spatiotemporal range of a North American paleoecological proxy

Mychajliw, Alexis M.; Rice, Karin; Tewksbury, Laura R.; Southon, John; Lindsey, Emily

doi:10.1038/s41598-020-61996-y

Cited by 9 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…Coprolites can contain organic matter that can be used in radiocarbon dating to determine when an archaeological site was occupied 7 – 10 . The stable carbon and nitrogen isotope composition (δ 13 C and δ 15 N) of feces and coprolites can also be used to reconstruct diet isotopic composition 11 – 15 , and ancient bat guano and soil samples that likely contain fecal matter have been used to identify changes in climate, population demographics, and diet 16 – 19 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrative analysis of DNA, macroscopic remains and stable isotopes of dog coprolites to reconstruct community diet

Witt

Yarlagadda

Allen

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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Paleofeces or coprolites are often used to reconstruct diet at archaeological sites, usually using macroscopic analyses or targeted DNA amplification and sequencing. Here we present an integrative analysis of dog coprolites, combining macroscopic analyses, stable isotope measurements, and DNA shotgun sequencing to examine diet and health status. Dog coprolites used in this study were recovered from the Janey B. Goode and East Saint Louis archaeological sites, both of which are located in the American Bottom, an extensive Mississippi River floodplain in Southwestern Illinois. Based on the context of recovery, coprolites are assigned to the Late Woodland and Terminal Late Woodland periods (ca. 600–1050 AD). Given the scarcity of human remains from this time period, these dog coprolites can be useful as a proxy for understanding human diet during the Late Woodland period. We find that the Late Woodland dogs consumed a variety of fish as well as bird and plant taxa, possibly including maize, and also harbored intestinal parasites and pathogenic bacteria. By sequencing the fecal microbiome of the coprolites, we find some similarities to modern dog microbiomes, as well as specific taxa that can be used to discriminate between modern and ancient microbiomes, excluding soil contaminants. As dogs are often used as a surrogate to assess human diet, humans living with these dogs likely had a similar diet and were affected by similar parasites. These analyses, when integrated, show a more comprehensive view of ancient dog and human diet and health in the region during the initial expansion of maize agriculture than any individual method could alone.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrative analysis of DNA, macroscopic remains and stable isotopes of dog coprolites to reconstruct community diet

Witt

Yarlagadda

Allen

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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“…All specimens examined are from the Pleistocene-age Rancho La Brea collections of the museum at the La Brea Tar Pits (LBTPM), part of the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County (NHMLAC; formerly LACM), Los Angeles, California. At Rancho La Brea, different fossiliferous asphaltic deposits (which became human-made “pits” during the historical excavation process) resulted from periodic asphalt seep activity, entrapping organisms across different timespans over the past 55,000 years 61 with varied depositional environments and taphonomic histories 62 . In this context, we reduced potential variability in these factors by selecting all specimens from a single deposit, Pit 61/67.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Computed tomography reveals hip dysplasia in the extinct Pleistocene saber-tooth cat Smilodon

Balisi

Sharma

Howard

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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Reconstructing the behavior of extinct species is challenging, particularly for those with no living analogues. However, damage preserved as paleopathologies on bone can record how an animal moved in life, potentially reflecting behavioral patterns. Here, we assess hypothesized etiologies of pathology in a pelvis and associated right femur of a Smilodon fatalis saber-toothed cat, one of the best-studied species from the Pleistocene-age Rancho La Brea asphalt seeps, California, USA, using visualization by computed tomography (CT). The pelvis exhibits massive destruction of the right hip socket that was interpreted, for nearly a century, to have developed from trauma and infection. CT imaging reveals instead that the pathological distortions characterize chronic remodeling that began at birth and led to degeneration of the joint over the animal’s life. These results suggest that this individual suffered from hip dysplasia, a congenital condition common in domestic dogs and cats. This individual reached adulthood but could not have hunted properly nor defended territory on its own, likely relying on a social group for feeding and protection. While extant social felids are rare, these fossils and others with similar pathologies are consistent with a spectrum of social strategies in Smilodon supported by a predominance of previous studies.

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“…All specimens examined are from the Pleistocene-age Rancho La Brea collections of the museum at the La Brea Tar Pits (LBTPM), part of the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County (NHMLAC; formerly LACM), Los Angeles, California. At Rancho La Brea, different fossiliferous asphaltic deposits (which became human-made “pits” during the historical excavation process) resulted from periodic asphalt seep activity, entrapping organisms across different timespans over the past 55,000 years 58 with varied depositional environments and taphonomic histories 59 . In this context, we reduced potential variability in these factors by selecting all specimens from a single deposit, Pit 61/67.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Computed tomography reveals hip dysplasia in the extinct Pleistocene saber-tooth catSmilodon

Balisi

Sharma

Howard

et al. 2020

Preprint

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22 23 24 2 25 Abstract 26Reconstructing the behavior of extinct species is challenging, particularly for 27 those with no living analogues. However, damage preserved as paleopathologies on 28 bone can record how an animal moved in life, potentially reflecting patterns of behavior.29 Here, for the first time, we use computed tomography (CT) to assess hypothesized 30 etiologies of pathology in a pelvis and associated right femur of an adult Smilodon 31 fatalis saber-toothed cat, one of the best-studied mammal species from the Pleistocene-32 age Rancho La Brea asphalt seeps, Los Angeles, California. The pelvis exhibits 33 massive destruction of the right acetabulum that previously was interpreted, for nearly a 34 century, to have resulted from trauma and infection. We evaluated this historical 35 interpretation using CT imaging to supplement gross morphology in identifying 36 symptoms of traumatic, infective, or degenerative arthritis. We found that the pathologic 37 distortions are inconsistent with degenerative changes that started only later in life, as in 38 the case of infective or traumatic arthritis. Rather, they characterize chronic remodeling 39 that began at birth and led to degeneration of the joint over time. These findings suggest 40 that this individual suffered from hip dysplasia, a congenital condition common in 41 domestic dogs and cats. 42The individual examined in this study reached adulthood (at least four to seven 43 years of age) but never could have hunted properly nor defended territory on its own. As 44 such, this individual, and other critically pathologic Smilodon like it, likely survived to 45 adulthood by association with a social group that assisted it with feeding and protection.46 The pathologic specimens examined here in detail are consistent with a spectrum of 47 social strategies in Smilodon supported by a predominance of previous studies. This 3 48 application of a relatively new and interdisciplinary technique to an old question 49 therefore informs the longstanding debate between social and solitary hypotheses for 50 the behavior of an extinct predator. 51 52 Introduction 53 The saber-toothed cat Smilodon fatalis is one of the most well-studied apex 54 predators from the late Pleistocene epoch, if not across the entire history of fossil 55 mammals [1]. Much of our knowledge about this species comes from the Rancho La 56 Brea asphalt seeps in Los Angeles, California, United States, which selectively trapped 57 and preserved thousands of individuals of Smilodon from at least 50,000 years ago until 58 the species' extinction approximately 11,000 years ago [1]. The seeps functioned as a 59 carnivore trap: a large herbivore stuck in the asphalt inadvertently would attract large 60 carnivores and scavengers, which themselves would become entrapped in great 61 numbers [2]. Studies of Smilodon at Rancho La Brea have enabled reconstruction of its 62 feeding behavior as an ambush predator specializing on herbivorous megafauna, 63 inferences derived using independent approaches ranging fro...

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Exceptionally preserved asphaltic coprolites expand the spatiotemporal range of a North American paleoecological proxy

Cited by 9 publications

References 60 publications

Integrative analysis of DNA, macroscopic remains and stable isotopes of dog coprolites to reconstruct community diet

Integrative analysis of DNA, macroscopic remains and stable isotopes of dog coprolites to reconstruct community diet

Computed tomography reveals hip dysplasia in the extinct Pleistocene saber-tooth cat Smilodon

Computed tomography reveals hip dysplasia in the extinct Pleistocene saber-tooth catSmilodon

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