Fur-bearing species and Scottish islands

Fairnell, Eva H.; Barrett, James H.

doi:10.1016/j.jas.2006.09.005

Cited by 19 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…However, during the Iron Age, new terrestrial predators such as the domestic cat ( Felis sylvestris ) and fox ( Vulpes vulpes )—both considered major predators of Orkney voles—were introduced to Orkney. Foxes are first recorded on Orkney in various Iron Age sites (Fairnell and Barrett ), whereas domestic cats are present as early as the 1st century AD at Ho (Ballin Smith ; O'Connor ), Mine Howe (Mainland; unpublished data) and in later Iron Age deposits at Pool (Bond ) on Sanday. By the Viking and Norse periods, between 8th and 12th century AD, cats were clearly well established, occurring frequently in most archaeological sites of this period (Fairnell and Barrett ), while foxes disappear from the record.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

THE CHANGING PACE OF INSULAR LIFE: 5000 YEARS OF MICROEVOLUTION IN THE ORKNEY VOLE(MICROTUS ARVALIS ORCADENSIS)

et al. 2014

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Island evolution may be expected to involve fast initial morphological divergence followed by stasis. We tested this model using the dental phenotype of modern and ancient common voles (Microtus arvalis), introduced onto the Orkney archipelago (Scotland) from continental Europe some 5000 years ago. First, we investigated phenotypic divergence of Orkney and continental European populations and assessed climatic influences. Second, phenotypic differentiation among Orkney populations was tested against geography, time, and neutral genetic patterns. Finally, we examined evolutionary change along a time series for the Orkney Mainland. Molar gigantism and anterior‐lobe hypertrophy evolved rapidly in Orkney voles following introduction, without any transitional forms detected. Founder events and adaptation appear to explain this initial rapid evolution. Idiosyncrasy in dental features among different island populations of Orkney voles is also likely the result of local founder events following Neolithic translocation around the archipelago. However, against our initial expectations, a second marked phenotypic shift occurred between the 4th and 12th centuries AD, associated with increased pastoral farming and introduction of competitors (mice and rats) and terrestrial predators (foxes and cats). These results indicate that human agency can generate a more complex pattern of morphological evolution than might be expected in island rodents.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

THE CHANGING PACE OF INSULAR LIFE: 5000 YEARS OF MICROEVOLUTION IN THE ORKNEY VOLE(MICROTUS ARVALIS ORCADENSIS)

et al. 2014

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“…For example, during what might be called the ‘peak fox hunting period’ of British history (approximately 1850–1939), badgers were translocated to areas where there were no fox earths to dig setts that would suit foxes (Blakeborough & Pease, 1914; Wentworth Day, 1937). Also, in prehistoric times, there is evidence that many were taken off shore of British islands, along with other fur‐bearing species that were transported as trophies or pelts during the Bronze Age (Fairnell & Barrett, 2007). Badgers are considered to have entered into Ireland later than other mammals because, although they are mentioned in the 7th/8th Century Irish Law tracts, remains have only be found in a secure context at medieval sites (McCormick, 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic structure of Eurasian badgers Meles meles (Carnivora: Mustelidae) and the colonization history of Ireland

O'Meara¹,

Edwards²,

Sleeman³

et al. 2012

Biol J Linn Soc Lond

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The present study examined the contemporary genetic composition of the Eurasian badger, Meles meles, in Ireland, Britain and Western Europe, using six nuclear microsatellite loci and a 215‐bp fragment of the mitochondrial DNA control region. Significant population structure was evident within Europe (global multilocus microsatellite FST = 0.205, P < 0.001; global mitochondrial control region ΦST = 0.399, P < 0.001). Microsatellite‐based cluster analyses detected one population in Ireland, whereas badgers from Britain could be subdivided into several populations. Excluding the island populations of Ireland and Britain, badgers from Western Europe showed further structuring, with evidence of discrete Scandinavian, Central European, and Spanish populations. Mitochondrial DNA cluster analysis grouped the Irish population with Scandinavia and Spain, whereas the majority of British haplotypes grouped with those from Central Europe. The findings of the present study suggest that British and Irish badger populations colonized from different refugial areas, or that there were different waves of colonization from the source population. There are indications for the presence of an Atlantic fringe element, which has been seen in other Irish species. We discuss the results in light of the controversy about natural versus human‐mediated introductions. © 2012 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, ••, ••–••.

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“…Cut marks are the most recognizable indication of skinning left on the bones of a carcass and the documentation of cut marks to the bones of small, fur-bearing mammals such as canids (Compagnoni et al, 1997;Strid, 2000;Vigne and Guilaine, 2004;Fairnell and Barrett, 2007;Yeshurun et al, 2009;Martín et al, 2014;), erinaceids (Fernández-Jalvo et al, 1999), felids (Yravedra, 2005;Crezzini et al, 2014), herpestids (van Rijssen andAvery, 1992;Parkington and Fisher, 2006;), lagomorphs (Charles et al, 1994;Lloveras et al, 2009b), mustelids (Wigh, 1997;Parks, 2003;Richter, 2005;Fairnell and Barrett, 2007;Mallye, 2011), and rodents (Tamplin et al, 1983;Trolle-Lassen, 1987;Zeiler, 1987;) present a consistent and robust anatomical pattern of cut marks for the indication of skinning. The pattern of cut marks left on specific mole-rat skeletal elements at DK1 are interpreted as such evidence.…”

Section: Human Accumulation Of Cape Dune Mole-rats At Dk1mentioning

confidence: 99%

Small mammal utilization by Middle Stone Age humans at Die Kelders Cave 1 and Pinnacle Point Site 5-6, Western Cape Province, South Africa

Armstrong

2016

Journal of Human Evolution

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Reported here are the results of a taphonomic analysis of the small mammals (between 0.75 kg and 4.5 kg adult body weight) and size 1 bovids (≤20 kg adult body weight) from the Middle Stone Age (MSA) sites of Die Kelders Cave 1 (DK1) and Pinnacle Point Site 5-6 (PP5-6), Western Cape Province, South Africa. This study provides a comprehensive taphonomic analysis of MSA small mammals with a focus on discerning the role of humans in their accumulation and the implications for human behavioral adaptations. Based on comparisons with control assemblages of known accumulation, it is evident that humans accumulated many of the Cape dune mole-rats, hares, and size 1 bovids at DK1. The patterning of cut-marked and burned mole-rat remains at DK1 provides evidence in the MSA for the systematic utilization of small mammals for their skins and as a protein source. Unlike DK1, small mammals and size 1 bovids constitute only a small portion of the PP5-6 mammals and they exhibit little evidence of human accumulation. Nocturnal and diurnal raptors accumulated most of the small fauna at PP5-6. The nominal presence of small mammals in the PP5-6 fauna is atypical of MSA sites in the Cape Floristic Region, where they are abundant and often constitute large portions of MSA archaeofaunas. DK1 humans maximized the environmental yield by exploiting low-quality resources, a strategy employed possibly in response to localized environmental conditions and to greater human population densities. In comparison, the MIS5-4 humans at PP5-6 did not exploit small mammals and instead focused on higher-quality resources like shellfish and large ungulates. Humans and predators accumulated few small mammals at PP5-6, suggesting that these taxa may have been less abundant near the site and/or that humans could afford to concentrate on high-quality resources, perhaps because of a higher-yield local environment. This study suggests that an adaptive response to the environmental conditions of MIS4 was to maximize the resource yield of local habitats to include lower-quality resources when necessary. The incorporation of these resources in the face of changing environmental and perhaps population pressures is a subsistence adaptation that played a crucial role in the population stability and expansion evidenced by the number of sites in the Cape dating to MIS4.

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Fur-bearing species and Scottish islands

Cited by 19 publications

References 65 publications

THE CHANGING PACE OF INSULAR LIFE: 5000 YEARS OF MICROEVOLUTION IN THE ORKNEY VOLE(MICROTUS ARVALIS ORCADENSIS)

THE CHANGING PACE OF INSULAR LIFE: 5000 YEARS OF MICROEVOLUTION IN THE ORKNEY VOLE(MICROTUS ARVALIS ORCADENSIS)

Genetic structure of Eurasian badgers Meles meles (Carnivora: Mustelidae) and the colonization history of Ireland

Small mammal utilization by Middle Stone Age humans at Die Kelders Cave 1 and Pinnacle Point Site 5-6, Western Cape Province, South Africa

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