Limpet (Cellana spp.) shape is correlated with basalt or eolianite coastlines: Insights into prehistoric marine shellfish foraging and mobility in the Hawaiian Islands

Rogers, Ashleigh J.; Weisler, Marshall I.

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2020.102561

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 92 publications

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“…A temporal change in shell size can be used as a proxy for age to identify changing intensity of human foraging behaviour, or to signal environmental change in factors such as sea surface temperature (SST), turbidity, or wave action (Faulkner, 2009; Mannino and Thomas, 2002; Milner et al, 2007; Rogers and Weisler, 2020b). Shell size through time (examined across strata) was assessed for Neripteron neglectum ( pipipi ; speckled nerite), Nerita picea ( pipipi ; black nerite), Brachidontes crebristriatus ( kio nahawele ; Hawaiian mussel), Isognomon californicum ( nahawele ; black purse shell), and Isognomon spp.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Terrestrial cultural landscapes changed inshore marine ecosystems: Eight centuries of shellfish harvesting from the Kawela Mound site, Hawaiian Islands

Rogers,

Weisler

2024

The Holocene

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Through unfamiliar and at times marginal environments, successful colonisation of the Pacific Islands relied upon the introduction of domesticated flora and fauna as well as widespread burning to reduce forests and lowland vegetation for agricultural production. These transformations led to the extinction of avifauna, the reduction of forests, and extensive slope erosion and sedimentation into valleys and along shorelines. To date, most attention has been paid to human-induced changes to the terrestrial landscape. In this paper we present the archaeomalacological results from the deeply stratified coastal Kawela Mound, one of the oldest habitation sites in the Hawaiian Islands, with occupation beginning during the 12th century AD. We describe how anthropogenic change of the terrestrial landscape caused sediment run-off, increased shoreline turbidity, and progradation of the adjacent shoreline altering marine habitats, which is recorded in the diversity, size, and habitat preference of food shellfish harvested over nearly eight centuries. The construction of ancient stone-walled fishponds along the littoral shore provided an artificial rocky habitat for shellfish otherwise uncommon along the sandy coast. Consequently, AMS dated layers containing these shellfish provide an indirect avenue for determining the chronology of stone-walled fishponds, the construction of which was directed under the aegis of elites and thus one of the hallmarks of increasing social complexity during the last two centuries before Contact in the late 18th century.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Terrestrial cultural landscapes changed inshore marine ecosystems: Eight centuries of shellfish harvesting from the Kawela Mound site, Hawaiian Islands

Rogers,

Weisler

2024

The Holocene

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“…Yet, despite their ubiquity, limpet species can sometimes be difficult to tell apart in the field (Simison and Lindberg, 2003;Burdi, 2015), at archaeological sites (Rogers and Weisler, 2020a) and in museum collections (Kuo and Sanford, 2013) owing to their highly variable shell morphologies and colour patterns (Nakano and Spencer, 2007). Even within species, shell features can vary according to substrate, size (age), population, and geographic region, sometimes resulting in distinct shell morphologies (Williams, 2017) and shapes (Rogers and Weisler, 2020b) To further complicate matters, shell erosion and encrusting symbionts can also impede visual identification. As a result, taxonomists frequently rely on using internal anatomical features, such as radular structure, as distinguishing characters (Simison and Lindberg, 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using computer vision to identify limpets from their shells: a case study using four species from the Baja California peninsula

et al. 2023

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The shell morphology of limpets can be cryptic and highly variable, within and between species. Therefore, the visual identification of species can be troublesome even for experts. Here, we demonstrate the capability of computer vision models as a new method to assist with identifications. We investigate the ability of computers to distinguish between four species and two genera of limpets from the Baja California peninsula (Mexico) from digital images of shells from both dorsal and ventral orientations. Overall, the models performed marginally better (97.9%) than experts (97.5%) when predicting the same set of images and did so 240x faster. Moreover, we utilised a heatmap system to both verify that models are focussing on the specimens and to view which features on the specimens the models used to distinguish between species and genera. We then enlisted the expertise of limpet ecologists specialised in identification of species from the Baja peninsula to comment on whether the heatmaps are indeed focusing on specific morphological features per species/genus. They confirm that in their opinion, the majority of the heatmaps appear to be highlighting areas and features of morphological importance for distinguishing between groups. Our findings reveal that the cutting-edge technology of computer vision holds tremendous potential in enhancing species identification techniques used by taxonomists and ecologists. Not only does it provide a complementary approach to traditional methods, but it also opens new avenues for exploring the biology and ecology of limpets in greater detail.

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Advances in East Polynesian zooarchaeology: Special Issue introduction, review (2016–2024), and assessment

Allen,

Kahn

2024

Archaeology in Oceania

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This article both introduces our Special Issue on “Zooarchaeology and Human Ecodynamics in East Polynesia” and reviews recent research from East Polynesia at large. The seven articles and discussion essay derive from a symposium at the 14th International Council for Archaeozoology (ICAZ) conference in Cairns, Australia (2023). To contextualize these contributions, we review recent studies (2016–2024) from the region relating to human–animal relationships, including morphological, ancient DNA, and stable isotope research. Seven areas or themes emerge from our review, representing substantive, analytical and technical domains. These include (1) geographic coverage; (2) methodological issues; (3) assessments of anthropogenic impacts; (4) studies of domestic and commensal taxa; (5) animals in social, ritual and symbolic roles; (6) engagement with historical records and traditional ecological knowledges (TEK); and (7) emerging technologies. We conclude with a brief summary of recent achievements and propose future directions for zooarchaeological studies in East Polynesia and the wider Pacific.

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Limpet (Cellana spp.) shape is correlated with basalt or eolianite coastlines: Insights into prehistoric marine shellfish foraging and mobility in the Hawaiian Islands

Cited by 7 publications

References 92 publications

Terrestrial cultural landscapes changed inshore marine ecosystems: Eight centuries of shellfish harvesting from the Kawela Mound site, Hawaiian Islands

Terrestrial cultural landscapes changed inshore marine ecosystems: Eight centuries of shellfish harvesting from the Kawela Mound site, Hawaiian Islands

Using computer vision to identify limpets from their shells: a case study using four species from the Baja California peninsula

Advances in East Polynesian zooarchaeology: Special Issue introduction, review (2016–2024), and assessment

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