The Origin of the Orkney Vole Microtus arvalis orcadensis:

Thaw, Susan; Jaarola, Maarit; Searle, Jeremy B.; Dobney, Keith

doi:10.2307/j.ctt1w0dds6.13

Cited by 4 publications

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“…9000 bp , but no vole remains have been found in the one excavated Mesolithic site on Orkney (Lee & Woodward ), in contrast to their abundance at Neolithic and later sites (Yalden ; Thaw et al . ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…From the IMa and ABC dates, this introduction at about 5000 BP fits well with the earliest radiocarbon dates for archaeological M. arvalis from Neolithic contexts (5100 years old: Table 2) and the beginnings of the Neolithic culture on Orkney (5600 BP: Ritchie 2001;Schulting et al 2010). Voles could have been brought to Orkney by Mesolithic hunter-gatherers, as early as c. 9000 BP, but no vole remains have been found in the one excavated Mesolithic site on Orkney (Lee & Woodward 2009), in contrast to their abundance at Neolithic and later sites (Yalden 1999;Thaw et al 2004).…”

Section: Colonization History Of Orkney Volesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Alternatively, deliberate transport of voles onto Orkney could explain the large numbers introduced (Thaw et al 2004). It is conceivable that voles were taken as food items, pets or for cultural/religious purposes -M. arvalis is docile in captivity (Berry 2000), so could theoretically have been 'tamed'.…”

Section: Colonization History Of Orkney Volesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…; Thaw et al . ; Gorman & Reynolds ). More generally, this case study provides new insights into not only short‐term evolutionary changes in offshore islands, but also the mainland areas with which they are being compared.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Finally, we use geometric morphometrics of a molar tooth as a marker for morphological evolution. This work provides a more sophisticated assessment of colonization and evolution of the Orkney vole than has previously been possible (Berry & Rose 1975;Corbet 1986;Haynes et al 2003;Thaw et al 2004;Gorman & Reynolds 2008 evolutionary changes in offshore islands, but also the mainland areas with which they are being compared.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Divergent evolutionary processes associated with colonization of offshore islands

et al. 2013

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Oceanic islands have been a test ground for evolutionary theory, but here, we focus on the possibilities for evolutionary study created by offshore islands. These can be colonized through various means and by a wide range of species, including those with low dispersal capabilities. We use morphology, modern and ancient sequences of cytochrome b (cytb) and microsatellite genotypes to examine colonization history and evolutionary change associated with occupation of the Orkney archipelago by the common vole (Microtus arvalis), a species found in continental Europe but not in Britain. Among possible colonization scenarios, our results are most consistent with human introduction at least 5100 bp (confirmed by radiocarbon dating). We used approximate Bayesian computation of population history to infer the coast of Belgium as the possible source and estimated the evolutionary timescale using a Bayesian coalescent approach. We showed substantial morphological divergence of the island populations, including a size increase presumably driven by selection and reduced microsatellite variation likely reflecting founder events and genetic drift. More surprisingly, our results suggest that a recent and widespread cytb replacement event in the continental source area purged cytb variation there, whereas the ancestral diversity is largely retained in the colonized islands as a genetic ‘ark’. The replacement event in the continental M. arvalis was probably triggered by anthropogenic causes (land‐use change). Our studies illustrate that small offshore islands can act as field laboratories for studying various evolutionary processes over relatively short timescales, informing about the mainland source area as well as the island.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Colonization History Of Orkney Volesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Colonization History Of Orkney Volesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Divergent evolutionary processes associated with colonization of offshore islands

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Pests or prey? Micromammal species within an ancient anthropic environment at the Norse settlement site of Tuquoy (Westray, Orkney)

et al. 2023

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Micromammals, like rodents and shrews, adapt rapidly to take advantage of new food sources, habitats and ecological niches, frequently thriving in anthropogenic environments. Their remains, often retrieved during archaeological investigations, can be a valuable source of information about the past environmental conditions as well as interspecies interactions and human activity. However, the research on such finds rarely covers multiple approaches, often relying on single species or data type (e.g. identification/information for proxy studies). Here we investigate micromammal remains from the Norse and medieval (AD tenth–fourteenth centuries) archaeological site at Tuquoy, Orkney, to elucidate the relationships between micromammals, humans and other species present using a variety of data. Four micromammal species were identified, and their species dynamics as well as relationships with humans could be inferred by tracking changes in spatial and temporal location of remains, from their taphonomic history and by age estimation for individual animals. A larger, predatory assemblage was also identified, with species composition differing from that in the rest of the archaeological assemblage, and possibly therefore representing small mammal species composition in the wild. The assemblage was probably deposited by a diurnal raptor, though identification to species is not certain due to post-depositional processes.

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New Evidence for the Date of Introduction of the House Mouse,Mus musculus domesticusSchwartz & Schwartz, and the Field Mouse,Apodemus sylvaficus(L.), to Shetland

Nicholson

Barber

Bond

2005

Environmental Archaeology

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The Origin of the Orkney Vole Microtus arvalis orcadensis:

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

Divergent evolutionary processes associated with colonization of offshore islands

Divergent evolutionary processes associated with colonization of offshore islands

Pests or prey? Micromammal species within an ancient anthropic environment at the Norse settlement site of Tuquoy (Westray, Orkney)

New Evidence for the Date of Introduction of the House Mouse,Mus musculus domesticusSchwartz & Schwartz, and the Field Mouse,Apodemus sylvaficus(L.), to Shetland

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