The Sheep Project (2): The effects of plane of nutrition, castration and the timing of first breeding in ewes on dental eruption and wear in unimproved Shetland sheep

Worley, Fay; Baker, Polydora; Popkin, Peter; Hammon, Andy; Payne, Sebastian

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2015.10.029

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…A sequential sampling procedure detects cyclical variations in δ 18 O values, reflecting the seasonal cycle. As the timing of tooth growth is fixed within a species -notwithstanding some degree of variability (Milhaut & Nezit,1991) on which the influence of sex, breeding age and nutritional regime were shown to be statistically non-significant in sheep molars (Worley et al, 2016) -the season of birth determines the sequence of the annual cycle recorded in a given tooth (Bryant et al, 1996;Fricke and O'Neil, 1996). Variability in the birth season may be described through the comparison of the position of the maximum value of the δ 18 O cycle in the tooth crown (Balasse et al, 2003).…”

Section: Principles and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neolithic sheep birth distribution: Results from Nova Nadezhda (sixth millennium BC, Bulgaria) and a reassessment of European data with a new modern reference set including upper and lower molars

Balasse

Renault-Fabregon

Gandois

et al. 2020

Journal of Archaeological Science

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During the course of the diffusion of Neolithic agropastoral societies across Europe, animal husbandry was adapted to local constraints and resources, involving changes in practices, as well as in animal physiology. As a result, the timing of animal breeding was impacted, with consequences on the organization of agro-pastoral tasks and the seasonal availability of animal productions. Past sheep birth seasonality can be investigated through the reconstruction of the seasonal cycle recorded in molars, based on the sequential analysis of stable oxygen isotope ratios (δ 18 O) in enamel. Modern sheep serve as comparative material to define the season of birth. In the present study, we provide new reference values for winter births in the sheep third molar (M3) using data from the modern Kemenez sheep herd. The dataset also includes paired upper and lower M3s in order to test the comparability of results obtained from both teeth. Results show a moderate shift in the isotopic record between upper and lower M3s. The consecutive difference in the assessment of the timing of birth is one month, on average. Additionally, we provide a new set of results for sheep from Nova Nadezhda (Bulgaria, early sixth millennium BC), combining upper and lower molars, in order to expand data relating to the earliest stages of the introduction of sheep to Europe. At Nova Nadezhda, sheep were born in late winter and spring, and the pattern of birth distribution does not indicate the control of sheep reproduction by separating males from females. When compared to previously published results at other Neolithic and Chalcolithic sites in the Balkans, corrected for the shift between upper and lower M3s, no latitudinal and chronological trend is observed between the Southern Balkans, Northern Balkans and Hungarian plains over the early sixth to the second half of the fifth millennia BC. This apparent uniformity for the length (3-4 months) and timing of the birth period could be challenged in the future by enlarged datasets.

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Section: Principles and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neolithic sheep birth distribution: Results from Nova Nadezhda (sixth millennium BC, Bulgaria) and a reassessment of European data with a new modern reference set including upper and lower molars

Balasse

Renault-Fabregon

Gandois

et al. 2020

Journal of Archaeological Science

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“…Occasional delayed eruption of permanent incisors and canines due to comparatively low nutritional status has been suggested for Soay sheep on St. Kilda (Boyd et al 1964). This hypothesis has been supported by various studies that have found that improved nutrition may accelerate incisor and canine eruption in sheep (for a review see e.g., Worley et al 2016). Although lower quality nutritional supply has so far not been found to significantly slow down molar growth in sheep (Worley et al 2016), extreme malnutrition, leading to scarcely any weight gain, has been shown to delay growth and eruption of most permanent teeth in pigs (McCance et al 1961).…”

Section: Timing Of Tooth Eruption Among Domestic Sheep Breedsmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…This hypothesis has been supported by various studies that have found that improved nutrition may accelerate incisor and canine eruption in sheep (for a review see e.g., Worley et al 2016). Although lower quality nutritional supply has so far not been found to significantly slow down molar growth in sheep (Worley et al 2016), extreme malnutrition, leading to scarcely any weight gain, has been shown to delay growth and eruption of most permanent teeth in pigs (McCance et al 1961). Besides environmentally induced delay of tooth eruption, there might also be a genetic component: Jones (2002) noted late tooth eruption in a Soay sheep population raised in captivity in the South Downs, England.…”

Section: Timing Of Tooth Eruption Among Domestic Sheep Breedsmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…Only specimens with a complete set of cheek teeth in the lower jaw were used for the analyses (see below). Care was taken to not consider neutered specimens, as castration might influence the timing of tooth eruption (Clutton-Brock et al 1990, but see Davis 2000 andWorley et al 2016) and skeletal growth (Popkin et al 2012). However, castration may not have been consistently reported in collection databases and therefore cannot be entirely excluded.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Influences of Domestication and Island Evolution on Dental Growth in Sheep

et al. 2018

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Domestication and island evolution can lead to changes of life history along the slow-fast gradient. Shifts of life history patterns, in turn, are potentially related to alterations of patterns and timing of tooth eruption. Schultz's rule predicts an earlier eruption of molars relative to premolars as fecundity increases during the domestication process. On the other hand, evolution on a predatorfree, resource limited island might lead to a generally slow life history and delayed tooth eruption, as in the Plio-Pleistocene Balearic caprine Myotragus. In this study, we investigate tooth eruption and its relation to life history in a unique sheep population that is an example of both domestication and island evolution: the ancient and feral Soay sheep (Ovis aries) of the St. Kilda archipelago, Scotland. Tooth eruption timing and sequence is investigated in a comparative framework featuring new data on other domestic sheep (O. aries), including European mouflon (O. a. musimon), as well as wild sheep (O. vignei, O. cycloceros, O. arkal, O. orientalis, O. ammon). These data indicate that the order of eruption is similar in wild and domestic sheep, despite the fundamental life history changes that came about with domestication. However, in contrast to other domestic sheep breeds, Soay sheep erupt their teeth at an absolute older age and also tend to grow more slowly, which resembles the evolutionary trend in island-adapted Myotragus. Despite these similarities, Soay sheep do not share the slow life history pattern inferred for Myotragus, highlighting the distinctive nature of tooth eruption in Soay sheep.

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“…Immature pigs from several pits were killed at similar ages, which have been interpreted previously as autumn/winter deaths (Worley 2017a), assuming a spring breeding season similar to that suggested for Early Neolithic cattle found at the Coneybury 'Anomaly' based on isotopic evidence (Gron et al 2018, 126-7). Whilst cattle were bred year-round in Early Bronze Age England (Towers et al 2011), calves born later in the year would have had less chance to gain weight before winter, and would require additional fodder (Worley et al 2016). The absence of fodder provided by arable farming (Worley et al 2019;Pelling 2019), could have made it difficult to maintain these animals, perhaps necessitating regular slaughter of immature cattle during winter.…”

Section: Animal Bonementioning

confidence: 99%

Middle Neolithic pits and a burial at West Amesbury, Wiltshire

Roberts

Barclay²,

Bishop

et al. 2020

Archaeological Journal

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Excavations on the southeastern slopes of King Barrow Ridge, 1.5 km east of Stonehenge, revealed five pits, a grave and other features of Middle Neolithic date. Analysis of the pit assemblages and the partial inhumation interred in the grave has provided insights into lifeways in this landscape in the late fourth millennium cal BC. Evidence suggests that the area was visited by a pastoralist, mobile community on a semi-regular basis for a significant period, in late autumn or winter. Selected remnants of craft-working and consumption were deposited in pits, before deliberate infilling. These depositions repeatedly memorialised activity on the hillside at a time of contemporary activity elsewhere on King Barrow Ridge and at the future site of Stonehenge. Middle Neolithic pits are present in significant numbers across King Barrow Ridge, and alongside pits in the Durrington area, form one of the densest concentrations of such activity in the region. Long distance mobility is suggested by the possible Irish origins of the inhumation, the first Middle Neolithic individual excavated in the environs of Stonehenge. Whilst of significance for understanding the Middle Neolithic in the WHS and the region, this research also hints at the roots of Late Neolithic monumentalisation of this landscape.

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The Sheep Project (2): The effects of plane of nutrition, castration and the timing of first breeding in ewes on dental eruption and wear in unimproved Shetland sheep

Cited by 8 publications

References 22 publications

Neolithic sheep birth distribution: Results from Nova Nadezhda (sixth millennium BC, Bulgaria) and a reassessment of European data with a new modern reference set including upper and lower molars

Neolithic sheep birth distribution: Results from Nova Nadezhda (sixth millennium BC, Bulgaria) and a reassessment of European data with a new modern reference set including upper and lower molars

Influences of Domestication and Island Evolution on Dental Growth in Sheep

Middle Neolithic pits and a burial at West Amesbury, Wiltshire

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