Conformity in diversity? Isotopic investigations of infant feeding practices in two iron age populations from Southern Öland, Sweden.

This article presents the results of a study of infant diet at two Iron Age sites on the island of Öland, Sweden. The cemetery at Bjärby contained a large number of subadults who had survived the earliest years of life, whereas most individuals at Triberga had died by 6 months of age. To investigate whether differences in infant feeding could explain the different mortality rates, the carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur stable isotope ratios of bone and tooth dentin collagen from the two sites were analyzed. Twenty-two samples from Triberga and 102 from Bjärby yielded data that could be included in the carbon and nitrogen analysis. Twelve samples from Triberga and 42 from Bjärby were included in the sulfur analysis. The results for carbon (δ(13) C: Triberga X = -18.8, s.d. = 1.1; Bjärby X = -19.8, s.d. = 0.4), nitrogen (δ(15) N: Triberga X = 12.9, s.d. = 1.5; Bjärby X = 13.4, s.d. = 1.4), and sulfur (δ(34) S: Triberga X = 8.1, s.d. = 1.1; Bjärby X = 5.8, s.d. = 1.3) suggest that diet was broadly similar at both sites and based on terrestrial resources. At Bjärby, females and high-status individuals consumed higher-trophic level protein than other males from early childhood onward. There was some indication that the contribution of marine resources to the diet may also have differed between the sexes at Triberga. No consistent differences in breast milk intake were observed between the two sites, but there was substantial variation at each. This variation may reflect an influence of gender and social status on infant feeding decisions.

Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) 87Sr/86Sr isotope data from scythian Iron age barrows in Altai, Russia.

This paper reports LA-ICP-MS 87Sr/86Sr isotopic data collected from archaeological human remains uncovered in Manzherok region, Altai Republic, Russian Federation ("Mobility of nomads in central Asia: chronology and 87Sr/86Sr isotope evidence from the Pazyryk barrows of northern Altai, Russia" [1]. The skeletal remains derive from Scythian barrows dated to 6th - 3rd century BC located at Chultukov Log 1 cemetery. The Chultukov Log cemetery, located approximately 470km south of Novosibirsk, is considered the biggest nomadic burial ground in the Upper Altai and the Sayan Mountains. To enrich the information on prehistoric mobility of ancient nomadic populations in Central Asia, strontium isotopic data were collected using a Nu plasma (II) MC-ICP-MS equipped with ESI NWR193-based laser ablation system from premolar teeth of 8 adult individuals (4 males and 4 females), associated mainly with the Pazyryk culture. Additionally, we report bioavailable strontium data from single Equus caballus specimen (found at Chultukov Log 9 settlement) from Manzherok territory. In this study we have successfully applied and tested new in-depth decontamination protocol for total (<95%) removal of contaminants, necrotic tissue and dental calculus in archaeological materials based on a clinical irrigation procedure with NaOCl and EDTA. Strontium LA-ICP-MS 87Sr/86Sr isotopic data presented in this paper were obtained from prehistoric human teeth previously decontaminated according to this method. These data will provide valuable resources for isotopic analyses of prehistoric transportation systems in Central Asia, including residential mobility of ancient nomads inhabiting steppe zone, Mongolia and NW China.

Temporal fluctuation in North East Baltic Sea region cattle population revealed by mitochondrial and Y-chromosomal DNA analyses.

BACKGROUND: Ancient DNA analysis offers a way to detect changes in populations over time. To date, most studies of ancient cattle have focused on their domestication in prehistory, while only a limited number of studies have analysed later periods. Conversely, the genetic structure of modern cattle populations is well known given the undertaking of several molecular and population genetic studies. RESULTS: Bones and teeth from ancient cattle populations from the North-East Baltic Sea region dated to the Prehistoric (Late Bronze and Iron Age, 5 samples), Medieval (14), and Post-Medieval (26) periods were investigated by sequencing 667 base pairs (bp) from the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and 155 bp of intron 19 in the Y-chromosomal UTY gene. Comparison of maternal (mtDNA haplotypes) genetic diversity in ancient cattle (45 samples) with modern cattle populations in Europe and Asia (2094 samples) revealed 30 ancient mtDNA haplotypes, 24 of which were shared with modern breeds, while 6 were unique to the ancient samples. Of seven Y-chromosomal sequences determined from ancient samples, six were Y2 and one Y1 haplotype. Combined data including Swedish samples from the same periods (64 samples) was compared with the occurrence of Y-chromosomal haplotypes in modern cattle (1614 samples). CONCLUSIONS: The diversity of haplogroups was highest in the Prehistoric samples, where many haplotypes were unique. The Medieval and Post-Medieval samples also show a high diversity with new haplotypes. Some of these haplotypes have become frequent in modern breeds in the Nordic Countries and North-Western Russia while other haplotypes have remained in only a few local breeds or seem to have been lost. A temporal shift in Y-chromosomal haplotypes from Y2 to Y1 was detected that corresponds with the appearance of new mtDNA haplotypes in the Medieval and Post-Medieval period. This suggests a replacement of the Prehistoric mtDNA and Y chromosomal haplotypes by new types of cattle.

Dietary variation in arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus)-an analysis of stable carbon isotopes.

We used stable carbon isotopes to analyse individual variation in arctic fox diet. We extracted collagen from bones (the lower jaw), and measured stable carbon isotopes. The foxes came from three different localities: Iceland, where both microtines and reindeer are rare; west Greenland, where microtines are absent; and Sweden, where scat analyses showed the primary food to be microtine rodents and reindeer. The Icelandic samples included foxes from both coastal and inland habitats, the Swedish sample came from an inland area, and the Greenland sample from coastal sites. The spatial variation in the isotopic pattern followed a basic division between marine and terrestrial sources of protein. Arctic foxes from inland sites had δ13C values of -21.4 (Iceland) and -20.4‰ (Sweden), showing typical terrestrial values. Coastal foxes from Greenland had typical marine values of -14.9‰, whereas coastal foxes from Iceland had intermediate values of -17.7‰. However, there was individual variation within each sample, probably caused by habitat heterogeneity and territoriality among foxes. The variation on a larger scale was related to the availability of different food items. These results were in accordance with other dietary analyses based on scat analyses. This is the first time that stable isotopes have been used to reveal individual dietary patterns. Our study also indicated that isotopic values can be used on a global scale.

Typing single polymorphic nucleotides in mitochondrial DNA as a way to access Middle Pleistocene DNA.

In this study, we have used a technique designed to target short fragments containing informative mitochondrial substitutions to extend the temporal limits of DNA recovery and study the molecular phylogeny of Ursus deningeri. We present a cladistic analysis using DNA recovered from 400 kyr old U. deningeri remains, which demonstrates U. deningeri's relation to Ursus spelaeus. This study extends the limits of recovery from skeletal remains by almost 300 kyr. Plant material from permafrost environments has yielded DNA of this age in earlier studies, and our data suggest that DNA in teeth from cave environments may be equally well preserved.