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Collagen fingerprinting of Caribbean archaeological fish bones: Methodological implications for historical fisheries baselines and anthropogenic change
Harvey, Virginia L. LeFebvre, Michelle J. Sharpe, Ashley E. Toftgaard, Casper DeFrance, Susan D. Giovas, Christina M. Fitzpatrick, Scott M. Buckley, Michael
Harvey, Virginia L.
LeFebvre, Michelle J.
Sharpe, Ashley E.
Toftgaard, Casper
DeFrance, Susan D.
Giovas, Christina M.
Fitzpatrick, Scott M.
Buckley, Michael
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EPub Date
Publication Date
2022-08-22
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Abstract
The Caribbean Sea is the most species-rich sea in the Atlantic, largely due to its vast coral reef systems. However,
its high biodiversity and endemism face unprecedented anthropogenic threats, including synergistic modern
pressures from overfishing, climate change and bioinvasion. Archaeological data indicate initial human settle-
ment of the Caribbean ~7000 years before present (yr BP), with regionally variable human impacts on fisheries
through time based on standard morphological identification of fish bone. Such studies, however, are challenged
by the low taxonomic resolution of archaeological fish bone identifications due to high species diversity and
morphological similarity between members of different families or genera. Here, we present collagen finger-
printing (Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry; ZooMS) as a method to overcome this challenge, applying it to
1000 archaeological bone specimens identified morphologically as ray-finned fish (superclass Actinopterygii)
from 13 circum-Caribbean sites spanning ca. 3150–300 yr BP (years before present). The method successfully
identified collagen-containing samples (n = 720) to family (21%), genus (57%), and species (13%) level. Of the
209 samples that were morphologically identified below superclass, collagen fingerprinting verified the taxo-
nomic identity of 94% of these, but also refined the identifications to a lower [more precise] taxon in 45% of
cases. The remaining 6% of morphological identifications were found to be incorrectly assigned. This study
represents the largest application of ZooMS to archaeological fish bones to date and advances future research
through the identification of up to 20 collagen biomarkers for 45 taxa in 10 families and 2 orders. The results
indicate that refinement of ZooMS archaeological fish identifications in this study is limited not by the quality of
the preserved collagen but by the extent of the available modern collagen reference collection. Thus, efforts
should be directed towards expanding collagen fingerprint databases in the first instance. Significantly, the high-
resolution taxonomic identifications of archaeological bone that ZooMS can offer make ancient fisheries data
highly relevant to modern sustainability and conservation efforts in the Caribbean. Additionally, more precise
identifications will allow archaeologists to address a variety of questions related to cultural fishing practices and
changes in fish stocks through time. This study supports the use of ZooMS as an effective biochemical tool
available for mass-taxonomic identification of archaeological fish bone samples spanning century to millennial
time scales in the circum-Caribbean.
Citation
Harvey, V. L., LeFebvre, M. J., Sharpe, A. E., Toftgaard, C., deFrance S. D., Giovas, C. M., Fitzpatrick, S. M., & Buckley, M. (2022). Collagen fingerprinting of Caribbean archaeological fish bones: Methodological implications for historical fisheries baselines and anthropogenic change. Journal of Archaeological Science, 145, 105642. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2022.105642
Publisher
Elsevier
Journal
Journal of Archaeological Science
Research Unit
DOI
10.1016/j.jas.2022.105642
PubMed ID
PubMed Central ID
Type
Article
Language
Description
Series/Report no.
ISSN
0305-4403
EISSN
1095-9238