Paleoecolology

A new data block concerning diverse palaeoecological / bio-economic aspects, obtained through the use of natural science research methods is introduced to scientific turnover. The block consists of several separate investigations: palaeobotanical one (determination of cultivated plants and weeds, and tree species) and archaeozoological one (teriology, ichthyology, malacology). Materials for the analysis of four of the five areas (except teriological one) obtained thanks to the expanding of traditional archaeological research methods by applying flotation and panning.
A careful analysis of this block and a comparison between natural sciences data obtained independently, and also their comparison with markers of bio-economic activities, provides reliable justification for complex analysis that results in a reconstruction of ecology, environment and bio-economic activities of inhabitants of Severynivka hillfort in Antiquity.
The materials obtained also show the high efficiency and prospects of using thorough research methods on settlements, and owing to these methods the base for the comprehensive interdisciplinary approach to the treatment of various organic remains is accumulated. Such approach allows widening significantly the sources for study bio-economic activity of ancient inhabitants of Severynivka microregion as well as detailing the palaeoecological aspects of their life.
Keywords: Scythians, hillfort, flotation, panning, palaeoecology, palaeoethnobotany, archaezoology, bioresources, comprehensive analysis, bio-economic activity.

Hill fort Sverdlovske-1 is located on the right bank of the Desna River on a promontory overlooking the river valley at 45—50 m (Figs. 1; 4). The monument has been known for about 150 years; stationary studies were started in 1968 by O.M. Mel’nikovs’ka, and conducted after by O.Ye. Chernenko from 2014.
As a result of recent research of the hill-fort, a new data regarding its paleoecology and bio-economic specifics were obtained through the use of natural science methods in addition to the classic archaeological techniques. The present paper comprises a number of separate studies: palaeobotanical (definition of cultivated plants and weeds, trees) and archaeozoological (theriology, ornithology, ichthyology). Materials for the analysis were obtained due to the expansion of traditional archaeological techniques through the use of flotation and washing, as well as classical methods of research in archeology (Fig. 2). Filtering of the soil was held in the construction no. 1, investigated on the settlement in 2016 (Fig. 3).
Paleoetnobotanical materials came from three different samples; macrofossils are represented by typical medieval species — grain crops: Secale cereale (rye), Hordeum vulgare (barley), Triticum aestivum s. l. (soft wheat), Triticum dicoccon (emmer wheat), Panicum miliaceum (millet), Avena sp. (oats); also Cerealia (not defined to species or genus level); leguminous plants: Pisum sativum (pea), Lens culinaris (lentil), as well as the small number and variety of weeds, namely Convolvulus arvensіs (field bindweed), Setaria sp. (foxtail). However, the proportion of cultural grain crops in palaeoethnobotanical spectrum by weight is somewhat different from the synchronous counterparts (Figs. 5—7; Tables 1—3). The analysis of all data may indicate not only the high level of farming, but also a good adaptability to natural conditions. An indirect confirmation of agriculture and its role for inhabitants of the Sverdlovske I are holes that could be used for grain storage (Fig. 11, 1) and the finds of pans to dry grain (and maybe for cooking bread; Fig. 12).
Analysis of wood remains suggests the use of trees, which are traditional for this region — oak (Quercus sp.) and pine (Pinus sylvestris). Their wood was used for the production needs such as building and heating (Table 4).
Analysis of bone remains belonging to mammals (Tables 5; 6; 10; Figs. 8; 13—14) indicates the possibility of maintenance of herd in the stall period and, accordingly, the development of animal husbandry, which was typical for Slavs during the 1st millennium AD (the prevalence of cattle in a herd and meat production, the importance of pigs (by number) and horses (for meat); an auxiliary role of small livestock). The findings of spindles indicate the usage of raw materials for the manufacture of tissue from agriculture and / or stockbreeding (Fig. 15).
At the same time, the proportion of hunting, both in the number of individuals and in the meat volume, was about 30 % — it is significantly enough to recognize the important role of hunting in the life of the ancient inhabitants of Sverdlovske-1. It should be also noted that the hunting have had both meat and fur-bearing orientation.
Both industries associated with obtaining or production of meat in large quantities, also supply raw materials for various kinds of crafts. Numerous bone wares were found in the archaeological material from the Sverdlovske-1 (Fig. 17).
Ornithological studies have established the prevalence of wild birds in the number of species and individuals (Anas platyrhynchos, Anas crecca / quercuedula, Clangula hyemalis, Ardea cinerea, Lyrurus tetrix, Perdix perdix — seven individuals) over the poultry (Gallus domestica — four individuals; Anser anser / Anser anser f. domestica — one individual) (Table 7). These data also favor the importance of the appropriating economy.
Fishing (Table 8; 9) is represented by eight fish species (mainly pike Esox lucius, perch Perca fluviatilis, catfish Silurus glanis and zander Sander lucioperca; less numerous were roach Rutilus rutilus, bream Abramis brama, asp Aspius aspius, and carp Cyprinus carpio). Such composition indicates the importance of individual fishing. There were also tackles for mass fish catch, as evidenced by finds of clay weights for nets (Fig. 16), as well as possible tools for their weaving (Fig. 17).
The analysis of bio-economic activity carried out by inhabitants of the Sverdlovske-1 hill fort indicates the maximum and rational use of products from playback economy (agriculture, livestock), and from foraging (hunting, fishing, the role of collecting is not confirmed yet, although its important role is hypothetically undeniable) (Fig. 10). This is also evidenced by the attempt of comparison of food derived from various sectors of the economy (Fig. 18).
Keywords: Slavs, Romny archaeological culture, Sverdlovske-1, flotation, washing, palaeoecology, paleobotany, arhaeozoology, bio-resources, comprehensive analysis, bio-economic activity.

The interpretation of δ18O and δ13C analyses of extinct foraminifera is hampered by insufficient knowledge on the contribution of environmental versus biological factors on the measured values. We present single-species stable isotope data for 18 benthic and 11 planktic foraminiferal species and one calcareous dinoflagellate cyst species from a Turonian equatorial record measured on samples collected in SE Tanzania. All microfossils analyzed were excellently preserved and results are compared to isotopic measurements from bulk sediment of the same material. Remarkably low intra-specific variability (standard deviations <0.2‰) across the studied interval and consistently large benthic / planktic offsets in δ18O (~2.8‰) and δ13C (~1.5‰) indicate absence of major long-term environmental fluctuations and presence of a well stratified water column. Stratigraphic isotopic trends show small shifts that are parallel in all studied benthic species (with the exception of the δ13C record of Lenticulina species), but within-sample inter-specific offsets reflect a combination of habitat differences and species-specific isotopic disequilibrium fractionation. Among planktic taxa closely related taxa tend to have similar isotopic values. Biserial taxa have the lowest δ18O values (~-4.7‰) but also have relatively low δ13C values (~1.6‰) indicating that, for the assumption of a surface water habitat, additional metabolic effects need to be involved, which supports the concept of their opportunistic life style. Among trochospiral planktics the keeled taxa with compressed chambers have slightly higher δ18O (~-4.2‰) and lower δ13C (~2.3‰) values than taxa with globular chambers (~-4.4‰ and ~2.4‰, respectively), suggesting differences in habitat or in peak seasonal abundance. Benthic taxa are subdivided into three isotopically distinct groups with differences reflecting mineralogy, life strategy and habitat; Group I: aragonitic taxa (Epistomina, Colomia africana), Group II: calcitic trochospiral taxa with isotopic values seemingly close to equilibrium (Berthelina berthelini, Oridorsalis umbonatus, Lingulogavelinella globosa, Lingulogavelinella convexa) and Group III: calcitic taxa with low δ18O values and large scatter in δ13C values (Lenticulina). Four other benthic species show values between Groups II and III.

The wealth and consistency of data, especially for benthic taxa, permits refined conclusions. The five studied species of Epistomina have a similar isotopic signature and are inferred to form their aragonitic shells with close to equilibrium values. Small isotopic offsets are seen among species that differ in orientation of the septal foramen, but no offsets are seen that seem to co-vary with test shape or ornamentation. The conical species C. africana has δ18O values ~0.2‰ lower and δ13C values ~0.7‰ lower than species of Epistomina. The latter offset probably reflects an infaunal habitat for C. africana. Epistomina and Group II species are recommended for paleoenviromental studies. Mono-specific Lenticulina δ18O values may be used if increased by correction factors of 0.4‰ to 0.9‰, but this taxon’s low and variable δ13C values are interpreted to reflect incorporation of respiratory CO2, possibly combined with fast growth rates related to opportunism, rather than equilibrium with benthic dissolved inorganic carbon. The observed stability of inter-specific isotopic offsets suggest disequilibrium isotopic effects are relatively consistent for many taxa in this section, and correction factors are proposed that may help to generate more robust Upper Cretaceous foraminiferal isotopic records. However, δ18O / δ13C covariance in some benthic inter-specific comparisons suggest offsets might vary with changes in temperature, food supply or other factors so the appropriateness of the correction factors should be confirmed before being applied at different sites. Similarities between the observed single-species isotopic patterns from this and other studies are used to present a summarizing scheme of influences on the stable isotopic composition in foraminiferal tests. By applying the new insights from our study to data from other Cretaceous studies we demonstrate that the selection of species for isotopic analysis and understanding these signals are critical to the outcome of paleoceanographic interpretations.

Th e limestone quarry of Beremend yielded the classical Late Pliocene and Early Pleis-tocene vertebrate faunas studied for more than a century. Th e Beremend 14 site was discovered in the 1970s by Dénes Jánossy. Twenty four small mammal species and twenty seven elements of herpetofauna were identifi ed from its rich vertebrate material. Based on the taxonomical study of small mammals, we suppose that the stratigraphic position of the site is the Early Pleistocene MN 17 Zone. Th e palaeoecological analysis of the fauna suggests warm, dry climate and open, probably wooded grassland vegetation surroundings of the site with smaller open water surface.

El norte de la provincia de Neuquén (Depto. Pehuenches, Argentina) es muy poco conocido a nivel arqueológico, a pesar de estar ubicado en una posición central en relación con distintos temas clave del poblamiento humano de Sudamérica, incluyendo la extinción de la megafauna y sus causas, el poblamiento humano inicial y la existencia de discontinuidades arqueológicas en el Holoceno medio. En este trabajo se presenta el primer cuerpo de resultados paleoecológicos y arqueológicos para el sitio Cueva Huenul 1, recientemente excavado, que ofrece una secuencia sedimentaria que se extiende durante los últimos 16.000 años calendáricos. Estas evidencias incluyen el desarrollo de un marco crono-estratigráfico para el sitio, que aporta novedosa información tefro-cronológica. A partir de este análisis, se definen cuatro componentes temporales, sobre los cuales se asienta el estudio de los materiales recuperados: evidencias faunísticas (paleontológicas y arqueológicas), arqueobotánicas, líticas, cerámicas y de arte rupestre. Estos resultados en escala de sitio proveen una primera instancia de evaluación de procesos en escala macro-regional, así como las bases para la continuación de este proyecto.

The pedological cover of the state of Sonora, in northern Mexico, is predominantly composed of moderately developed red soils that evidence processes of weathering, humification, rubification, neoformation of clay, and carbonation, classified as Cambisols according to the WRB. These soils constitute a pedological unit denominated the San Rafael Paleosol (SRP). In contrast, gray soils are recorded in some sites located in semi-closed basins and are characterized by processes of weathering, neoformation of clay, reductomorphism and carbonation. These soils developed during the late Pleistocene under a semi-arid and cold climate, slightly more humid than the present one, with winter dominant rains, and marked seasonal changes. These paleosols are associated with remnants of Pleistocene Rancholabrean fauna of diverse composition, associated with arid and humid climates, demonstrating local climatic variations much more complex than at present. This paper evaluates the physical, chemical and micromorphological attributes of paleosols located in the San Francisco and El Arenoso ranches in the north of Sonora. The analyses are undertaken in order to identify the main pedogenetic processes and to establish the predominant environmental conditions during their formation, specifically the particular characteristics associated with semi-enclosed basins that allowed the accumulation of water and the formation of ponds. At both sites remains of Pleistocene megafauna have been found associated with paleosols. These results are contrasted with previous paleopedological studies and the paleontological record, permitting a broader discussion of regional paleoclimatic trends. RESUMEN La cubierta edáfica del estado de Sonora, en el norte de México, está formada predominantemente por suelos rojos de desarrollo moderado, con procesos de intemperismo, humificación, rubificación, neoformación de arcillas y carbonatación, clasificados como Cambisoles según la WRB, que constituyen una unidad edáfica denominada Paleosuelo San Rafael (SRP). Sin embargo, en algunos sitios se han registrado suelos grises formados en cuencas semicerradas, con procesos de intemperismo, neoformación de arcillas, reductomorfía y carbonatación. Estos suelos se desarrollaron durante el Pleistoceno Superior bajo un clima semiárido y frío, un poco más húmedo que el actual, favorecido por las lluvias invernales y cambios estacionales marcados. Estos paleosuelos se encuentran asociados a restos de fauna pleistocénica rancholabreana de composición diversa, asociada a climas tanto áridos como húmedos, lo que muestra variaciones climáticas locales mucho más complejas que en la actualidad. Con la intención de establecer las características particulares de los paleosuelos formados en cuencas semicerradas que pudieron permitir la acumulación de agua y la formación de estanques, se evaluaron las características físicas, químicas y micromorfológicas de los

The aim of the study was to analyze the capacity of fossil remains of small mammals in the cave sediments
for quantitative climate reconstructions. We have developed a number of small mammal-climate inference
models using modern owl pellet samples from 144 sites. Canonical correspondence analysis was used
to reveal the factors (climate parameters, agent of accumulation) that best reflect the main patterns of
variation in the modern small mammal assemblages. Annual Mean Temperature, Maximal Temperature of
Warmest Month, and Minimal Temperature of Coldest Month capture a large and statistically significant
fraction of the overall variance in the recent small mammal data. Four inference models were tested. The
results of cross-validation showed that Modern Analog Technique and Weighted Averaging Partial Least
Squares (WAPLS) were the best in terms of performance statistics. Using these models it was possible to
produce quantitative records of past temperatures based on small mammal stratigraphic cave sequences
from Bulgaria (Cave 16 and Cave 15) and Italy (Castelcivita, Mura, and Continenza). For each locality
both methods revealed similar trends in climate change, but differ somewhat in terms of specific values of
the reconstructed temperatures. The differences between them were larger in non-analog situations. In this
sense, WAPLS was considered more reliable in the reconstruction of climate features during Late Pleistocene.
Reconstructions made on the basis of this method have important implications for understanding
paleoenvironmental changes during Late Quaternary. The reconstructions support the previous qualitative
interpretations and reconstructions based on other proxies.

Based on materials from Monastyrok hill-fort, fishery of the Early Slavs from the Dnipro River (middle region) is analyzed in this paper. A comprehensive study of the circumstances in which ichthyological remains and fishing tackle were uncovered, as well as the comparative analysis of the latter was conducted. As a result, a conclusion is made that the fish-hooks belong to the Early Slavonic period of the hill-fort. In addition, owing to the work with the collections of the N national Museum of Natural history of the national Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, uncovered and attributed was the ichthyologic material from the site describing the industrial fish species in the Early Slavonic period.
Ichthyologic identification showed that at least 10 fish species of 9 genera and 5 families were encompassed into the fishery. The majority of these remains belong to fish of prey: pike, catfish, zander, and perch; sturgeons and carp fishes are represented by single bones. numerous findings of cranium bones are indisputable evidence for fishery, but not fish import. The method of reconstruction the weight and body size of single fish individuals showed that big mature fishes prevailed in catch. O owing to this reconstruction, it is ascertained that both tackle for individual (with hooks), and mass (with nets) catch were used.
The data obtained convincingly prove the importance of fishery in vital activity of population at the Monastyrok hill-fort and of all the East Slavs habituating the middle region of the Dnipro River in the period from the 8th to the 13th centuries AD. The species and size diversity of industrial fish is an indirect evidence for the usage of both tackle types: of individual (with hooks) and mass (with nets) catch. Analysis of the context of the hooks’ finds testifies for their usage mainly in the Early Slavonic period of the Monastyrok hill-fort existence.

Tectonic displacement and small-scale tsunamis apparently affected deposition of the Kolymbia limestone, Cape Vagia, Rhodes, Eastern Mediterranean. Coarse beds interrupt the sequential build-up of this Pliocene–Pleistocene bryomol limestone. Celleporid bryozoans, bivalves, and brachiopods dominate these beds. The palaeoecology of the thicket-forming Celleporaria palmata is re-evaluated and subsequently revised. The limestone comprises two parasequences in a transgressive systems tract, and deposition occurred at palaeodepths between 30 and 120 m. At intervals, tectonic movements lowered relative sea level and sent slumps of shallow-water fauna downslope. The depositional history was validated using independent sets of data: sediment structure and grain size, palaeobathymetry using bryozoan growth forms and occurrences of modern representatives of bryozoans and other taxa, basin configuration, and regional tectonics. Concordance of these lines of evidence provides a means of evaluating confidence in palaeoenvironmental inferences.

The closure of the late Neogene interoceanic seaways between the Western Atlantic (WA) and Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP)-commonly referred to as the Central American Seaway-significantly decreased nutrient supply in the WA compared to the TEP. In marine invertebrates, an increase in parental investment is expected to be selectively favored in nutrient-poor marine environments as prolonged feeding in the plankton becomes less reliable. Here, we examine turritelline gastropods, which were abundant and diverse across this region during the Neogene and serve as important paleoenvironmental proxies, and test whether species exhibit decreased planktotro-phy in the WA postclosure as compared to preclosure fossils and extant TEP species. We also test for differences in degree of planktotrophy in extant sister species pairs. Degree of planktotrophy was inferred by measuring the size of protoconchs, the spe-cies' larval shell that represents egg size. Protoconch size was compared between extant postclosure WA and TEP species and preclosure fossil species. To compare extant sister species, we reconstructed the phylogeny of available WA and TEP species using one nuclear (H3) and three mitochondrial markers (12S, 16S, and COI). Compared to the preclosure fossils, protoconch size increased in WA species but remained the same in the TEP species. In the two extant sister species pairs recovered in the phylogenetic analysis, the WA species are inferred to be nonplanktotrophic while the TEP species are planktotrophic. This suggests that decreased nutrient availability and primary productivity in the WA may have driven this change in developmental mode, and was the primary selective force resulting in postclosure turritelline extinctions.

– The earliest known macroborings (Trypanites) from Baltica occur in early Cambrian phosphatized siltstone pebbles from Kopli quarry in Tallinn, Estonia. Trypanites borings also occur in Furongian phosphatized siltstone pebbles in northern Estonia. The intensity of bioerosion on these Cambrian pebbles is low compared to analogue substrates from Ordovician deposits of Baltica. These bored phosphatized siltstone pebbles show that bioerosion of hard substrates occurred in relatively cold climate epicontinental seas during Cambrian time.