Human Holocene Colonization, Diet Breadth and Niche Construction in Sierras of Cordoba (Argentina)

RIVERO, DIEGO EDUARDO; MEDINA, MATÍAS

Darwin's Legacy: The estate of Evolutionary Archaeology in Argentina

Archaeopress

Lugar: Oxford; Año: 2016; p. 67 - 81

Humans, as many organisms, modify local environments through resource selection, emiting detritus, constructing shelters and pathways, etc. with spectacular ecological and evolutionary consequences. This process is known in Evolutionary Biology as «niche engineering» or more recently «niche construction» and consider that no species has more greatly amplified this ability than humans . Thus, Homo sapiens not only adapts to different environmental conditions but also interacts with them, modifying natural selective pressures which will be inherited to his descendants. Human Holocene colonization of Sierras of Cordoba (Argentina) and its impact on the high-ranked prey resource density ?e.g. Lama guanicoe? are analyzed under this perspective. Prey density simulations and Diet Breadth Model predictions were used to assess human predation pressure on local L. guanicoe demography. Niche Construction Theory is used as a behavioral and evolutionary framework to understand main changes in Sierras of Cordoba Holocene archaeological record, including the increased importance of low-return resources and the incorporation of small-scale agriculture at the end of the Holocene. This chapter is focused on faunal analysis from six archaeological sites located in Sierras of Cordoba upper mountain grassland range dated on from Early Holocene to Late Holocene. This environment was the habitat for ungulate herds such as the guanaco (Lama guanicoe) and pampas deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus), main profitable prey for Holocene hunter-gatherers and horticulturalists. Thus, temporal variations in taxonomic resource abundance provide an excellent opportunity to examine the resource intensification process previously proposed for the region. This chapter is focused on faunal analysis from six archaeological sites located in Sierras of Cordoba upper mountain grassland range dated on from Early Holocene to Late Holocene. This environment was the habitat for ungulate herds such as the guanaco (Lama guanicoe) and pampas deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus), main profitable prey for Holocene hunter-gatherers and horticulturalists. Thus, temporal variations in taxonomic resource abundance provide an excellent opportunity to examine the resource intensification process previously proposed for the region. Human Holocene colonization of Sierras of Cordoba (Argentina) and its impact on the high-ranked prey resource density ?e.g. Lama guanicoe? are analyzed under this perspective. Prey density simulations and Diet Breadth Model predictions were used to assess human predation pressure on local L. guanicoe demography. Niche Construction Theory is used as a behavioral and evolutionary framework to understand main changes in Sierras of Cordoba Holocene archaeological record, including the increased importance of low-return resources and the incorporation of small-scale agriculture at the end of the Holocene. This chapter is focused on faunal analysis from six archaeological sites located in Sierras of Cordoba upper mountain grassland range dated on from Early Holocene to Late Holocene. This environment was the habitat for ungulate herds such as the guanaco (Lama guanicoe) and pampas deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus), main profitable prey for Holocene hunter-gatherers and horticulturalists. Thus, temporal variations in taxonomic resource abundance provide an excellent opportunity to examine the resource intensification process previously proposed for the region. This chapter is focused on faunal analysis from six archaeological sites located in Sierras of Cordoba upper mountain grassland range dated on from Early Holocene to Late Holocene. This environment was the habitat for ungulate herds such as the guanaco (Lama guanicoe) and pampas deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus), main profitable prey for Holocene hunter-gatherers and horticulturalists. Thus, temporal variations in taxonomic resource abundance provide an excellent opportunity to examine the resource intensification process previously proposed for the region.