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14C Marine Reservoir Variability in Herbivores and Deposit-Feeding Gastropods from an Open Coastline, Papua New Guinea

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

Fiona Petchey ,
Sean Ulm ,
Bruno David ,
Ian J McNiven ,
Brit Asmussen ,
Helene Tomkins ,
Thomas Richards ,
Cassandra Rowe ,
Matthew Leavesley  and
Herman Mandui
...Show all authors
Fiona Petchey*
Affiliation:
Waikato Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3240, Hamilton, New Zealand
Sean Ulm
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Archaeology and Sociology, School of Arts and Social Sciences, James Cook University, PO Box 6811, Cairns, QLD 4870, Australia
Bruno David
Affiliation:
School of Geography and Environmental Science, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
Ian J McNiven
Affiliation:
School of Geography and Environmental Science, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
Brit Asmussen
Affiliation:
Queensland Museum, PO Box 3300, South Brisbane, QLD 4101, Australia
Helene Tomkins
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Archaeology and Sociology, School of Arts and Social Sciences, James Cook University, PO Box 6811, Cairns, QLD 4870, Australia
Thomas Richards
Affiliation:
School of Geography and Environmental Science, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
Cassandra Rowe
Affiliation:
School of Geography and Environmental Science, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
Matthew Leavesley
Affiliation:
Anthropology, University of Papua New Guinea, PO Box 320, University PO NCD, Papua New Guinea
Herman Mandui
Affiliation:
National Museum and Art Gallery of Papua New Guinea, PO Box 5560 Boroko, NCD, Papua New Guinea
John Stanisic
Affiliation:
Queensland Museum, PO Box 3300, South Brisbane, QLD 4101, Australia School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW 2480, Australia
*
Corresponding author. Email: f.petchey@waikato.ac.nz
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Abstract

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Herbivorous and deposit-feeding gastropods are a major component of archaeological shell middens worldwide. They provide a wealth of information about subsistence, economy, environment, and climate, but are generally considered to be less than ideal for radiocarbon dating because they can ingest sediment while they graze, inadvertently consuming terrestrial carbon in the process. However, few studies of 14C activity in herbivores or deposit-feeding gastropods have been conducted into this diverse range of animals that inhabit many environmental niches. Here, we present results investigating 14C variability in shells belonging to the families Strombidae and Potamididae from the Bogi 1 archaeological site, Caution Bay, southern coastal Papua New Guinea (PNG). These shells make up 39.3% of the shell MNI in the excavation units studied and some of these species are the most common taxa of neighboring sites. It would therefore be advantageous to establish if there are any 14C offsets associated with such animals, and identify those that can give reliable calendar ages. Our methodology combines a high-resolution excavation protocol, selection of short-lived samples identified to species level, and a triisotope approach using 14C, δ13C, and δ18O to evaluate the source of variability in shells. Our results indicate that considerable variation exists between different species of Strombidae with some inhabiting muddier environments that act as sinks for limestone-derived sediments with depleted 14C content. The magnitude of variation is, however, overshadowed by that measured in the mudwhelk, Cerithidea largillierti, which has the largest spread in 14C of any shellfish studied so far at Caution Bay. This animal ingests sediment within the estuary that contains 14C derived from both enriched and depleted sources.

Type
Articles
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 54 , Issue 3-4 , 2012 , pp. 967 - 978
Copyright
Copyright © 2012 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona 

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