Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 54 (08) 2001

published or submitted for publicatio

Ethnoarchaeology of the middle Tanana Valley, Alaska

Thesis (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2020This study explores the shifting anthropological constructs of identity for the Middle Tanana people through time. It first summarizes this theme through contemporary regional Native American internal and external influences. A discussion is then given on how these constructs became formed through historical processes. Next, it provides an in-depth look into how identity became shaped prior to the Euro-American influence through an ethnographic reconstruction. These are framed in a way to form relevant hypotheses to study the regional prehistoric archaeological record. The Historical Linguistics analytical approach used here confirms that there is very little, if any, evidence in the languages of the Tanana Valley from any non-Dene or other hypothetical pre-existing linguistic group. Language forms an integral unit of community identity. This study also frames the linguistic argument for deep regional cultural antiquity and identity through an extensive survey of traditional place names. A brief comparative study of the processes and effects of the incursion of the Indo-European languages into traditional Dene territory is discussed to demonstrate this argument. Next, the research explores the middle and later Holocene archaeological record of the Shaw Creek basin, located deep within the Middle Tanana homelands, using innovative approaches framing traditional Optimal Foraging theory arguments through the lens of Complexity theory. It focuses on the household archaeology and spatial artifact analysis of two archaeological sites, Swan Point (three Holocene components) and Pickupsticks (one Holocene component). In these case studies, cultural identity analogs, social structure, and agency are discussed using the material cultural record as a proxy. Finally, a dynamic, seasonal, ecological landscape-use model informed by predator/prey interactions is used to inform hypothetical human foraging movements. It models decision-making and risk-mitigation processes through resource shortfalls, predicting raw materials' movements from their source locations to their discard locations at these two archaeological sites. The conclusions support the theory that Dene presence in the Middle Tanana Valley is an ancient phenomenon that has at least early Holocene roots. Further, the period between 2,000 and 1,000 years ago appears to have been a critical period of additional cultural intensification processes. The processes leading to the development of the Athabascan archaeological tradition are considered to be the result of demographic expansion, increased territoriality, and a critical reinterpretation of the roles of kinship and non-related partnerships.Tanana Chief's Conference, Otto William Geist Fund, David and Rachel Hopkins FellowshipChapter 1: Introduction -- Chapter 2: Theoretical methods -- Chapter 3: The Middle Tanana People: modern and historical identity -- Chapter 4: The ethnographic reconstruction of the past: The Middle Tanana Valley -- Chapter 5: Historical linguistic and ethno-geographic perspectives of the Alaskan Dene -- Chapter 6: Archaeological and ecological reconstructions: The Holocene epoch -- Chapter 7: The project history of the Swan Point and Pickupsticks archaeological sites -- Chapter 8: Radiocarbon analysis -- Chapter 9: Feature analysis -- Chapter 10: Spatial artifact analysis -- Chapter 11: Inferences from top-predator data for modeling seasonal lithic procurement strategies as a dynamic system -- Chapter 12: Discussion -- Chapter 13: Conclusion -- References -- Appendix

Molecular and adaptive variation in the Caledonian Pine, Pinus sylvestris (L.)

The remnants of the Caledonian Pine Forest represent the north western boundary of the Eurasian Pinus sylvestris (L.) distribution. Remnant populations occupy a diverse range of environments within Scotland, subject to a steep rainfall gradient, and previous investigations have found evidence of local adaptation. Additionally, studies of biochemical and molecular markers have indicated that Scotland’s native pinewoods originated from more than one glacial refugium. Whole-genome-shotgun (WGS) sequencing was employed for the discovery of mitochondrial (mt) variants that may provide further insight into the origins of P. sylvestris populations both in Scotland and mainland Europe. DNA extractions were performed on megagametophyte tissue from Scottish, Finnish, and Spanish populations. Three members of the closely related P. mugo species complex were also sequenced. Using similarity-based approach, 160kbp of putative mitochondrial sequence was recovered by comparison of de novo assembled contigs with the mtgenome of the gymnosperm Cycas taitungensis. In total, 16 novel variants were identified among samples, which may be used in future phylogeographic studies. A study of needle characters was performed for eight native populations of P. sylvestris in an outdoor provenance/progeny trial of 192 saplings. A negative correlation was detected between longitude and the number of stomatal rows present on needle surfaces. It was posited that this may be an adaptive response to lower water availability in eastern pinewoods, possibly in conjunction with increasing altitude. The west coast of Scotland is one of the wettest regions in Europe: western pinewoods may receive in excess of 3,000mm of rainfall in a year, compared with an average of 800mm eastern sites. To determine whether native pinewoods are differentially adapted to waterlogging, a glasshouse based provenance/progeny trial of 432 saplings from nine native populations was undertaken, in which 50% were subject to a long-term waterlogging treatment, and the remainder used as a control. Two studies were then conducted. In the first, responses to the treatment were assessed in terms of phenological and growth traits. Bud flush was delayed in response to waterlogging, and growth was impeded relative to the control. Although population differences were observed, treatment × population interactions were not detected. In the second study physiological traits known to be sensitive to plant stress and water balance were measured at intervals throughout the experiment. Prior to the commencement of the treatment needle δ13C was found to exhibit interpopulation differentiation, and was positively correlated with longitude. This seems likely to represent differential selection for water use efficiency between eastern and western pinewoods. Photochemical efficiency and stomatal conductance were found to be reduced by waterlogging, and needle δ13C was increased. After generalising populations into ‘high’ and ‘low’ rainfall groups (monthly averages of 214.9mm and 72.8mm, respectively), high rainfall populations were observed to maintain consistently higher photochemical efficiency under waterlogging the low rainfall populations. In addition, the low rainfall group exhibited greater variability in response to flooding (in terms of phenotypic and additive genetic variance) which may be indicative of a lack of past selection pressure

Ipi Ocemumuge: A Regional Archaeology of the Upper Tapajós River

The aim of this thesis is to offer an initial construction of the long term past of the Upper Tapajós River, considering processes of long-term continuities as well as ruptures. I will attempt to “bridge the gap” between pre-Columbian and post-conquest occupations in the region through the study of archaeology, historical linguistics, ethnohistory, and social anthropology. The least known of these is the region’s archaeology, which constitutes the main focus of this study. The bulk of the archaeological data was generated through the analysis of ceramic complexes from two archaeological sites called Terra Preta do Mangabal (TPM) and Sawre Muybu (SM), dating initially to approximately the late seventh and the early ninth centuries AD respectively. The remains were found stratified in expanses of anthropogenic soils known as Amazonian Dark Earths (ADEs). The study of these artefacts permitted not only comparisons on a wider scale but also allowed me to address questions related to ancient exchange networks and potential links to the distribution of Carib and Tupian language families. Both sites belong to territories traditionally occupied by the Munduruku Indians (in the case of SM) and the Beiradeiros of Montanha e Mangabal (in regard to TPM). The framework of Historical Ecology has provided a key vantage point from which to observe the ways in which the current inhabitants of the studied landscape engage with environments transformed by past human actions. The research has been carried out in a context of conflict and resistance by these forest peoples against planned development projects that could cause primary, irreversible alterations to the landscape in which they have lived for generations and in which their collective memory is inscribed. The role of scientists and archaeologists involved in environmental assessment studies undertaken in the context of human rights violations is questioned

UVR8 mediated spatial differences as a prerequisite for UV-B induced inflorescence phototropism

In Arabidopsis hypocotyls, phototropins are the dominant photoreceptors for the positive phototropism response towards unilateral ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation. We report a stark contrast of response mechanism with inflorescence stems with a central role for UV RESISTANCE LOCUS 8 (UVR8). The perception of UV-B occurs mainly in the epidermis and cortex with a lesser contribution of the endodermis. Unilateral UV-B exposure does not lead to a spatial difference in UVR8 protein levels but does cause differential UVR8 signal throughout the stem with at the irradiated side 1) increase of the transcription factor ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5 (HY5), 2) an associated strong activation of flavonoid biosynthesis genes and flavonoid accumulation, 3) increased GA2oxidase expression, diminished gibberellin1 levels and accumulation of DELLA protein REPRESSOR OF GA1 (RGA) and, 4) increased expression of the auxin transport regulator, PINOID, contributing to local diminished auxin signalling. Our molecular findings are in support of the Blaauw theory (1919), suggesting that differential growth occurs trough unilateral photomorphogenic growth inhibition. Together the data indicate phototropin independent inflorescence phototropism through multiple locally UVR8-regulated hormone pathways

27th Fungal Genetics Conference

Program and abstracts from the 27th Fungal Genetics Conference Asilomar, March 12-17, 2013

27th Fungal Genetics Conference

Program and abstracts from the 27th Fungal Genetics Conference Asilomar, March 12-17, 2013

The HBP1 tumor suppressor is a negative epigenetic regulator of MYCN driven neuroblastoma through interaction with the PRC2 complex

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