Reductions in the dietary niche of southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) from the Holocene to the Anthropocene.

The sea otter (Enhydra lutris) is a marine mammal hunted to near extinction during the 1800s. Despite their well-known modern importance as a keystone species, we know little about historical sea otter ecology. Here, we characterize the ecological niche of ancient southern sea otters (E. lutris nereis) using δ13C analysis and δ15N analysis of bones recovered from archaeological sites spanning ~7,000 to 350 years before present (N = 112 individuals) at five regions along the coast of California. These data are compared with previously published data on modern animals (N = 165) and potential modern prey items. In addition, we analyze the δ15N of individual amino acids for 23 individuals to test for differences in sea otter trophic ecology through time. After correcting for tissue-specific and temporal isotopic effects, we employ nonparametric statistics and Bayesian niche models to quantify differences among ancient and modern animals. We find ancient otters occupied a larger isotopic niche than nearly all modern localities; likely reflecting broader habitat and prey use in prefur trade populations. In addition, ancient sea otters at the most southerly sites occupied an isotopic niche that was more than twice as large as ancient otters from northerly regions. This likely reflects greater invertebrate prey diversity in southern California relative to northern California. Thus, we suggest the potential dietary niche of sea otters in southern California could be larger than in central and northern California. At two sites, Año Nuevo and Monterey Bay, ancient otters had significantly higher δ15N values than modern populations. Amino acid δ15N data indicated this resulted from shifting baseline isotope values, rather than a change in sea otter trophic ecology. Our results help in better understanding the contemporary ecological role of sea otters and exemplify the strength of combing zooarchaeological and biological information to provide baseline data for conservation efforts

Teixeira: The Costanoan/Ohlone Indians of the San Francisco and Monterey Bay Area: A Research Guide

The Costanoan/Ohlone Indians of the San Francisco and Monterey Bay Area: A Research Guide. Lauren S. Teixeira. Ballena Press Anthropological Papers No. 46, 1997, 130 pp., 1 map, 5 photographs, $25.00 (hard cover),$12.95 (paper)

Teixeira: The Costanoan/Ohlone Indians of the San Francisco and Monterey Bay Area: A Research Guide

The Costanoan/Ohlone Indians of the San Francisco and Monterey Bay Area: A Research Guide. Lauren S. Teixeira. Ballena Press Anthropological Papers No. 46, 1997, 130 pp., 1 map, 5 photographs, $25.00 (hard cover),$12.95 (paper)

An Archaeological and Historical View of Quiroste Tribal Genesis

Abstract The ethnographic Quiroste tribe has been described as the most powerful tribe on the San Francisco Peninsular coast (Milliken 1991:186). Archaeological and historical information from within their ancestral territory, especially at Año Nuevo State Park, reveals a long tradition of in situ cultural developments spanning the middle and late Holocene. Año Nuevo State Park was the center for Monterey chert stone tool production, and a source of export for economically important olivella and abalone shell. These resources, along with abundant terrestrial and marine foods and materials, established the Quiroste as a prominent polity among the many others that controlled territories throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Resumen La tribu etnográfica Quiroste ha sido descrita como la tribu más poderosa en la costa de del península de San Francisco (Milliken 1991:186). La información arqueológica e histórica desde adentro de su territorio ancestral, especialmente en el Parque Estatal de Año Nuevo, revela una tradición larga de desarrollo cultural in situ abarcando el Holoceno Medio y Tardío. El Parque Estatal de Año Nuevo fue el centro de producción de herramientas líticas de sílex Monterey y una fuente económicamente importante de exportación de conchas de olivella y abulón. Estos recursos, junto con la abundancia de alimentos terrestres y marinos, establecieron la Quiroste como una entidad política importante entre los muchos otros que controlaron los territorios por todo el área de la Bahía de San Francisco. European explorers, missionaries, and colonists arriving at the San Francisco Peninsula in the early 1770s found a region controlled by a mosaic of individua

Reductions in the dietary niche of southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) from the Holocene to the Anthropocene.

The sea otter (Enhydra lutris) is a marine mammal hunted to near extinction during the 1800s. Despite their well-known modern importance as a keystone species, we know little about historical sea otter ecology. Here, we characterize the ecological niche of ancient southern sea otters (E. lutris nereis) using δ13C analysis and δ15N analysis of bones recovered from archaeological sites spanning ~7,000 to 350 years before present (N = 112 individuals) at five regions along the coast of California. These data are compared with previously published data on modern animals (N = 165) and potential modern prey items. In addition, we analyze the δ15N of individual amino acids for 23 individuals to test for differences in sea otter trophic ecology through time. After correcting for tissue-specific and temporal isotopic effects, we employ nonparametric statistics and Bayesian niche models to quantify differences among ancient and modern animals. We find ancient otters occupied a larger isotopic niche than nearly all modern localities; likely reflecting broader habitat and prey use in prefur trade populations. In addition, ancient sea otters at the most southerly sites occupied an isotopic niche that was more than twice as large as ancient otters from northerly regions. This likely reflects greater invertebrate prey diversity in southern California relative to northern California. Thus, we suggest the potential dietary niche of sea otters in southern California could be larger than in central and northern California. At two sites, Año Nuevo and Monterey Bay, ancient otters had significantly higher δ15N values than modern populations. Amino acid δ15N data indicated this resulted from shifting baseline isotope values, rather than a change in sea otter trophic ecology. Our results help in better understanding the contemporary ecological role of sea otters and exemplify the strength of combing zooarchaeological and biological information to provide baseline data for conservation efforts

Mild residual pulmonary stenosis in tetralogy of fallot reduces risk of pulmonary valve replacement

Current surgical strategies that aim at preventing pulmonary regurgitation in patients with corrected tetralogy of Fallot (cToF) may result in a certain grade of residual pulmonary stenosis (PS). The clinical implications of a postoperative residual PS in cToF patients remain unclear. Pulmonary valve replacement (PVR) is frequently needed during follow-up of cToF patients. The aim of the current study was to determine the role of residual PS in the need for PVR during follow-up in cToF patients. cToF patients were included if clinical follow-up after primary surgical correction had taken place for a minimum of 5 years. Patient characteristics, surgical factors, and postoperative factors were reviewed, with a special focus on the transpulmonic systolic gradient. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was performed to identify predictors of PVR. Of 171 cToF patients, 71 (41.5%) underwent PVR after 24.2 years (interquartile range, 16.8-31.6 years). Year of birth, older age at corrective operation, and patch use significantly predicted PVR during follow-up. By contrast, a mild residual PS in cToF patients (peak systolic gradient, 15-30 mm Hg) independently reduced the risk of PVR, as compared with patients without PS (hazard ratio, 0.47; p = 0.02) and with moderate-to-severe PS (hazard ratio, 0.35; p = 0.01). In addition to the known risks factors for PVR, a postoperative mild residual PS reduces the risk of PVR during follow-up of cToF patients. This finding provides clinical evidence for a conservative PS relief during correction of To

Revealing Santa Clara University\u27s prehistoric past: CA-SCI-755, evidence from the Arts & Sciences building project

This monograph, bearing the unpretentious subtitle Evidence from the Arts and Sciences Building stands as an elegant contradiction to all of those easy excuses. Russell Skowronek and his co-investigators have produced a report that stands not only as a template for what can be done with a modest data-set of ten prehistoric burials, but as a template for cooperation with the Ohlone descendants of those who, well over a millennium ago, carefully prepared their loved ones for eternity. Working from ancient maps and city directories, Carlson and associates have produced a fine summary of virtually everyone who ever occupied what came to be known as Block M-13 of the City of Santa Clara. Hylkema moves from an excellent report on grave associated artifacts, to a sophisticated discussion of the growth of social complexity. With every burial radiocarbon dated (mostly by Accelerator Mass Spectrometry), the authors quietly proceed to a series of cutting-edge studies that are rarely, if ever, found between the covers of a single site report. Taken together, Wu\u27s examination of mitochondrial DNA, Graham\u27s study of prehistoric diet from stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis, Pierce \u27s paleopathological investigation, and Oeh\u27s reconstruction of the faces of the Ohlone, establish a new benchmark for what can be achieved with a small data set, and a smaller budget. This volume stands as the valedictory of an archaeological program created virtually from scratch by Russell Skowronek. With fifteen monographs in print , and more on the way, Santa Clara University is the immensely fortunate recipient of a windfall profit far exceeding its modest investment