Patch-based survey methods for studying prehistoric human land-usein agriculturally modified landscapes: A case study from the Canal de Navarrés, eastern Spain

In landscapes whose surface has been modified by terracing and other agricultural land-use, the spatial and temporal patterning of prehistoric settlement can be difficult to detect using traditional, site- orientated archaeological survey methods, especially for small-scale societies. In these contexts, methods that can reveal occupational patterns at landscape scales, without the need to pinpoint specific sites of human occupation, can be especially useful. We employ a stratified, randomly selected patch- based survey strategy to examine socio-ecological dynamics from the Middle Paleolithic through Bell Beaker (Chalcolithic) periods within the Canal de Navarre,s, eastern Spain. We divide the study region into survey strata according to differences in topography and vegetation communities and use a random selection of demarcated, terraced fields as data collection patches. All survey data is digitally recorded using tablets in the field, creating a streamlined and more accurate workflow, where observations of artifacts, soils, ground visibility, and photographs are georeferenced and ready for analysis in a GIS. Surface artifact densities, estimated from sampled patches, are used to generate prehistoric land-use maps and empirical Bayesian methods allow us to track shifts in occupational patterns through time. Regional reference collections of well-dated lithic artifacts provide the 'prior knowledge' required to make estimates of the probability of prehistoric occupation in each sampled patch. This combination of field and analytical methods makes possible the study of regional-scale land-use dynamics in agriculturally modified landscape

Human-Impact Gradients through Anthropogenic Pollen Indicators in a Mediterranean Mosaic Landscape (Balearic Islands)

This paper proposes new anthropogenic pollen indicators for the Balearic Islands and attempts to assess gradients of human impact on vegetation in Mediterranean islands. A combination of modern pollen analogue studies, complemented by phytosociological descriptions and ordination techniques using quantitative and presence/absence data was used. Redundancy analysis allowed us to evaluate the relationships between pollen types and significant environmental variables and propose regional (e.g., Centaurea, Rubus, Plantago lanceolata-t) and local/microregional anthropogenic pollen indicators (e.g., Cerealia, Poygonum aviculare, Matricaria-t). Additionally, an anthropogenic index score (AIS) for each sampled location was calculated to correlate each pollen type to a specific degree of human impact: (a) low (e.g., Cerastium-t, Erica arborea-t, Cistus albidus), (b) moderate (e.g, Sinapis-t, Sanguisorba minor-t, Plantago bellardii-t), (c) high (e.g., Papaveraceae undiff., Dipsacaceae, Secale-t). This paper contributes to a further understanding of land-use dynamics and to defining the degree of impact, which is especially necessary to assess colonization and anthropization rhythms in Mediterranean island environments

Resiliencia y cambio durante el Holoceno en La Canal de Navarrés (Valencia): recientes trabajos de prospección

Presentamos en este trabajo una evaluación inicial de los trabajos de prospección sistemática llevados a cabo en la comarca de La Canal de Navarrés (Valencia) desde el año 2014 en el marco del proyecto NSF "The Emergence of Coupled Natural and Human Landscapes in the Western Mediterranean". El programa desarrollado ha seguido un protocolo previamente establecido por nuestro equipo de trabajo con la novedad de la incorporación de nuevas tecnologías en el trabajo de campo (dispositivos electrónicos) cuyo objetivo ha sido agilizar el procesado de la información posterior en el laboratorio mediante el uso de un entorno GIS. Los resultados obtenidos confirman la presencia de materiales en diferentes puntos del valle indicativos de una amplia cronología (entre el Pleistoceno final y el desarrollo del Holoceno) que se suman a los registros prehistóricos conocidos en el área desde el Paleolítico medio a la Edad del Bronce. In this paper we present a preliminary approach to the survey work carried out in La Canal de Navarrés (Valencia) since 2014 in the framework of the NSF Project 'The Emergence of Coupled Natural and Human Landscapes in the Western Mediterranean'. The programme developed follows previous protocols established by us with the novelty of the use of new technologies (electronic devices) with the goal to make more dynamic the analysis of data in a GIS environment. The results confirm the existence, in several open-air locations, of prehistoric artefacts along the valley regarding to a wide chronology (from the final Pleistocene and covering the Holocene) that can be added to the sequence known at the area including Middle Palaeolithic to Bronze Age evidences

Paperless survey? New methodological approaches to archaeological fieldwork, the case of Navarrés (València)

El trabajo que presentamos se ha desarrollado en el marco del proyecto NSF “The Emergence of Coupled Natural and Human Landscapes in the Western Mediterranean” en el área comprendida por la actual comarca de La Canal de Navarres, situada al suroeste de la provincia de Valencia. Este espacio se convierte en una de las áreas elegidas para un programa de recogida de datos centrado en la prospección sistemática “off site “. En las jornadas “Dando sentido a la prospección arqueológica” nos centraremos en los aspectos metodológicos que hemos desarrollado para llevar a cabo el trabajo de campo. Esta ha sido la primera vez que hemos realizado una prospección arqueológica, en una zona completamente nueva, sin ningún apoyo en documentos de papel ya fueran esto mapas, fichas, acetatos, fotos aéreas o cualquier otro tipo de documento. Toda la documentación de apoyo se ha llevado al campo en tabletas electrónicas (dos tabletas iPad mini y una tableta android) o smart-phones (iPhone o Samsung Galaxy). En el entorno operativo iOS, después de valorar otras alternativas (iGis, Autocad, …) nos decidimos por la utilización de la app CartoMobile©.The work we present has been developed within the framework of the NSF project “The Emergence of Coupled Natural and Human Landscapes in the Western Mediterranean” in the area covered by the current region of La Canal de Navarres, located southwest of the province of Valencia. This space becomes one of the areas chosen for a data collection program focused on systematic off-site prospecting. In the conference "Making sense of archaeological prospecting" we will focus on the methodological aspects that we have developed to carry out the field work. This has been the first time that we have carried out an archaeological survey, in a completely new area, without any support in paper documents, be it maps, files, acetates, aerial photos or any other type of document. All supporting documentation has been taken to the field on electronic tablets (two iPad mini tablets and an android tablet) or smart-phones (iPhone or Samsung Galaxy). In the iOS operating environment, after evaluating other alternatives (iGis, Autocad, ...) we decided to use the CartoMobile © app

A Landscape Perspective on Climate-Driven Risks to Food Security: Exploring the Relationship between Climate and Social Transformation in the Prehispanic U.S. Southwest

Spatially and temporally unpredictable rainfall patterns presented food production challenges to small-scale agricultural communities, requiring multiple risk-mitigating strategies to increase food security. Although site-based investigations of the relationship between climate and agricultural production offer insights into how individual communities may have created long-term adaptations to manage risk, the inherent spatial variability of climate-driven risk makes a landscape-scale perspective valuable. In this article, we model risk by evaluating how the spatial structure of ancient climate conditions may have affected the reliability of three major strategies used to reduce risk: drawing upon social networks in time of need, hunting and gathering of wild resources, and storing surplus food. We then explore how climate-driven changes to this reliability may relate to archaeologically observed social transformations. We demonstrate the utility of this methodology by comparing the Salinas and Cibola regions in the prehispanic U.S. Southwest to understand the complex relationship among climate-driven threats to food security, risk-mitigation strategies, and social transformations. Our results suggest key differences in how communities buffered against risk in the Cibola and Salinas study regions, with the structure of precipitation influencing the range of strategies to which communities had access through time

Genetic Architecture of Type 2 Diabetes: Recent Progress and Clinical Implications

Review. Introductory paragraph: With the exception of rare monogenic disorders, most type 2 diabetes results from the interaction of genetic variation at multiple different chromosomal sites with environmental exposures experienced throughout the lifespan (1). This complex genetic architecture has important consequences for understanding the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes, both for researchers seeking mechanistic insight into disease progression and for clinicians hoping to translate this new genetic information into more effective patient management. With nearly two dozen genes associated with type 2 diabetes, including some genetic variants that appear to modify responses to commonly prescribed diabetes medications and lifestyle interventions, we may be on the verge of a new era in which a patient’s individual genetic profile can add useful information to clinical care. Indeed, commercial companies are already offering genome-wide genetic profiling that includes information related to diabetes risk (2). Further advances in type 2 diabetes genetic discovery hold the promise, as yet unrealized, of enabling clinicians to individualize care for their patients by basing their clinical decisions on patient risk for disease progression, propensity to develop specific complications, and likely response to different medication classes. At present it is unknown whether individual genetic information may also serve to effectively motivate patient behavior change, a cornerstone of diabetes and pre-diabetes management. In this review of polygenic type 2 diabetes, we focus on recent discoveries made via linkage analyses, candidate gene association studies and genome-wide association (GWA) scans and highlight potential clinical applications of new genetic knowledge to risk prediction, pharmacologic management, and patient behavior. Monogenic diabetes has recently been reviewed elsewhere (3)

OLEAtool: An open-source software for morphopalynological research in Olea europaea L. pollen [version 2; peer review: 2 approved]

In this paper we present OLEAtool, a new software tool for palynological research to facilitate morphological analysis and measurements of Olea pollen. OLEAtool is a macro extension for use with ImageJ, an open-access and freely available image analysis software, and was developed as a component of the OLEA-project. This larger project examines olive tree expansion and mosaic landscape formation on the Balearic Islands. Pollen analysis of both fossil and modern grains has been proven useful for characterizing cultivars and therefore an important method for studying olive tree cultivation in the Mediterranean. However, these methods still struggle with distinguishing between wild and cultivated varieties. Traditional morphological analysis of pollen grains can be a difficult and time-consuming task. However, OLEAtool dramatically increases the speed of collecting data on pollen grains, expands the number of variables an analyst can measure, and greatly enhances the replicability of morphological analysis

Examen de las dinámicas socio-ecológicas en el valle medio del Xuquer (Valencia) desde el Paleolítico Medio hasta el Calcolítico

En paisajes intensamente modificados por terrazas agrícolas y otros usos modernos del suelo, el patrón espacial y temporal del poblamiento prehistórico puede ser difícil de detectar usando métodos de prospección arqueológica tradicionales orientados a la localización de yacimientos part iculares. El abancalamiento del territorio para su explotación agrícola es norma común en el área de trabajo, por lo que es necesario examinar el paisaje en su conjunto, en lugar de intentar localiza r zonas concretas de actividad ant rópica prehistórica. Para superar estos desafíos, se ha empleado una estrategia estratificada, seleccionando aleato ria me nte las parcelas a prospectar, para examinar las dinámicas socio­ ecológicas desde los inic ios Pleistoceno superior hasta el período atlántico con es pecial atención a los momentos del Holoceno claves para entender el proceso de neolit izaciá n. La zona de estudio se dividió en sectores (fig ura 1) de prospección atendiendo a las diferencias geomorfológicas y vegetacio nales y a partir de ahí en cada uno de los sectores se prospecta una serie de parcelas de manera aleatoria. La densidad de hallazgos de superficie se utiliza para generar crono logías prehistóricas de ocupación del te rritorio a través de mé todos bayesianos (figura 2). Las colecciones regio na les de referencia de artefactos líticos bien datados proporcionan el "conocimie nto previo" requerido para hacer estimaciones de la probabilidad de utilización del área a lo largo de la prehistoria. Todos los datos obtenidos en la prospección se registran digitalmente utilizando tabletas electrónicas en el campo, gracias a un plan de gestión de datos simplificado en el que las observaciones de artefactos, suelos, visibilidad del suelo y fotografías están georreferenciadas y preparadas para su poste rior análisis en un entorno de un Sistema de Informac ión Geográfica. Todo ello, sin olvidar que el objetivo principa l de la prospección sistemática en La Canal de Navarrés es, acercarse a la forma en que las comunidades prehistóricas han inte ract uado co n el medio ambiente desde el Paleolítico medio hasta el final de la Prehistoria (García Puchol et al. 2014, Diez Castillo et al. 2016). Son esos aspectos socioecológicos los que tienen especial relevancia para comprender la respuesta de las comunidades a los cambios locales (Barton et al. 2002).In landscapes heavily modified by agricultural terraces and other modern land uses, the spatial and temporal pattern of the prehistoric settlement can be difficult to detect using traditional archaeological survey methods geared towards locating particular deposits. The flagging of the territory for its agricultural exploitation is a common norm in the work area, so it is necessary to examine the landscape as a whole, instead of trying to locate specific areas of prehistoric anthropic activity. To overcome these challenges, a stratified strategy has been used, by selecting randomly plots to survey, to examine the socio-ecological dynamics from the early Pleistocene to the Atlantic period with special attention to the key Holocene moments to understand yhe neolithization process. The study area was divided into sectors (Figure 1), taking into account the geomorphological and vegetative differences and from there in each of the sectors, a series of plots was prospected randomly. The density of surface findings is used to generate chronological prehistoric logs of occupation of the territory through Bayesian methods (Figure 2). The regional reference collections of well-dated lithic artifacts provide the "prior knowledge" required to estimate the probability of use of the area throughout prehistory. All data obtained in the survey are digitally recorded using electronic tablets in the field, thanks to a simplified data management plan in which observations of artifacts, soils, visibility of the soil and photographs are georeferenced and prepared for further analysis. in the framework of a Geographic Information System. All this, without forgetting that the main objective of systematic surveying in La Canal de Navarrés is to approach the way in which prehistoric communities have interacted with their environment since the Middle Palaeolithic until the end of the Prehistory (García Puchol et al. 2014, Diez Castillo et al. 2016). It is these socio-ecological aspects that have special relevance to understand the response of communities to local changes (Barton et al. 2002)

Modern analogs for understanding pollen-vegetation dynamics in a Mediterranean mosaic landscape (Balearic Islands, Western Mediterranean)

This paper presents the study of modern pollen analogs from the Balearic Islands. While similar studies have been largely applied to mainland areas, research focused on modern vegetation dynamics on Mediterranean islands remains very rare. In this research, we combine vegetation surveys, pollen analysis and multivariate statistics to understand landscape composition. The main objectives of are: (1) to examine pollen-vegetation relationships in relation to environmental and land-use variables; (2) to understand modern pollen representation in a mosaic landscape structure; and (3) to propose pollen indicators that characterize the primary vegetation types from the Balearic Islands to better interpret past pollen records in Mediterranean island environments. Pollen results and Redundancy Analysis (RDA) distinguish three major groups: (a) Holm oak and box formations; (b) maquis and garrigues; and (c) anthropogenic and open habitats. Landscape form, mean decadal rainfall, mean decadal temperature, fire activity, trampling, slope percentage, wet/ flooded soil, saline soil, distance to agropastoral cells, gHM index, domestic herbivory presence, agropastoral use, and soil type are the major variables explaining modern pollen assemblage variation in our research. Poaceae undiff., Plantago sp., Apiaceae undiff., Cerealia-t, and Cichorieae are highly correlated to human activities but should be interpreted cautiously when occurring in low values. Quercus ilex-t, Hypericum, and Buxus are correlated to humid locations while Pistacia, Pinus, Juniperus-t, and Olea to high mean decadal temperatures. Our study indicates how pollen analysis and multivariate analysis are powerful tools for characterizing the mosaic landscape, with special focus on the main vegetation types of the Balearic Islands