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Abstract: The analysis of dietary traits of ungulates through tooth microwear and mesowear has been applied to archaeological sites to investigate seasonal changes in settlements by hunter–gatherers. In this paper we propose to test the hypothesis that tooth microwear (combined to mesowear) is able to indicate seasonality in the diet of extant ungulates in arid habitats (semi-deserts or steppe). The material analyzed comes from six faunal monospecific assemblages of guanaco (Lama guanicoe) resulting from a mass mortality event in winter 2000 near the Cardiel Lake in Southern Patagonia (Province of Santa Cruz, Argentina). Mesowear results indicate that the guanacos from the Cardiel Lake area are mixed feeders, and thus, have a diet that shifts seasonally. Moreover, microwear analysis supports the hypothesis that tooth microwear is able to indicate seasonality in the diet of extant guanaco in arid habitats. The pattern is clear for the winter sample and needs to be confirmed for a summer sample. Consequently, tooth microwear is proposed as a new potential proxy for detecting seasonal occupation in archaeological sites in Patagonia and other arid environments. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper incorporates an experimental approach to the study of violence patterns in Northeastern Patagonia (Argentina) during the late Holocene. The underlying hypothesis considers a close association between socio-ecologic alterations during the Medieval Climatic Anomaly (MCA) (ca. 1150–600 years BP; , ) and a probable increase in conflict levels. In order to test this hypothesis, human skulls (n = 986) were analyzed for bone lesions, discriminating late bone lesions, such as those produced by metal tools. The experimental approach used swine (Sus scrofa domestica) skulls, as proxies for human skulls, and incorporated original sabers. From this discriminating analysis, it can be inferred that no significant increase in violence signs were recorded until the first stages of Hispanic-indigenous contact (first half of 17th century). These findings emphasize the need for a revision of the implications of the dynamics of human populations in Northeastern Patagonia during the late Holocene. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The management and conservation of animal species should be based upon a long-term analysis that considers its geographical distribution and feeding patterns. The study of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes on skeletal remains provides a quantitative approach to the paleodietary reconstructions and constitutes a potent tool for comparing behavioral aspects of the fauna. In this paper we present the first set of isotopic values for modern and archaeological samples of Huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus) from the forests of Central-western Patagonia, Chile. Contrary to initial expectations, our analysis indicates that there is no evidence of an important incidence of the canopy effect on the δ13Ccollagen values, which we suggest is due to an ecological selection that drives the huemul to focus its predation on open sectors within the forest. On the other hand, a wide range of δ15Ncollagen values for huemul was verified. This could reflect the N impoverishment of the forest soils and provide an interesting ecological indicator. The long-term information offered by the archaeological record provides the necessary context for decision-making conducive towards the preservation of Hippocamelus bisulcus in Patagonia. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Zooarchaeologists have relied upon various approaches to study the impacts of harvest pressure and environmental change on ungulate populations, such as analysis of prey mortality patterns and morphometrics. Analysis of ancient DNA from ungulate bones and bone fragments from archaeological sites provides an additional means for studying prey population dynamics related to environmental change and human ecology over time. In this paper, we study the population history of the largest game animal in northwest Patagonia, the guanaco (Lama guanicoe). Our study relies on the use of Bayesian Skyline Plots to determine shifts in estimated guanaco population size based on analysis of ancient mitochondrial DNA. Our results indicate that hunting by humans in addition to increases in aridity during the late Holocene led to a decline in the guanaco population in the region, which is in contrast to the harvest and environmental history in other parts of Patagonia (south of our study area). Using a weight of evidence approach that includes proxies of environmental change, human population dynamics, exploitation of guanacos, and estimates of guanaco population size, we argue that the late Holocene shift in guanaco population size was a driving factor in subsistence and settlement change related to resource intensification during the late Holocene in northwest Patagonia. • Demographic reconstruction of guanaco population dynamics during the Holocene. •Estimated population size is based on ancient DNA analysis through Next Generation Sequencing. •There are key changes in guanaco population size during the late Holocene. •Late Holocene guanaco population relates to increased hunting pressure in northwest Patagonia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]