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Lipid biomarker analysis focused on steroids has shown to have great potential for discriminating between animal faecal inputs in archaeology. This is particularly interesting when applied to stabling deposits to assess herding strategies and livestock composition. Here we present the results of a sedimentary faecal biomarker study conducted at Belmaco Cave, a pre-European archaeological site in La Palma (Canary Islands). The site was occupied by indigenous pastoralist groups over the course of five centuries prior to the first arrival of the Europeans in the 15th century. Previous soil micromorphological data indicates recurrent sheep and/or goat penning and periodic burning of the pen in the central area of the cave. We selected bulk sediment samples from unburned, charred and ashed dung layers and carried out sterol, stanol and bile acid analysis. Our results suggest that the main source of faecal matter is sheep. We also found that even though charred and dung ash layers contained lower concentrations of the biomarker compounds, these were still sufficient to provide information on the origin of the faecal remains. These data add to our current knowledge of the aboriginal Canary Island pastoralist economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The improvement of the archaeomagnetic dating method requires compiling new and older data of the Earth's magnetic field (EMF) variations for the last millennia. Combustion events from fumier sequences have been proposed as good directional EMF recorders. However, they are subjected to diverse taphonomical processes and how these affect the archaeomagnetic record has not yet been studied. In order to evaluate it, here we report the first archaeomagnetic and rock-magnetic results on samples from experimentally recreated fumiers since 2014 under controlled conditions. A facies description with unprecedent resolution was used to study the variation of magnetic properties in depth. Rock-magnetic analyses indicate a homogenous magnetic mineralogy dominated by pseudo-single domain magnetite as main carrier in all facies, with not very high and similar contribution of the finest (superparamagnetic) grains. The low values of anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) indicate that the studied sample set is mainly isotropic. The directional behaviour in well-preserved burned facies (here described as G, LM and DGB), are jointly characterized by highly reversible thermomagnetic curves, high Koenigberger (Q n) ratio values and intense, univectorial and normal polarity orthogonal NRM demagnetization diagrams. On the contrary, specimens affected by mechanical alteration processes are less magnetic and show anomalous directional behaviours. The high thermomagnetic reversibility of ashes indicates that they reached ca. 600–700 °C, in line with the thermocouples' data. Temperatures of 460 °C were obtained for the DGB facies (subyacent black carbonaceous facies). Sampling of ashes located on the top of these combustion events should be avoided for archaeomagnetism. Being just beneath the last stabling episode they are the most prone to undergo mechanical alterations and do not preserve well the Earth's magnetic field direction. Despite their unlithified nature and the multiple taphonomic processes that fumier sequences may undergo, under certain quality criteria, they are valid geomagnetic field recorders providing both information of archaeological and geophysical interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this article is to present the current state of multidisciplinary archaeobotanical approaches that are being undertaken at Cova Gran de Santa Linya. Information from studies of seeds, charcoal, pollen, and NPP recovered from the Holocene levels of the site contribute to research questions regarding the anthropogenic transformation of the landscape. The signal of human activity in the environment can be detected through the bioarchaeological signatures of deforestation, forest management or agriculture practices. In this sense, the Cova Gran de Santa Linya is a cave deposit located in the northeast of Iberia used as an occupation site, recording mainly domestic activities during the Neolithic period. The settlement was also used as a pen during the Late Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age, preserving burnt and unburned dung layers that formed pen deposits, known as fumiers. The resolution provided by the multidisciplinary nature of this work shows how forests and fields created a mosaic landscape that provided crops, pastures, wood, and fuel and clearly reflects anthropogenic changes over time. The different methodological and analytical scales of this multidisciplinary approach, including taphonomic pollen alteration, provide a better understanding of the dynamics of the cave occupation and, from a broader perspective, the regional diversity related to the availability of plant resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of caves and/or rock shelters as a refugee for herds was a common practice in the Mediterranean area since the early Neolithic. Shepherds move the herds to pastures in higher altitudes, away from the settlements where the animals graze nearby the shelters where livestock is regrouped. Dung and residues produced during the occupation of these shelters were generally heaped and burnt to clean the site and prepare it for new usage, forming a characteristic deposit known as fumier. Fumier deposits are a great source of information to understand past herding practices including the animal's stabled, the management of the residues, the landscape, and the use of plants. In addition, they can provide a better understanding of site formation and postdepositional processes of archaeological sediments in caves and shelters including the impact of fire. Specific microarchaeological analyses are usually utilized to study fumier deposits. Here we present a multi-proxy approach that includes phytoliths, spherulites, ash pseudomorphs, and FTIR analyses, applied to the Neolithic levels of San Cristóbal, Los Husos II (Álava, Spain) and El Mirador (Burgos, Spain), located in the upper Ebro and Duero basins. This area in the north of the Iberian Peninsula constitutes a strategic location for the spread of the productive economy to the north, west, and interior of the Iberian Peninsula. Except for the lower Level XIII of San Cristóbal, where domestic activities were documented, our results showed similar behavior for the three studied sites, with no significant differences neither in terms of plant presence nor in the formation processes of the deposits. Up to seven and two possible complete stabling episodes were identified: three and two possible ones in San Cristóbal, and four in Los Husos II. Among the plants identified grasses of the C 3 Pooideae subfamily were dominant, probably representing local grasses. The combining presence of thermally altered phytoliths, spherulites, and ash pseudomorphs points that the stabling episodes burned for several hours with temperatures ranging between 500 °C and 700 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The indigenous populations of La Palma (Canary Islands), who arrived on the island from Northwest Africa ca. 2000 years B.P., were predominantly pastoralists. Yet, many aspects of their subsistence economy such as the procurement, management, and use of wild plant resources remain largely unknown. To explore this, we studied the 600–1100‐year‐old archaeological site of Belmaco Cave, which comprises a stratified sedimentary deposit representative of a fumier. Here, we present a high‐resolution, multiproxy geoarchaeological study combining soil micromorphology, lipid biomarker analysis, X‐ray diffraction, μ‐X‐ray diffraction, μ‐X‐ray fluorescence, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and μ‐Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, to characterize formation processes and explore plant sources. Recurrent goat/sheep habitation and maintenance activities are represented by interstratified layers of unburned dung, charcoal‐rich sediment, and dung ash. Lipid biomarker data show a herd diet mainly composed of herbaceous plants, which is key to understanding the mobility of indigenous shepherds. Our results also revealed an unusual suite of authigenic minerals including hazenite, aragonite, and sylvite, possibly formed through diagenetic processes involving interaction between ash, dung, urine, volcanogenic components, and bacterial activity, coupled with arid and alkaline conditions. Our study shows the potential of a multiproxy approach to a fumier deposit in a volcanogenic sedimentary context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Le système agraire traditionnel du Bassin Arachidier qui était caractérisé par l’intégration de l’agriculture-élevage, s’est transformé dans le temps. L’article a essayé de tracer cette évolution à travers une revue bibliographique. Cette évolution du système agraire est marquée par trois périodes. Au début du 19e siècle, le système reposait sur la culture continue du mil précoce qui domine dans les champs de case où la fertilité est entretenue par l’épandage des déchets domestiques et le parcage des troupeaux bovins en fin de saison sèche. Les champs de brousse étaient caractérisés d’une part, par les parcelles de mil à cycle long, et d’autre part par la jachère enclose pâturée pendant l’hivernage. La deuxième période durant la 1ère moitié du 20e siècle est marquée par l’introduction de la culture d’arachide dans les champs de brousse et le développement de la culture attelée. Cela a entrainé l’extension des surfaces cultivées et par conséquent la baisse progressive de la jachère et de l’espace pastoral. La situation s’est intensifiée dans la seconde moitié du 20ém siècle avec la quasi-disparition des pratiques traditionnelles de renouvellement de la fertilité des sols qui étaient basées sur l’intégration agriculture-élevage. Dans ce contexte, la durabilité du système passerait par le recours à des technologies adaptées de régénération des sols. L’article a suggéré ainsi, sur la base de travaux antérieurs, une série de technologies qui permettent de restaurer la fertilité de ces sols et assurer ainsi la durabilité de ces systèmes.

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Plant Science is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Plant Science is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The archaeological evidence from Cova Gran de Santa Linya suggests that during the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, the site was used as a livestock enclosure where the accumulated excrements were burned, generating a sequence known by the term fumier. Here we present the results of an integrated study of silica phytoliths, dung spherulites, and mineral composition of sedimentary matrix from the remaining Holocene sequence. The use of fire to sanitize the space had important consequences for the preservation of dung spherulites and the accumulation of phytoliths. Phytolith assemblages indicate that the animals enclosed in the cave were mostly sheep that exploited the pastures nearby the site during the year. In this sense, the results from our modern plant reference collection challenge the assumption that grass inflorescence phytolith can be used as a seasonality indicator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil fauna is an important part of ecosystems. It can be used as an element to assess soil quality and reflects the state of soil, it also contributes to the regulation and balance of physical, chemical and microbiological characteristics, and expresses the variations and ecological changes that affect soil. The objective of this study was to determine the organic quality index (QBS) of an unreduced soil of Ramial Chipped Wood (RCW) and manure. This study was carried out on uncultivated soil of an experimental farm of the Technical Institute of Field Crops (ITGC) in the region of El Khroub, Constantine, Algeria. The QBS method required the search for the most suitable soil morphological form (morpho-type) avoiding classification at the species level. Microarthropods were separated from the soil and weighed using the biological form approach to assess their level of adaptation to the soil environment. Twelve groups of microarthropods were identified, whereby mites and collembolans were the most representative (82%). The estimated average QBS was [16.7 ± 0.8]; [31.4 ± 1.0]; [32.3 ± 0.8]; [32.9 ± 1.4] and [32.7 ± 1.4], respectively, in T (Control with no amendments), BRF (Rameal Chipped Wood), BRFF(Rameal Chipped Wood and Manure), BRFV (Rameal Chipped Wood and Earth worms) and BRFFV (Rameal Chipped Wood, Manure and Earth worms). The difference was very significant between different types of plots. In addition, the QBS varied significantly from one month to another. The effect of temperature was significant on the quality of the QBS, the higher the temperature, the lower the QBS. From a practical point of view, the information reported contributes to the application of the QBS and provides reference values for this index in a soil of a semi-arid Mediterranean region, Constantine in Algeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Plant Science is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Fumier deposits are the product of the recurrent use of caves and rock shelters for stabling livestock and the periodic burning of the resulting dung. Their chronologies in the Mediterranean area extend from Neolithic times up to the Bronze Age, but they are scarce in or absent from Iron Age sites. The study of these deposits has provided important information to better understand past livestock and husbandry practices. The archaeological site of Los Husos II, Álava, in the upper Ebro basin, Spain, dating to 6,990-6,770 cal bp, represents one of the earliest pieces of evidence for animal domestication in the Basque Country. The Ebro basin is particularly important, since this was the main route by which the Neolithic economic system spread from the Mediterranean coast to the northern Iberian Peninsula and the western Pyrenees. We present here the results of the study of the fumier deposits from the Neolithic Levels IV to IX of Los Husos II, through analyses of phytoliths, faecal spherulites and ash pseudomorphs. The main goal was to discover the ways in which Neolithic populations in this region adapted these new practices and carried out their activities. The results indicate a constant pattern of keeping animals throughout the study period. The principal component of the livestock diet consisted of wild grasses from the vicinity. The presence of grass inflorescences suggests a diet rich in summer grass. In addition to grasses, dicotyledonous plants were also indicated, both through phytoliths and ash pseudomorphs. Faecal spherulites from herbivores were also noted in the samples and together with phytoliths and ash pseudomorphs they give important information regarding the formation processes of the studied deposits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Biotechnologie, Agronomie, Societe et Environnement is the property of Les Presses Agronomiques de Gembloux and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

An analysis of twelve samples from Bronze Age level MIR4 (3040 ± 40–3400 ± 40 BP), burnt to different degrees, has allowed to characterised the palynological content of the sedimentary facies generated by burning practices. The pollen and Non-Pollen Palynomorphs (NPP) remains have contributed to our understanding of the diagenetic factors that accompanied the accumulation dynamics. The taphonomic analysis has led to the detection of biases in the palynological record associated to diagenetic processes, mainly relating to burning activities, which would also have caused the variability in the NPPs. This alternative approach to archaeological samples has revealed the heterogenic nature of the taphonomic modifications found in samples with apparently the same origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the study of bone alterations in fumier deposits from an experimental point of view. Fumiers are characteristic of livestock enclosures in the Mediterranean area used from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age. They originate from the process of burning livestock dung piles to reduce the volume of dung accumulation and to rid these spaces of parasites. Therefore, diverse taphonomic processes take part in the formation of these types of deposits, making it difficult to interpret them, despite numerous multidisciplinary studies. This work specifically focuses on bone burning alterations. Two experiments were set up consisting of bone burning in dung piles. Sheep and goat dung was used with different matrix, texture and humidity features. The sample was made up of defleshed fresh, boiled and dry bone fragments from small and medium-sized species. As seen in previous experiments, the burning time and temperature in the two experiments varied due to these different dung features. The resulting bone sample was analyzed using taphonomic methods. Bone alterations essentially depend on the time and intensity of the dung burning. Bone condition is a secondary determining factor. The color degrees were high and coherent with the degree of dung alteration. Cortical damage was more abundant in fresh and boiled bones than in dry bones. No meaningful differences were identified with regard to bones burned in hearth combustions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The archaeological site of El Mirador is located in the southern slope of the Sierra de Atapuerca. The work developed at the site is providing a substantial set of data from the Upper Palaeolithic and Early Neolithic to the Middle Bronze Age. Throughout at least about 4000 years of occupation, the cave was used for various activities, among which, burial, habitation and animal stalling. The practices related with this last use is, at the moment, the main origin of the archaeological deposits, which are mainly composed by burnt animal dung with vegetal residues, potsherds, lithics and faunal remains. In addition, it is characterized by high sedimentation rates that have enabled an individual and clear record of different episodes, providing high resolution chronological data. Due to these particularities, specific excavation methodology and interdisciplinary studies of the archaeological data have been developed in order to understand the genesis of this archaeological sequence and, at the same time, to provide information about the introduction and development of the production economy in the Submeseta Norte region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research for referential data on current livestock contexts is essential for correctly interpreting archaeological records documented in prehistoric livestock spaces. Experimental programmes such as the one begun in 2014 in the Mas del Pepet pen (Rojals, Tarragona) has permitted an understanding, among other matters, of fold characteristics according to the type of livestock, the seasonality of occupations and herd management. This study also contributes to the identification of taphonomic processes that have taken place and to determine the representativeness of the botanical content in the deposit, in relation to the environment and pasture areas. Finally, the dung burning experiments conducted have provided data that will help to reveal the way manure was treated in prehistoric fold caves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farming techniques intensification in recent decades has raised many questions about soil fertility louse. Monoculture of cereals and intensive tillage have led to soil a rapid degradation of organic matter (OM), followed by compaction and reduction of the capacity of mineralization. Therefore a lost of productivity of farming systems was observed. The use of bioressources such as crop residues in soil fertilization is a technique for bio-remediation of degraded land. Four residus (Root and foliage) of sulla (Hedysarum cornarium L.), rapeseed (Brassica napus L.), faba bean (Vicia faba L. var. Minuta (Desf.ex.Alef.) Mansf)) and durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) were analyzed in comparison with cattle manure as control. All crop residues were taken in June 2009, from an experimental plot located in the experimental station of the Institut Nationl Agronomic of Tunisia INAT, at Mornag (Ben Arous/Tunisia). All plant residues were characterized by a high level of organic carbon (40-44%) while that of manure was 31.75%. In the other hand, the concentration in total nitrogen was very significant for manure (2.33%) compared to the other residues which did not exceed 1%. Consequently, the C/N ratio of manure was 13.62 while the average for the other residues was about 59.62. Residues Fabaceae (sulla, faba bean) were characterized by the highest cellulose rates, respectively 35.4 and 35.5% of the OM, compared to manure which was distinguished by the lowest rate (2.35%). The lignin content varied from 7 to 19 % in the residues and manure. The neutral detergent soluble fraction has an average of 26 % for Fabaceae and 24 % for wheat and rape, whereas it was 70 % for manure. Rapeseed residues were characterized by the index of biological stability ISB lowest of 0.11 % against a rate of 0.34 % for other residues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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A 6-yr study (2010-2015) was carried out in southern Alberta to investigate the effects of a beef feedlot (5000 head) on groundwater quality. Evaluation methods included measuring groundwater levels, groundwater sampling and chemical analysis, modelling of groundwater flow, and nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) and chloride (Cl) trend analysis. Groundwater samples were collected from 12 monitoring wells, which were distributed outside the feedlot pens but within or adjacent to the feedlot area and ranged in depth from 4.1 to 20 m. Median concentrations of NO3-N among the wells ranged from the detection limit (0.05 mg L -1) to 115 mg L -1, with an overall average concentration of 41 mg L -1. Median concentrations of Cl among the wells ranged from the detection limit (5 mg L -1) to 461 mg L -1, with an overall average concentration of 156 mg L -1. The deepest piezometer (20 m) showed no evidence of manure contamination, with NO3-N less than 3 mg L -1 and Cl less than 20 mg L -1; however, high NO3-N and Cl concentrations in the shallow water-table wells suggested likely contamination mainly from the feedlot and stockpiled manure. Our results also showed that manure stockpiles might have had a greater effect on groundwater quality than the feedlot itself. Temporal analysis of changes in concentrations showed no significant trends for NO3-N and Cl in the majority of the wells (75%), suggesting that concentrations are not expected to change with time under current management practices at this site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Biotechnologie, Agronomie, Societe et Environnement is the property of Les Presses Agronomiques de Gembloux and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Animal Science is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)