Habitat Change Versus Human Impact: Size and Frequency Trends in Multiple Taxa of Marine Invertebrates at Tse-whit-zen Village

Summary

Tectonic activity along coastlines can subtly or radically alter the substrate and elevation of the intertidal zone, thus affecting benthic marine invertebrates; however, there is no single signature for impacts. Research following mega-earthquakes in the last decade shows that the nature of the effects varies widely across taxa and locations. Analysis of the Tse-whit-zen village invertebrate fauna shows that mean sizes of bivalves of the genera Macoma, Leukoma, Saxidomus, and Tresus, and also of the gastropod Nucella lamellosa and the chiton Katharina tunicata vary significantly, and independently across seven chronological zones spanning the last ~2200 years. Taxonomic abundance of these and other frequently harvested bivalves such as Mytilus and Clinocardium also vary significantly between these relatively short occupation periods that are bracketed by known tectonic events and global climatic warming and cooling events. To evaluate the relative influence of tectonic events and human harvesting, these empirical patterns are compared to expectations for which taxa should be impacted in parallel or inverse ways deduced from predator/prey relationships, habitat preferences, and constraints on colonization and growth. The effects of climate change on ocean temperatures are controlled for using a high-resolution shell isotope sequence developed from site-specific samples.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Study of Human Ecodynamics at Tse-whit-zen, a 2,800-Year-Old Lower Elwha Klallam Coastal Village in Washington State, U.S.A.

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 17220