Evaluating Potential Time Signatures within Extant Microbial Communities in Stratified Soils at the La Prele Mammoth Site

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2021: General Sessions" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Recent studies of microbial communities in terrestrial environments have shown that an input of environmental "triggers" within soil substrate can activate dormant soil microorganisms. Additionally, deep within marine coal deposits, it has been discovered that forest soil microbes thrive, despite their oceanic surroundings. However, terrestrial microbial communities have also been shown to be strongly shaped by both biotic and abiotic factors in their present environment. Within archaeological soils, the relationship of extant microbial communities to both past and present environmental conditions is poorly understood. One study tested microbial communities’ ability to indicate past climate aridity at a coarse taxonomic level, but further study was needed in order to draw conclusions. In this study, we analyzed soil samples collected from a sediment profile at the La Prele Mammoth kill site near Douglas, Wyoming using 16S rRNA marker gene analysis, radiocarbon dating, pH, electrical conductivity, and past and present climate measurements. Ordination of these measurements and microbial communities showed that soil depth, soil age, and current temperature of the soil all played significant roles in determining microbial community composition, suggesting that microbial community abundance and distribution are influenced by both past and present environmental factors.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• SAA 2021: General Sessions

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 33118