DNA analysis of archaeological rabbit remains from the American Southwest |
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| Institution: | 1. Ancient DNA Laboratory, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, V5A 1S6;2. Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, V5A 1S6;1. Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, CB2 3DZ, UK;2. McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, CB2 3ER, UK;1. Department of Human Evolution, Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany;2. BioArCh, Department of Archaeology, University of York, York, United Kingdom;3. Human Origins, Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands;4. Center for International Research in the Humanities and Social Sciences, UMI 3199, CNRS, New York University, New York, USA;1. University of Oxford, Institute of Archaeology, 36 Beaumont St, Oxford, OX1 2PG, United Kingdom;2. L''Institut National des Sciences de L''Archéologie et Du Patrimoine (I.N.S.A.P), Rabat, Morocco;3. Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, 1 South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3TG, United Kingdom;4. Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Department of Archaeology, Kahlaische, Straße 10 07745, Jena, Germany;5. Aix Marseille Univ., CNRS, Minist. Culture, LAMPEA, UMR 7269, 5 Rue Du Château de, L''Horloge, Aix-en-Provence, France;6. Natural History Museum London, Department of Earth Sciences, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, United Kingdom;7. Department of Historical Sciences, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Pérez Del Toro 1, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35003, Spain;8. MONREPOS Archaeological Research Centre and Museum for Human Behavioural Evolution, RZGM, Schloß Monrepos, 56567, Neuwied, Germany;9. School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, Princess St, Manchester, M1 7DN, United Kingdom |
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| Abstract: | Ancient DNA analysis was carried out on 20 archaeological rabbit remains from an early Pueblo II period site in Colorado (circa 1000 A.D.) to explore the possibility of obtaining accurate rabbit genus and species identifications. The presence of abundant rabbit remains at archaeological sites in the American Southwest indicates the importance of rabbit species in the subsistence economy and ritual activities of early aboriginal populations. The study of these remains is hindered by the difficulty of accurate identification due to the fragmentary nature of the bones and the lack of genus- and species-specific morphological features.A short cytochrome b gene fragment was amplified and sequenced to produce a genetic profile for each bone sample. At the genus level, the DNA identifications were consistent with those based on the analysis of mandible morphology for the majority of specimens. When compared to species-specific reference DNA sequences, Lepus americanus and Lepus californicus samples were easily identified. Identification of an unexpected L. americanus (snowshoe hare) from the remains provided new information concerning hunting ranges or exchange between groups in the region. Sylvilagus nuttallii and Sylvilagus audubonii, however, could not be confidently differentiated at this point due to the difficulty in obtaining accurate species-specific reference sequences.The inability to obtain such reference sequences can be a serious problem for DNA species identification of non-domestic animals that lack population-level genetic data and have few sequences available in GenBank. The lack of the DNA data increases the possibility that inappropriate reference sequences could be applied, resulting in false species identification even when authentic DNA is retrieved and amplified from ancient remains. |
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