| 1. |
- Ahlgren, Hans, et al.
(författare)
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Multiple prehistoric introductions of the mountain hare (Lepus timidus) on a remote island, as revealed by ancient DNA
- 2016
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Ingår i: Journal of Biogeography. - : Wiley. - 0305-0270 .- 1365-2699. ; 43:9, s. 1786-1796
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aim: The majority of the non-volant mammals now present on the island of Gotland, Sweden, have been introduced in modern times. One exception is the mountain hare (Lepus timidus), which was present on the island more than 9000 years ago. This paper investigates the origins of the Gotland hares and temporal changes in their genetic structure, and considers how they may have reached the island.Location: The island of Gotland, Sweden (57°30′ N, 18°20′ E).Methods: Two fragments of the mitochondrial D-loop 130 + 164 base pairs in length from skeletal remains from 40 ancient mountain hares from Gotland, 38 from the Swedish mainland and five from Lithuania were analysed and compared with 90 modern L. timidus haplotypes from different locations in Eurasia and five haplotypes of the Don-hare (Lepus tanaiticus) morphotype.Results: The Mesolithic hares from Gotland (7304 bc–5989 bc) cluster with modern hares from Russia, Scotland, the Alps and Fennoscandia whereas the Gotland hares from the Neolithic and onwards (2848 bc–1641 ad) cluster with Neolithic hares from the Swedish mainland and modern hares from Fennoscandia. The Neolithic haplotypes from Lithuania and the Don-hare haplotypes were dispersed within the network. The level of differentiation (FST) between the Mesolithic and Neolithic hares on Gotland was twice as great as that observed on the mainland.Main conclusions: The ancient hares on Gotland fall into two haplogroups separated in time, indicating that the mountain hare became extinct at one point, with subsequent re-colonization events. In view of the isolated location of Gotland, it is probable that the hares were brought there by human means of transport.
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| 2. |
- Ahlgren, Hans, 1984-
(författare)
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Prehistoric human impact on wild mammalian populations in Scandinavia
- 2021
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis aims to study the interactions of pre-agricultural societies in Scandinavia with wild mammals, for example in terms of hunting and translocation. More specifically, the aim is to investigate the possibility of identifying examples of overexploitation, targeted hunting or translocation of wild mammals in prehistoric Scandinavia, and to discuss the implications this could have had for both the wild animals and the humans. The thesis also studies translocation to evaluate the feasibility of using it as a proxy for prehistoric human mobility, and to understand the motivation for this action. Although the focus is on the animals in this thesis, the ultimate purpose is to study humans and their interactions with animals in prehistory. The thesis applies genetic analyses to zooarchaeological material of various mammalian species from different Scandinavian sites, in order to study whether the genetic structures have changed in these species over time, and to assess whether these changes were induced by different human actions. The species studied in this thesis were selected on the basis of the importance they are considered to have had for prehistoric people.The dissertation comprises five studies. The first study investigates the occurrence of mountain hares on the island of Gotland, and discusses how they got there and where they came from. The second study explores the temporal genetic structure of the grey seal in the Baltic Sea, and discusses whether humans and/or climate were the drivers for the sudden disappearance of grey seals from the island of Stora Karlsö. The third study concerns a shift where moose apparently became less important as prey in northern Sweden at the end of the Neolithic period, and discusses whether humans targeted female moose in hunting. The fourth study analyses and discusses the history of the harp seal in the Baltic Sea. The fifth study is a methodological paper which involves identifying seals according to sex, using the dog genome.The overall result of the different case studies shows that there were major population fluctuations over time in all the species studied, and that in some cases, humans are likely to have contributed to this, e.g. through overhunting and translocation. The study also shows that the population fluctuations often occurred in connection with certain climatic events, though it was not possible to separate climatic effects from human impact in terms of the cause.
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| 3. |
- Ahlgren, Hans, 1984-, et al.
(författare)
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The Baltic grey seal : A 9000-year history of presence and absence
- 2022
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Ingår i: The Holocene. - : SAGE Publications. - 0959-6836 .- 1477-0911. ; 32:6, s. 569-577
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) has been part of the Baltic Sea fauna for more than 9000 years and has ever since been subjected to extensive human hunting, particularly during the early phases of its presence in the Baltic Sea, but also in the early 20th century. In order to study their temporal genetic structure and to investigate whether there has been a genetically continuous grey seal population in the Baltic, we generated mitochondrial control region data from skeletal remains from ancient grey seals from the archaeological sites Stora Förvar (Sweden) and Neustadt (Germany) and compared these with modern grey seal data. We found that the majority of the Mesolithic grey seals represent haplotypes that is not found in contemporary grey seals, indicating that the Baltic Sea population went extinct, likely due to human overexploitation and environmental change. We hypothesize that grey seals recolonised the Baltic Sea from the North Sea. during the Bronze Age or Iron Age, and that the contemporary Baltic grey seal population is direct descendants of this recolonisation. Our study highlights the power of biomolecular archaeology to understand the factors that shape contemporary marine diversity.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Anagnostou, Eirini, et al.
(författare)
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The AD 536/540 climate event in Sweden : a review
- 2024
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Ingår i: Boreas. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0300-9483 .- 1502-3885.
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The middle of the first millennium AD in Sweden witnessed significant changes in the archaeological record, prompting various discussions about the underlying causes. This paper reviews the research developments surrounding the global climate cooling, which was caused by severe volcanic eruptions in AD 536/540 and is referred to as the Late Antique Little Ice Age or Fimbulwinter, and its potential impacts, with a specific focus on Swedish Iron Age societies, drawing upon published climatic and archaeological data. Furthermore, it discusses the research gaps that impede a comprehensive understanding of the potential relationship between the AD 536/540 event and socioeconomic changes in Iron Age Sweden. Additionally, it suggests that isotopic analysis will offer additional insights and help bridge the research gap.
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| 6. |
- Andrén, Anders, 1952-, et al.
(författare)
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The ringfort by the sea : Archaeological geophysical prospection and excavations at Sandby borg (Öland)
- 2014
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Ingår i: Archäologisches Korrespondenzblatt. - Mainz : Verlag des Römisch-Germanischen Zentralmuseums. - 0342-734X. ; 44:3, s. 413-428
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Archaeological investigations and clear aerial photos have identified the presence of house foundations within several ringforts on the island of Öland, east of the Swedish mainland. One of them, Sandby borg, was selected for further investigations by means of a ground-penetrating radar (GRP) and magnetometry survey. A subsequent excavation was carried out to validate the geophysical results. The results of the geophysical survey clearly show the presence of 36 or 37 stone foundations for houses situated radially around the wall of the fort as well as of 16 or 17 similar house foundations in a central building group. The geophysical results also provided information on other buried features within the fort and also confirm the location of a third gate situated in the north-western part of the fort. The available evidence indicates that the ringfort was used for military purposes, or as a place of refuge in times of unrest, for a limited period of time during the late 5th century.
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| 7. |
- Angerbjörn, Anders, et al.
(författare)
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Dietary Variation in Arctic Foxes (Alopex-Lagopus) - an Analysis of Stable Carbon Isotopes
- 1994
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Ingår i: Oecologia. ; 99:3-4, s. 226-232
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We used stable carbon isotopes to analyse individual variation in arctic fox diet. We extracted collagen from bones (the lower jaw), and measured stable carbon isotopes. The foxes came from three different localities: Iceland, where both microtines and reindeer are rare; west Greenland, where microtines are absent; and Sweden, where seat analyses showed the primary food to be microtine rodents and reindeer. The Icelandic samples included foxes from both coastal and inland habitats, the Swedish sample came from an inland area, and the Greenland sample from coastal sites. The spatial variation in the isotopic pattern followed a basic division between marine and terrestrial sources of protein. Arctic foxes from inland sites had delta(13)C values of -21.4 (Ice land) and -20.4 parts per thousand (Sweden), showing typical terrestrial values. Coastal foxes from Greenland had typical marine Values of -14.9 parts per thousand, whereas coastal foxes from Iceland had intermediate values of -17.7 parts per thousand. However, there was individual variation within each sample, probably caused by habitat heterogeneity and territoriality among foxes. The variation on a larger scale was related to the availability of different food items. These results were in accordance with other dietary analyses based on seat analyses. This is the first time that stable isotopes have been used to reveal individual dietary patterns. Our study also indicated that isotopic values can be used on a global scale.
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| 8. |
- Angerbjörn, Anders, 1950-, et al.
(författare)
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Evaluating the use of marine subsidies by Arctic foxes without direct coastal access; insights from stable isotopes
- 2024
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Ingår i: Polar Biology. - 0722-4060 .- 1432-2056. ; 47:9, s. 935-944
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The trophic structures of tundra ecosystems are often viewed as a result of local terrestrial primary productivity. However, other resources can be brought in through long-distant migrants or be directly accessible in coastal areas. Hence, trophic structures may deviate from predictions based on local terrestrial resources. The Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) is a small canid that may use marine resources when available. We used stable isotope values in Arctic fox fur and literature data on potential prey to evaluate Arctic fox summer resource use in a mountain tundra without coastal access. The dietary contribution of local prey, presumably mostly rodents, declined with declining rodent abundance, with a subsequent increased contribution of migratory prey relying on marine resources. Stable isotope values did not differ between this terrestrial area and an area with direct coastal access during years of high rodent abundance, but isotope values during low rodent abundances suggested less marine input than in a coastal population feeding primarily on marine prey. Our study shows that marine resources may be used by animals in areas without any coastal access, and we highlight that such partial coupling of ecosystems must be included in the modeling and assessments of tundra environments.
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| 9. |
- Arrhenius, Birgit, 1932-, et al.
(författare)
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Tybrind Vig, en vegetabilisk gröt?
- 1988
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Ingår i: Laborativ arkeologi. ; :3, s. 7-17
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 10. |
- Bergfeldt, Nora, et al.
(författare)
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Identification of microbial pathogens in Neolithic Scandinavian humans
- 2024
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : NATURE PORTFOLIO. - 2045-2322. ; 14
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- With the Neolithic transition, human lifestyle shifted from hunting and gathering to farming. This change altered subsistence patterns, cultural expression, and population structures as shown by the archaeological/zooarchaeological record, as well as by stable isotope and ancient DNA data. Here, we used metagenomic data to analyse if the transitions also impacted the microbiome composition in 25 Mesolithic and Neolithic hunter-gatherers and 13 Neolithic farmers from several Scandinavian Stone Age cultural contexts. Salmonella enterica, a bacterium that may have been the cause of death for the infected individuals, was found in two Neolithic samples from Battle Axe culture contexts. Several species of the bacterial genus Yersinia were found in Neolithic individuals from Funnel Beaker culture contexts as well as from later Neolithic context. Transmission of e.g. Y. enterocolitica may have been facilitated by the denser populations in agricultural contexts.
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