Phytolith and Calcitic Spherulite Indicators from Modern Reference Animal Dung from Mediterranean Island Ecosystems: Menorca, Balearic Islands

Marta Portillo,Damià Ramis,Montserrat Anglada,Yolanda Llergo,Antoni Ferrer,Kate Dudgeon

doi:10.3390/app11167202

Abstract

This study illustrates the contribution of plant and faecal microfossil records to interdisciplinary approaches on the identification, composition, taphonomy and seasonality of livestock dung materials. The focus is on the taphonomy of opal phytoliths and calcitic dung spherulites embedded within modern faecal pellets collected from pasture grounds and pens from a range of animals, including cattle, sheep and pigs from three different farms and seasons of the year in Menorca (Balearic Islands, Spain) declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. Modern reference materials provide comparative plant and dung microfossil indicators on factors affecting the formation, composition, preservation and decay of animal faeces, as well as on the diverse environmental and anthropogenic aspects influencing these. The reported results show relevant changes in phytolith and spherulite composition according to animal species and age, livestock management, seasonality, and grazing and foddering regimes. Both microfossil records provide fundamental information on taphonomic issues that are understudied, such as the variation in the digestibility among different species, including under investigated animals such as pigs, as well on the seasonality of plant and faecal microfossils that are excreted with dung as an important material for reconstructing human-environment interactions which is commonly overlooked in archaeology.

Highlights

Over the last few decades varied archaeobotanical and geoarchaeological methodological approaches have highlighted the fundamental importance of livestock dung as it embeds critical information on diverse ecological and past cultural ways of life ([1,2] and references therein)
Sci. 2021, 11, 7202 including less investigated species such as pigs, linked to dietary practices, age/sex-based aspects, as well on seasonality of these plant and faecal microfossils that are excreted with dung have not yet been fully investigated
A major aim in the current study was to assess variations in phytolith distributions and morphotype composition and whether these may be related to different animal defecators and livestock management, grazing and foddering practices, as well to seasonality of these particular plant microfossil assemblages that are embedded within the dung

Summary

Introduction

Over the last few decades varied archaeobotanical and geoarchaeological methodological approaches have highlighted the fundamental importance of livestock dung as it embeds critical information on diverse ecological and past cultural ways of life ([1,2] and references therein). Critical information on taphonomic issues, such as the variation in their digestibility and durability among different animal producers, including less investigated species such as pigs, linked to dietary practices, age/sex-based aspects, as ducers, Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 7202 including less investigated species such as pigs, linked to dietary practices, age/sex-based aspects, as well on seasonality of these plant and faecal microfossils that are excreted with dung have not yet been fully investigated. The current well study on previous work modern dung, that primarily fromwith ovi-dung have on builds seasonality of these plant andon faecal microfossils are excreted caprines and cattle, to address livestock management within the local landscape and to not yet been fully investigated

Methods

Results

Conclusion