Abstract
Tikopia Island, a small and relatively isolated Polynesian Outlier in the Southeast Solomon Islands, supports a remarkably dense human population with minimal external support. Examining long-term trends in human land use on Tikopia through archaeological datasets spanning nearly 3000 years presents an opportunity to investigate pathways to long-term sustainability in a tropical island setting. Here, we trace nutrient dynamics across Tikopia’s three pre-European contact phases (Kiki, Sinapupu, Tuakamali) via stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of commensal Pacific rat (Rattus exulans) and domestic pig (Sus scrofa) bone and tooth dentine collagen. Our results show a decline in δ15N values from the Kiki (c. 800 BC-AD 100) to Sinapupu (c. AD 100–1200) phases, consistent with long-term commensal isotope trends observed on other Polynesian islands. However, increased δ15N coupled with lower δ13C values in the Tuakamali Phase (c. AD 1200–1800) point to a later nutrient rejuvenation, likely tied to dramatic transformations in agriculture and land use at the Sinapupu-Tuakamali transition. This study offers new, quantifiable evidence for deep-time land and resource management decisions on Tikopia and subsequent impacts on island nutrient status and long-term sustainability.
Highlights
The growing pressures of climate change, population increase, and disruptions to
Pacific rat bone elements were selected by calculating the minimum number of individuals (MNI) within each site, unit, and layer in order to reduce the risk of resampling from the same individual while maximizing sample sizes
As commensal δ13 C and δ15 N are influenced by a range of inextricably linked human, environmental, and physiological factors, accurate characterization requires interpretations that are grounded within specific patterns of human land use and environmental transformations observed on Tikopia
Summary
The growing pressures of climate change, population increase, and disruptions to. 2017). Ical collections preserve multiproxy ecological information cal remains, soils, and ancient biomolecules that span ce such, these datasets afford a unique opportunity to investig formations, and impacts to agricultural systems across gene [1,2,3]. Our stable isotope results suggest this process may have occurred on Tikopia, though extirpation of pigs apparently diddisruptions not occur until ofcomplete climate change, population increase, and to Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neulate in the [38], and a small pig population was recently re-introduced food supply networks highlight the ever-increasing need to establish food systems that tral with regard to jurisdictional to not Pigproductive, δ13 C valuesbut change very little across all threein phases, andterm.
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