Catherines Island Research Articles

RETROSPECTIVE HEMATOLOGY AND SERUM BIOCHEMISTRY OF RING-TAILED LEMURS (LEMUR CATTA) ON ST. CATHERINES ISLAND, GEORGIA, USA.

Annual health records were retrospectively analyzed for a colony of ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) inhabiting St. Catherines Island, Georgia, USA to establish baseline hematological and serum biochemical parameters and determine sex- and age-related differences. Summarized complete blood count and serum biochemistry panel results are presented for 85 blood samples collected from 54 lemurs at annual health exams during 1998-2003. Within each of four age classes (infant, <1 yr; juvenile, 1-5 yr; adult, ≥ 6 yr), data were stratified and summarized based on sex. Lemur age was a significant positive predictor of mean corpuscular hemoglobin; absolute concentrations of neutrophils, monocytes, and band cells; serum concentrations of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, globulins, lipase, and total protein; and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) activity. Lemur age was a significant negative predictor of albumin:globulins ratio; alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity; and serum concentrations of calcium, cholesterol, glucose, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and triglycerides. Neutrophil proportions increased with aging and lymphocyte proportions decreased with aging, particularly in females. Recent steep population declines of wild ring-tailed lemurs make their successful husbandry and medical care an increasingly pressing concern. These biomedical data will aid in clinical diagnosis and treatment of lemurs in human care, and support conservation efforts for this species.

Marine Debris on a Protected Barrier Island in the Southeastern United States (St. Catherines Island, Georgia, USA)

Marine Debris on a Protected Barrier Island in the Southeastern United States (St. Catherines Island, Georgia, USA)

Of missions and marshes: Stable isotope analysis of Mission-Era Guale oyster harvesting on St. Catherines Island, Georgia

This article presents the results of oxygen stable isotope analysis on eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) samples (n = 25) from a Mission-Era (ca. AD 1565–1680) site, Pueblo Santa Catalina de Guale, on St. Catherines Island, GA. Stable isotope analysis was used to assess the seasonality of oyster harvesting on St. Catherines Island during the Mission Era to better understand how Spanish colonization and the Catholic mission system may have impacted Guale foodways. Five eastern oyster left valves were sampled from each known neighborhood of Pueblo Santa Catalina de Guale. Existing data regarding the seasonality of pre-colonial mollusk collection on St. Catherines Island and elsewhere in the coastal Southeast are discussed in conversation with the results of this analysis. This work indicates that Guale residents of St. Catherines Island during the Mission Era were harvesting oysters most intensely during cooler months. This pattern is consistent with estimates of pre-colonial shellfishing seasonality across the region and may even represent a modest increase in the seasonal constriction of shellfishing when compared to data from the preceding period. Salinity estimates based on the isotope data also suggest Guale people during the Mission Era were collecting from a comparatively narrower range of estuarine habitats. We argue that these subtle shifts are a consequence of the reorganization of Guale labor associated with missionization.

Characterizing group and individual engagement in intergroup encounters between small groups of ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) on St. Catherines Island, USA.

Primate species exhibit considerable variation in behavior and outcomes during intergroup encounters (IGEs). Social group characteristics, like group size, and individual traits, such as sex, rank, and reproductive status, within those groups can influence both IGE engagement and outcomes. To better understand the impact of group heterogeneity on IGEs, we must examine individual strategies to elucidate individual costs and benefits of engaging in these interactions. Here, we present a descriptive study of the IGEs between two small social groups of ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) on St. Catherines Island, GA, USA. We distinguish between dyadic and multiple-individual interactions between groups to compare collective and individual agonistic engagement. All encounters occurred when the East Road group (N = 7 individuals) traveled from the center of their home range to the boundary with Windmill group's (N = 5 individuals) home range, indicating that East Road might have been actively testing this boundary for access to food resources, sleeping trees, and mating opportunities. We also found notable individual variation in participation during IGEs. The daughters of the highest-ranking females were the most-engaged in dyadic intergroup and intragroup aggression, had high "win" rates during intergroup dyadic encounters, and engaged in intergroup multiple-individual interactions at high levels. These findings indicate that they might value their home range more as "potential alphas" compared to other group members. Dominant females were the most engaged in multiple-individual interactions, suggesting that they contribute heavily to collective action that might result in a gain or loss of access to resources. Finally, these two small groups might be equally matched despite the two-individual group size disparity due to individual free-riding strategies. Future research should focus on individual strategies during IGEs to characterize the complex decisions and trade-offs that influence participation.

Food availability and male deference in the female‐dominant ring‐tailed lemur, Lemur catta

Female dominance, a trait common to some Malagasy lemurs, has been viewed as an adaptation that decreases intersexual feeding competition. A hypothesized relationship exists between male “deference” (male submission in the absence of female aggression) and food availability. Sauther (1993) suggested that male ring‐tailed lemurs at the Duke Lemur Center (Pereira et al., 1990) show more deference to females than do males in the wild owing to food abundance in captivity. To reexamine the link between food availability and male deference, we studied agonism and foraging in two nonwild ring‐tailed lemur (Lemur catta) populations: the Los Angeles Zoo and St. Catherines Island (SCI). On SCI, we collected data under two feeding conditions: Low Provisions (low food availability) and High Provisions (high food availability). As expected, male deference measures at our study sites were more similar to measures of deference from other studies of L. catta in captivity than in the wild. Additionally, the change at SCI from low to high food availability was associated with increased male deference to females. Interestingly, male proximity to females during foraging at this location did not notably change between the low to high food availability conditions, suggesting that males were food competitors of females just as often under both feeding conditions. The increase in male deference under conditions of high food availability on SCI was due to males withdrawing more rapidly from female approaches during agonistic interactions. Hence, where food is more abundant, male L. catta are more likely to show submission to females, which appears to be a self‐serving means of avoiding female aggression. Lemur males who are well‐fed appear less apt to risk female aggression to obtain resources than more nutritionally stressed males. Our results support the view of female dominance in lemurs as an adaptive evolutionary response to conditions of resource limitation.

Foodways of the Late Archaic people of St. Catherines Island, Georgia: an analysis of vertebrate remains from two shell rings

ABSTRACT The results of a large study of vertebrate remains from two shell rings on St. Catherines Island, Georgia, are presented: the St. Catherines (9LI231) and McQueen (9LI1648) Shell Rings. The vertebrate archaeofaunal collections are used to infer foodways of Late Archaic people on St. Catherines Island, which centered on a limited suite of small-bodied, estuarine fishes. Given the prevalence of small-bodied fishes, Late Archaic people deployed a number of mass-capture fishing technologies which may have necessitated shared labor and community cooperation. Although there are similarities in the vertebrate assemblages at these two rings, suggesting a shared foodways tradition, differences are notable. These differences may indicate that the occupants of the two rings had unique preferred or controlled fishing grounds. The zooarchaeological collections also are used to contextualize the vertebrate data within the current formational models proposed for Late Archaic shell rings. Vertebrate remains align with models that interpret shell rings as the result of Late Archaic people living in circular villages, discarding refuse from daily meals; however, these animals were also featured in a ritualized event highlighting their relevance and meaning beyond food.

Behavioral Reactions of Naturalized Ring-Tailed Lemurs (Lemur catta) to Native Owl Vocalizations

During routine surveys of owl distributions on St. Catherines Island, we observed naturalized ring-tailed lemurs displaying antipredator responses to owl auditory cues. In the 32 y since the introduction of ring-tailed lemurs to the island, two successful depredation events by two different owl species have been documented. We investigated the behavioral response of ring-tailed lemurs to determine if they responded consistently to social calls from all three owl species present on St. Catherines Island despite size differences among the owl species that could affect the likelihood of them serving as predators on ring-tailed lemurs. We observed while ring-tailed lemurs responded to all the auditory owl calls, they exhibited more intense, longer and more consistent responses to the two larger owl species – the barred owl and great horned owl – relative to the small Eastern screech owl. These data suggest naturalized species are capable of learning threat-sensitive antipredator behaviors to novel predator communities.

Behavioral Reactions of Naturalized Ring-Tailed Lemurs (Lemur catta) to Native Owl Vocalizations

During routine surveys of owl distributions on St. Catherines Island, we observed naturalized ring-tailed lemurs displaying antipredator responses to owl auditory cues. In the 32 y since the introduction of ring-tailed lemurs to the island, two successful depredation events by two different owl species have been documented. We investigated the behavioral response of ring-tailed lemurs to determine if they responded consistently to social calls from all three owl species present on St. Catherines Island despite size differences among the owl species that could affect the likelihood of them serving as predators on ring-tailed lemurs. We observed while ring-tailed lemurs responded to all the auditory owl calls, they exhibited more intense, longer and more consistent responses to the two larger owl species – the barred owl and great horned owl – relative to the small Eastern screech owl. These data suggest naturalized species are capable of learning threat-sensitive antipredator behaviors to novel predator communities.

Survival of Immature Gopher Tortoises Recruited into a Translocated Population

ABSTRACTPopulation manipulations such as translocation and head‐starting are increasingly used as recovery tools for chelonians. But evaluating success of individual projects can require decades of monitoring to detect population trends in these long‐lived species. Furthermore, there are often few benchmarks from stable, unmanipulated populations against which to compare demographic rates, particularly for the immature stages. We used 8 years of mark‐recapture data to estimate apparent survival of immature gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) recruited into an introduced population of gopher tortoises first established on St. Catherines Island, Georgia, USA, in 1987. During 2006–2013, we conducted targeted trapping of immature gopher tortoises and compared survival of the hatchling, juvenile and subadult stages among treatments: individuals released shortly after hatching from eggs obtained from gravid female founders (direct releases), individuals reared in captivity for 6–9 months following hatching (head‐starts), and individuals first encountered as free‐ranging, wild‐recruited offspring (wild recruits). Among the candidate models we examined, the best fit model included additive effects of tortoise stage and treatment; however, overlapping 95% credible intervals among treatments (CrI) suggested that survival did not vary significantly among treatments. Annual apparent survival increased over the immature period, highlighting the importance of calculating separate estimates for the different immature stages. Across all treatments, the additive model estimated annual apparent survival probability to be 0.37 (CrI = 0.25–0.48) for hatchlings, 0.71 (CrI = 0.61–0.81) for juveniles, and 0.83 (CrI = 0.74–0.94) for subadults. Our study, in combination with previous monitoring efforts at St. Catherines Island, provides strong evidence that the translocation and subsequent population augmentation efforts have been successful in establishing a robust population of gopher tortoises. Additionally, our results provide estimates of demographic rates for life stages that are poorly understood but critical to understanding population dynamics of this imperiled species. © 2020 The Wildlife Society.

Implications of accumulative stress burdens during critical periods of early postnatal life for mortality risk among Guale interred in a colonial era cemetery in Spanish Florida (ca. AD 1605-1680).

Research situated within the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease demonstrates that stressors are correlated with future mortality risk, especially if experienced frequently and during early periods of postnatal life. This study examines if the developmental timing and frequency of early life stressors influenced mortality risk for Indigenous Guale in Spanish Florida during the 17th century. The present study examines internal enamel microgrowth disruptions (accentuated lines-AL) from Guale individuals (n = 52) interred at Mission Santa Catalina de Guale on St. Catherines Island, Georgia (AD 1605-1680). Teeth were thin-sectioned and microscopically analyzed to document AL variables as predictors of age-at-death. Individuals with AL died earlier than those without AL. This difference, however, was not significant. Individuals who exhibit AL formed during their first year of life died on average three times earlier than those who did not. The frequency of AL and age-at-first-AL are significantly correlated with age-at-death, and Cox hazard analyses indicates that individuals with early forming and frequent AL had increased risks of early death. This study emphasizes how the lived experiences of Guale children shaped demographic patterns during the 17th century. The survival of early life stressors resulted in life history trade-offs and increased risks for early death. Mortality risks were exacerbated for individuals who experienced frequent stressors during the earliest periods of life. This underscores a role for bioarchaeology in understanding of how accumulative stress burdens during the earliest years of postnatal life may influence mortality risk.

Heteropaternity of twins in ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta).

This project investigated paternity among 14 sets of twins born into a colony of ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) on St. Catherines Island, GA. Female L. catta commonly mate with >1 male, and twins of different sexes confirm that dizygotic twinning can occur in this species. However, no study has previously evaluated twins using genetic data to measure the proportion of mono versus dizygotic twinning in L. catta, and no study has tested for heteropaternity (sirehood by two different males) in this species. We predicted that L. catta would show a predominance of dizygosity and evidence for heteropaternity. Paternity was determined for 28 infants (14 sets of twins) via paternity exclusion analyses using 10 polymorphic microsatellite markers, and data were collected on sexual behavior across four mating seasons during the first cycle of mating in each year, which overlapped with the conceptive periods of these infants. All twins were found to be dizygotic, as evidenced by dissimilar multilocus genotypes between the two infants of each twin pair. Heteropaternity was found in 3 of 14 (21% of) twin pairs, whereas the remaining 11 pairs of twins (79%) shared the same sire. In one case of heteropaternity, one sire was a resident male, and one sire was an extra-group male. An extra-group male also sired one of the same-sire twin pairs. All other sires of twins were group residents. Female multiple mating, which is common to many primates including L. catta, can be viewed as an adaptive reproductive strategy whose function-in addition to fertility assurance or stimulating sperm competition-may be to increase the genetic diversity of a female's offspring, even among infants born in the same birth event. Therefore, during the course of primate evolution, the adaptive benefits of heteropaternity would be expected to have contributed to positive selection for female promiscuity.

Elemental analysis of Late Archaic copper from the McQueen Shell Ring, St. Catherine's Island, Georgia

Excavations conducted at the McQueen Shell Ring on St. Catherine's Island off the coast of Georgia recovered several fragments of a copper artifact. These fragments represent an artifact made from a thin sheet of copper, and were recovered from a Late Archaic feature with calibrated radiocarbon dates placing its use between 2300 and 1800 cal. BC. Seven of these fragments were analyzed at the Elemental Analysis Facility of the Chicago Field Museum of Natural History to determine elemental composition with the intent of identifying probable sources for the copper from which the artifact was manufactured. Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) was used to collect elemental composition data for these seven fragments as well as from geological source samples representing Lake Superior, the southern and central Appalachians, and the Canadian Maritimes. Several statistical analyses were performed on the resulting data by varying test assumptions and parameters. All analyses place the most likely source for the Georgian artifact in the Lake Superior region far to the north rather than in the closer sources of the Appalachians, requiring a more complex explanatory framework to account for this long distance interaction or acquisition.

Behavioral and endocrine correlates of dominance in captive female Jackson's hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus).

For species that form dominance hierarchies, such as group-living ungulates, aggressive interactions can pose a challenge to successful captive management. For example, Jackson's hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus), a rare antelope of east Africa, can be difficult to maintain in captivity because aggression within female dominance hierarchies can lead to injury and death. We quantified behavioral and endocrine correlates of dominance in a captive herd of ten female hartebeest with the goal of understanding how to minimize dangerous interactions. We observed hartebeest for 18 months in a 4-ha enclosure on St. Catherines Island, Georgia. We quantified type of agonistic behavior, initiator and recipient of the behavior, who displaced whom, and age and relative size of participants. We also used fecal steroid analysis to take weekly measurements of corticoids, a hormonal correlate of stress. Hartebeest maintained a stable, linear dominance hierarchy. Only 5.9% of interactions were reversals of established rank. Most dominance interactions were low intensity, but 17.3% of interactions carried a high risk of injury (chase, horn butt, horn clash, horn clash on knees, and head push). High-ranking individuals usually initiated interactions. Most interactions were between animals of similar rank, and animals of intermediate rank participated in the highest number of interactions. The frequency of high-intensity interactions was unrelated to rank. Rank was correlated with age, but not size. There was no relationship between rank and fecal corticoid levels. Dominance interactions in hartebeest are not a function of social instability, and the frequency of dangerous interactions is not a function of rank.

Determining the use of Late Archaic shell rings using lithic data: “ceremonial villages” and the importance of stone

ABSTRACTLate Archaic shell rings have been the focus of archaeological research for decades, yet their history, use, and function are debated. Relying on an evidentiary line rarely used in shell ring studies – the analysis of stone tools and debitage – we test prevailing theories and find that models describing the rings as circular dams intended to hold freshwater are incorrect. Instead, by tracing the origins of stone and its distribution within two shell rings on St. Catherines Island, Georgia, we posit that shell rings were places of both daily residence and intermittent gatherings. Because they have proven useful in interpreting the St. Catherines Island shell rings, we suggest archaeologists shift their sampling and recovery techniques so that representative lithic assemblages can be attained from other rings, thereby providing a better understanding of ring-builders and the Late Archaic occupation of the South Atlantic coastline.

A 3000 yr paleostorm record from St. Catherines Island, Georgia

Tropical cyclones (hurricanes in the northern hemisphere) are amongst the most devastating of the world's natural disasters and cause billions of dollars in damage every year. Data on the likelihood of a coastal site being struck by a major hurricane strike can potentially aid in planning and mitigation efforts that could save money and lives. However, forecasting requires data that are currently insufficient for the Georgia Bight. This study provides information to enhance the paleohurricane record by analysis of a 467 cm thick vibracore raised from St. Catherines Island, GA. Sediment geochemistry and foraminiferal assemblages indicate deposits attributable to seven paleohurricane events, five of which were likely major hurricanes when they made landfall on St. Catherines. Magnitudes were estimated by comparison to the overwash deposit left by “The Sea Islands hurricane of 1893”, a major hurricane recorded by the recent sediment of St. Catherines Island. The St. Catherines record also shows a change in the activity levels on the Georgia coast with two distinct activity regimes over the past 3000 years.

EVIDENCE FOR SIGNIFICANT SUBTERRANEAN STORAGE AT TWO HUNTER-GATHERER SITES: THE PRESENCE OF A MAST-BASED ECONOMY IN THE LATE ARCHAIC COASTAL AMERICAN SOUTHEAST

Excavations at two Late Archaic shell rings on St. Catherines Island, Georgia, revealed evidence of significant amounts of subterranean storage. Based on botanical evidence, ethonographic analogies, and interpretations of other Late Archaic sites, hickory nuts and acorns are the most likely resource being stored, and quantifying the capacity found at each ring highlights the prevalence and importance of mast storage. These findings are important because large-scale storage has rarely been proposed for Late Archaic coastal peoples and, therefore, its impact as a potential factor for social changes enacted during this time period, including increasing sedentism, formalization of intragroup relations, and regionalization of cultural identities, has yet to be explored.

Twelve years of repeated wild hog activity promotes population maintenance of an invasive clonal plant in a coastal dune ecosystem.

Invasive animals can facilitate the success of invasive plant populations through disturbance. We examined the relationship between the repeated foraging disturbance of an invasive animal and the population maintenance of an invasive plant in a coastal dune ecosystem. We hypothesized that feral wild hog (Sus scrofa) populations repeatedly utilized tubers of the clonal perennial, yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus) as a food source and evaluated whether hog activity promoted the long‐term maintenance of yellow nutsedge populations on St. Catherine's Island, Georgia, United States. Using generalized linear mixed models, we tested the effect of wild hog disturbance on permanent sites for yellow nutsedge culm density, tuber density, and percent cover of native plant species over a 12‐year period. We found that disturbance plots had a higher number of culms and tubers and a lower percentage of native live plant cover than undisturbed control plots. Wild hogs redisturbed the disturbed plots approximately every 5 years. Our research provides demographic evidence that repeated foraging disturbances by an invasive animal promote the long‐term population maintenance of an invasive clonal plant. Opportunistic facultative interactions such as we demonstrate in this study are likely to become more commonplace as greater numbers of introduced species are integrated into ecological communities around the world.

Redbay Survival Eleven Years after Infection with an Exotic Disease on St. Catherines Island, Georgia, USA

&lt;p class="1Body"&gt;Introduced to the United States in 2002, laurel wilt (&lt;em&gt;Raffaelea lauricola&lt;/em&gt;) is a fungus that causes life threatening defensive responses in the vascular system of trees within the Lauraceae family, and it is introduced to the tree by the Asian ambrosia beetle (&lt;em&gt;Xyleborus glabratus)&lt;/em&gt;. Redbay (&lt;em&gt;Persea borbonia)&lt;/em&gt; is the preferred host species within the US coastal plains and maritime forests, and it has experienced rapid mortality throughout its range in the southeastern United States since the introduction of the ambrosia beetle and associated fungus. In this study, we inventoried all dead and live redbay trees from replicated transects inside a maritime forest, a successional old-field forest (both located on the island’s Pleistocene core), and a Holocene hammock to examine the role of soils, prior land use and landscape position on redbay survival eleven years after the introduction of the exotic beetle and fungus on the island. Results indicated that the maritime forest had a significantly higher number of redbay trees prior to infection compared to the hammock or old-field sites. Eleven years post-infection, all three sites had similar densities of redbay trees and the surviving trees had similar diameter distributions among the three sites. Soils under the maritime forest had significantly higher phosphorous (P) and pH concentrations, and the Holocene hammock had a higher water table compared to the sites on the Pleistocene core. Almost all living trees at each site had signs of invertebrate herbivory and twig borer damage. Prior land use history and soils affected redbay densities before laurel wilt infection, but eleven years post-infection, all three site types had similar redbay densities, diameters, basal areas, and levels of herbivory and surviving trees did not demonstrate signs of photosynthetic stress.&lt;/p&gt;

Shoreline dynamics and environmental change under the modern marine transgression: St. Catherines Island, Georgia, USA

The current study evaluated shoreline dynamics and environmental change at St. Catherines Island, Georgia, with attention to the two major controls of barrier island formation and modification processes. The major controls are the rate of sea level rise for the Georgia Bight which has remained constant in twentieth and twenty-first century tide gauge data and dynamically changing rates of sediment supply based on anthropogenic modifications to land cover and fluvial systems that are reflected in sediment mass flux to the southeastern US coast. The island is dependent on the net longshore transport of sediment from the north and the closest fluvial system with appreciable discharge is the Savannah River. The evaluation of anthropogenic modifications to the rate of sediment supply within the Savannah River watershed indicates that in spite of significant changes in sediment flux rates of +300 % in 1859–1951 (the pre-dam era) and −20 % in 1951–2014 (the post-dam era), shoreline retreat on St. Catherines Island was continuous during the study period with a significant acceleration of shoreline retreat observed with spit and berm landforms during the modern or post-dam era. The apparent acceleration in the shoreline retreat rates for the spit and berm landforms is indicated as an inflection point in time-series plots of data. The change in shoreline retreat rates for the spits and berms correlates with the timing of major disruptions in the rate of sediment supply to the coast of Georgia, specifically the placement of the initial impoundments on the major rivers of the southeastern US.

St. Catherines Island Flyover

St. Catherines Island Flyover