ABSTRACT

Resource depression – a decline in encounter rates with prey due to the actions of a predator – has been documented for numerous species in North America. Yet it is not fully understood whether white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), the most common prey species for Native peoples in eastern North America, were depressed prior to European colonization. To investigate whether white-tailed deer were depressed in precolonial eastern North America, I analyze zooarchaeological data from six sites in the Middle Tennessee River Valley. My results are equivocal, as different lines of evidence support conflicting interpretations. Declines in the abundance of deer in upland sites after ca. 4000 cal BP support depression of deer. However, deer did not decline in floodplain sites, perhaps due to anthropogenic environmental modification (i.e., burning). The upland decline coincides with a shift toward greater wetland patch use, which may have driven a reduction in deer hunting due to patch choice dynamics, not depression. Furthermore, declining deer abundance co-occurs with high terrestrial foraging efficiency, contrary to the expectation that greater exploitation of lower-ranked prey types should occur coincident with high-ranked deer declines. I find no clear support for resource depression of white-tailed deer in this region, but further analysis is needed.

摘要

北美许多物种的资源匮乏（由于捕食者的行为导致与猎物的接触率下降）已有记录。尚未完全了解白尾鹿（Odocoileus virginianus）是北美东部土著居民最常见的猎物，在欧洲殖民之前就已处于低迷状态。为了调查在北美前殖民地东部是否抑制了白尾鹿，我分析了田纳西州中游河谷六个地点的动物考古数据。我的结果是模棱两可的，因为不同的证据支持相互矛盾的解释。约公元后，高地鹿的数量减少。4000 cal BP支持鹿的凹陷。但是，可能由于人为环境改变（即燃烧），洪泛区的鹿没有下降。高地的减少与向湿地斑块的更多使用的转变相吻合，这可能是由于斑块选择的动态而不是萧条导致了猎鹿减少。此外，鹿的丰度下降与陆地觅食的高效率同时发生，这与人们的预期相反，那就是更高等级的猎物应与更高等级的鹿下降同时发生。我发现该地区对白尾鹿的资源减少没有明确的支持，但需要进一步分析。