Two-dimensional measurements of skeletal elements are important zooarchaeological tools that not only provide crucial information about the sex and age of an animal, but on past environmental conditions and human-animal interactions as well. The causes of animal body size variation are many and thus problems of equifinality make it difficult to interpret archaeological measurement data. Here, we explore the sources of body size variation in a modern skeletal collection of mountain gazelle (Gazella gazella) composed of individuals of known sex, age and geographic location. We investigate the relative contribution of sex, age and environmental factors (temperature and precipitation) to variation in the 2D measurements of five commonly preserved skeletal elements (scapula, humerus, second phalanx, tibia and astragalus) to determine which factors are most influential. Overall, sex is the most powerful determinant of gazelle body size, while age has little impact on most elements. Importantly, although the breadth of the trochlea of the distal humerus has often been used to sex archaeological gazelle specimens, this element did not differ statistically for males and females. Maximum July temperature also influenced the distal depth of the tibia and the trochlea of the humerus. This may relate to reduced food availability during the critical period of juvenile growth in areas with hotter summers due to higher rates of evaporation and shorter growing seasons. The absence of a significant relationship between the other climatic variables and body size, and the large amount of variability that these factors could not account for, may relate to the confounding impact of anthropogenic activities. In recent decades human landscape modification and agriculture have impacted the natural scheduling of plant and water resources and gazelle population size.

骨骼元素的二维测量是重要的动物考古工具，不仅可以提供有关动物性别和年龄的重要信息，还可以提供有关过去环境条件和人与动物相互作用的信息。动物体型变化的原因很多，因此等值性问题使得考古测量数据难以解释。在这里，我们探索了现代山地瞪羚（Gazellagagella) 由已知性别、年龄和地理位置的个人组成。我们调查了性别、年龄和环境因素（温度和降水）对五种常见骨骼元素（肩胛骨、肱骨、第二指骨、胫骨和黄芪）的二维测量变化的相对贡献，以确定哪些因素最有影响。总体而言，性别是瞪羚体型最有力的决定因素，而年龄对大多数因素影响不大。重要的是，虽然肱骨远端滑车的宽度经常被用来对考古瞪羚标本进行性别鉴定，但这个因素在男性和女性之间没有统计学差异。7 月的最高温度也影响了胫骨和肱骨滑车的远端深度。这可能与夏季炎热地区由于较高的蒸发率和较短的生长季节而导致幼鱼生长关键时期食物供应减少有关。其他气候变量和体型之间没有显着关系，以及这些因素无法解释的大量变异，可能与人为活动的混杂影响有关。近几十年来，人类景观改造和农业影响了植物和水资源的自然调度以及瞪羚种群规模。可能与人为活动的混杂影响有关。近几十年来，人类景观改造和农业影响了植物和水资源的自然调度以及瞪羚种群规模。可能与人为活动的混杂影响有关。近几十年来，人类景观改造和农业影响了植物和水资源的自然调度以及瞪羚种群规模。