Torrey Rick | Smithsonian Institution (original) (raw)

Papers by Torrey Rick

Journal of Archaeological Science, 2011

Stable carbon (d 13 C) and nitrogen (d 15 N) isotope analyses of dog (Canis familiaris), island f... more Stable carbon (d 13 C) and nitrogen (d 15 N) isotope analyses of dog (Canis familiaris), island fox (Urocyon littoralis), and human bone collagen from CA-SRI-2 (AD 130e1830) on Santa Rosa Island, California provide a proxy of diet and the relationships between humans and these animals. Carbon isotopic signatures indicate that Native Americans and their dogs at CA-SRI-2 subsisted almost exclusively on marine resources, while the island fox ate primarily terrestrial foods. Nitrogen isotopes and archaeofaunal remains indicate that humans and dogs also ate higher trophic level foods, including finfishes, marine mammals, and seabirds with smaller amounts of shellfish. The CA-SRI-2 island foxes appear to have eaten higher amounts of terrestrial foods, similar to the diets observed in modern fox populations. These data generally confirm the commensal relationship assumed to exist between domesticated dogs and people, but the carbon isotopic composition of dogs is enriched w2& compared to humans. We hypothesize that the difference in carbon isotopes between dogs and humans may have resulted from a higher consumption of C3 plants with lower d 13 C values by humans, or less likely from the ingestion by dogs of significant amounts of bone collagen, which is enriched by w4& over associated muscle.

The search for novel approaches to establishing ecological baselines (reference conditions) is co... more The search for novel approaches to establishing ecological baselines (reference conditions) is constrained by the fact that most ecological studies span the past few decades, at most, and investigate ecosystems that have been substantially altered by human activities for decades, centuries, or more. Paleobiology, archeology, and history provide historical ecological context for biological conservation, remediation, and restoration. We argue that linking historical ecology explicitly with conservation can help unify related disciplines of conservation paleobiology, conservation archeobiology, and environmental history. Differences in the spatial and temporal resolution and extent (scale) of prehistoric, historic, and modern ecological data remain obstacles to integrating historical ecology and conservation biology, but the prolonged temporal extents of historical ecological data can help establish more complete baselines for restoration, document a historical range of ecological variability, and assist in determining desired future conditions. We used the eastern oyster ( Crassostrea virginica) fishery of the Chesapeake Bay (U.S.A.) to demonstrate the utility of historical ecological data for elucidating oyster conservation and the need for an approach to conservation that transcends disciplinary boundaries. Historical ecological studies from the Chesapeake have documented dramatic declines (as much as 99%) in oyster abundance since the early to mid-1800s, changes in oyster size in response to different nutrient levels from the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries, and substantial reductions in oyster accretion rates (from 10 mm/year to effectively 0 mm/year) from the Late Holocene to modern times. Better integration of different historical ecological data sets and increased collaboration between paleobiologists, geologists, archeologists, environmental historians, and ecologists to create standardized research designs and methodologies will help unify prehistoric, historic, and modern time perspectives on biological conservation. a la determinación de condiciones futuras deseadas. Utilizamos la pesquería del ostión oriental ( Crassostrea virginica) de la Bahía de Chesapeake (E.U.A.) para demostrar la utilidad de los datos ecológicos históricos para dilucidar la conservación del ostión y la necesidad de un método de conservación que trascienda límites disciplinares. Los estudios ecológicos históricos de Chesapeake han documentado declinaciones dramáticas (tanto como 99%) en la abundancia de ostiones de inicios a mediados de los 1800, cambios en el tamaño de ostiones en respuesta a diferentes niveles de nutrientes del siglo dieciséis al diecinueve y reducciones sustanciales en las tasas de acreción de ostiones (de 10 mm/año a 0 mm/año) desde el Holoceno Tardío a tiempos modernos. Una mejor integración de diferentes conjuntos de datos ecológicos históricos y una mayor colaboración entre paleobiólogos, geólogos, arqueólogos, historiadores ambientales y ecólogos para definir diseños de investigación estandarizados y metodologías ayudarán a unificar perspectivas de la biología de la conservación prehistóricas, históricas y modernas.

The balanced expression of two transcription factors controls the development of a subset of T ce... more The balanced expression of two transcription factors controls the development of a subset of T cells that support B cell maturation.

Archaeological research on California's Channel Islands has significantly enhanced understanding ... more Archaeological research on California's Channel Islands has significantly enhanced understanding of the diversity and variability of coastal hunter-gatherers and the shell middens these people left behind. On the Channel Islands, the Late Holocene was a time of substantial population growth, territoriality, and the emergence of social hierarchies. The role of marine and terrestrial climate change, population growth, human environmental impacts, and other variables in driving Late Holocene cultural and ecological developments is a subject of considerable debate. Analysis of faunal remains (especially finfish and shellfish), complemented by human skeletal and stable isotope analyses, from a massive shell midden and village complex (CA-SRI-2) on Santa Rosa Island provides insight into Late Holocene human responses to coastal resource stress and environmental change. Despite significant population growth, the emergence of social stratification, and increased pressure on local resources and ecosystems, these data demonstrate that there is significant continuity in the coastal resources Channel Island peoples exploited through time. These results document the long-term resilience and adaptability of coastal hunter-gatherers, the marine resources they harvested, and Channel Island ecosystems.

California's Channel Islands were home to some of the most distinctive Native American peoples al... more California's Channel Islands were home to some of the most distinctive Native American peoples along the Pacific Coast. Never connected to the mainland during the Quaternary, the Channel Islands have an impoverished terrestrial flora and fauna, but some of the richest and most productive marine environments in the Americas, including diverse kelp forest, intertidal, and offshore marine habitats. Native Americans occupied the Channel Islands for roughly 13,000 calendar years until the early nineteenth century, providing one of the longest and best preserved records of maritime hunter-gatherers in the Americas. We provide an overview and analysis of Channel Islands archaeology, from the relatively mobile peoples who colonized the islands during the Late Pleistocene to the complex hunter-gatherers documented by early Spanish explorers. Our analysis demonstrates the importance of Channel Islands archaeology for enhancing knowledge on a number of broad anthropological issues, including coastal and aquatic adaptations, seafaring, cultural complexity, trade and exchange, and ancient human impacts on the environment.

Driven to the brink of extinction during the nineteenth century commercial fur and oil trade, nor... more Driven to the brink of extinction during the nineteenth century commercial fur and oil trade, northern elephant seal (NES, Mirounga angustirostris) populations now exceed 100 000 animals in the northeast Pacific from Alaska to Baja California. Because little is known about the biogeography and ecology of NES prior to the mid-nineteenth century, we synthesize and analyze the occurrence of NES remains in North American archaeological sites. Comparing these archaeological data with modern biogeographical, genetic, and behavioral data, we provide a trans-Holocene perspective on NES distribution and abundance. Compared with other pinnipeds, NES bones are relatively rare throughout the Holocene, even in California where they currently breed in large numbers. Low numbers of NES north of California match contemporary NES distribution, but extremely low occurrences in California suggest their abundance in this area was very different during the Holocene than today. We propose four hypotheses to explain this discrepancy, concluding that ancient human settlement and other activities may have displaced NES from many of their preferred modern habitats during much of the Holocene.

The northern Pacific Coast is an important area for understanding human colonization of the Ameri... more The northern Pacific Coast is an important area for understanding human colonization of the Americas, but Late Pleistocene coastal sites are rare and interglacial sea level rise has inundated the continental shelf and the primary areas where Paleocoastal archaeological sites are likely to occur. Here we outline a terrestrial archaeological survey project designed to identify Paleocoastal sites on Santa Rosa Island, California. Using reconstructions of ancient shorelines and paleogeography, we predicted that sites might be found where lithic resources, freshwater springs, caves or rockshelters, and strategic vistas drew Paleocoastal peoples into the island interior. We identified nine new Paleocoastal sites, including four radiocarbon dated to .11,000 CAL B.P. that are among the oldest sites on North America's Pacific coast. Our targeted survey demonstrates an important technique for investigating island and coastal settings where sea level rise remains a significant challenge for locating early sites.

Books by Torrey Rick

California’s northern Channel Islands have one of the longest and best-preserved archaeological r... more California’s northern Channel Islands have one of the longest and best-preserved archaeological records in the Americas, spanning some 13,000 calendar years. When European explorers first traveled to the area, these islands were inhabited by the Chumash, some of the most populous and culturally complex hunter-gatherers known. Chumash society was characterized by hereditary leaders, sophisticated exchange networks and interaction spheres, and diverse maritime economies. Focusing on the archaeology of five sites dated to the last 3,000 years, this book examines the archaeology and historical ecology of San Miguel Island, the westernmost and most isolated of the northern Channel Islands. Detailed faunal, artifact, and other data are woven together in a diachronic analysis that investigates the interplay of social and ecological developments on this unique island. The first to focus solely on San Miguel Island archaeology, this book examines issues ranging from coastal adaptations to emergent cultural complexity to historical ecology and human impacts on ancient environments.

Archaeological data now show that relatively intense human adaptations to coastal environments de... more Archaeological data now show that relatively intense human adaptations to coastal environments developed much earlier than once believed—more than 125,000 years ago. With our oceans and marine fisheries currently in a state of crisis, coastal archaeological sites contain a wealth of data that can shed light on the history of human exploitation of marine ecosystems. In eleven case studies from the Americas, Pacific Islands, North Sea, Caribbean, Europe, and Africa, leading researchers working in coastal areas around the world cover diverse marine ecosystems, reaching into deep history to discover how humans interacted with and impacted these aquatic environments and shedding new light on our understanding of contemporary environmental problems.

For more than ten thousand years, Native Americans from Alaska to southern California relied on a... more For more than ten thousand years, Native Americans from Alaska to southern California relied on aquatic animals such as seals, sea lions, and sea otters for food and raw materials. Archaeological research on the interactions between people and these marine mammals has made great advances recently and provides a unique lens for understanding the human and ecological past. Archaeological research is also emerging as a crucial source of information on contemporary environmental issues as we improve our understanding of the ancient abundance, ecology, and natural history of these species. This groundbreaking interdisciplinary volume brings together archaeologists, biologists, and other scientists to consider how archaeology can inform the conservation and management of pinnipeds and other marine mammals along the Pacific Coast.

Long a refuge for bootleggers and hobos, Tecolote Canyon was engulfed by an industrialized oil bo... more Long a refuge for bootleggers and hobos, Tecolote Canyon was engulfed by an industrialized oil boom for twenty years beginning in the 1930s, and endured the only Japanese attack on the contiguous U.S. during World War II. In the postindustrial era, the lower canyon was a haven for surfers, nudists, and gravediggers before being transformed into a five-star resort in the 1990s. But this beautiful area of California’s Santa Barbara coast has been occupied by humans for at least 9000 years.

Known by the Chumash Indians as Hel’apunitse (guitar fish), the canyon was a major nexus of Chumash village life from about 2000 to 500 years ago. After the arrival of Europeans, the canyon passed from Chumash hands through successive Spanish, Mexican, and American administrations.

In A Canyon through Time, the authors summarize the deep history of this beautiful canyon, which serves as a fascinating history in microcosm of the California coastal region. Using data from archaeology, ecology, geology, geography, and history, they weave an interdisciplinary tale of the natural and human prehistory and history of the Tecolote Canyon area.

Journal of Archaeological Science, 2011