Kneppers, Michael C., Lambrides, Ariana B.J., Litster, Mirani, Ulm, Sean, Mcniven, Ian J., Harris, Matthew, Maclaurin, Cailey, Nguurruumungu Indigenous Corporation, and Walmbaar Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC (2024) Beyond hinges and spires: A critical examination of archaeomalacological quantification methodologies using coral reef molluscan assemblages from Jiigurru (Lizard Island Group), northern Great Barrier Reef. Australian Archaeology, 90 (3). pp. 299-318.

Preview

PDF (Published Version) - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (2MB) | Preview

Abstract

Quantification, as one of the pillars of the zooarchaeological subdiscipline, is an invaluable component of the toolkit researchers use to study past people-animal interactions. Despite being the subject of rigorous (zoo)archaeological debate, the calculation of Minimum Number of Individuals (MNI) values remains one of the main methods of quantifying the relative abundance of taxa within faunal assemblages. Choosing the appropriate quantification protocol to calculate the MNI of archaeological invertebrate assemblages can be challenging due to regional taxonomic considerations and the myriad of quantification methodologies and frameworks available in the global archaeomalacological literature. In an Australian context, methodologies for quantifying coral reef molluscan assemblages have not been explicitly evaluated. Using archaeological molluscan assemblages from two midden sites (Freshwater Bay Midden and Mangrove Beach Headland Midden) on the northern Great Barrier Reef island group of Jiigurru (the Lizard Island Group), we critically examine two commonly adopted archaeomalacological quantification methodologies: the NRE MNI and tMNI protocols. The NRE MNI methodology uses one to two non-repetitive elements (NREs) of molluscs, whilst the tMNI protocol includes a wider range of elements akin to vertebrate MNI quantification methodologies. Through a comparison of taxa abundances and statistical analyses, results show that the tMNI protocol, with some modification, is best suited for the Jiigurru assemblages. Higher MNI values and an increased assemblage diversity, evenness, and richness were recorded for the molluscan assemblages at both midden sites when the tMNI protocol was applied. This study foregrounds the importance of data transparency when reporting quantification protocols and outcomes to ensure the highest degree of data quality, replicability, and usability.

Item ID:	84300
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	2470-0363
Keywords:	data transparency; invertebrates; middens; minimum number of individuals; non-repetitive elements; tMNI; zooarchaeology
Copyright Information:	© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
Funders:	Australian Research Council (ARC), Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation
Projects and Grants:	ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CE170100015), ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous and Environmental Histories and Futures (CE230100009), ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DE210101087), Sir John & Laurine Proud Research Fellowship
Date Deposited:	10 Dec 2024 22:39
FoR Codes:	45 INDIGENOUS STUDIES > 4501 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, language and history > 450101 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander archaeology @ 50% 43 HISTORY, HERITAGE AND ARCHAEOLOGY > 4301 Archaeology > 430101 Archaeological science @ 50%
SEO Codes:	21 INDIGENOUS > 2104 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage and culture > 210402 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander connection to land and environment @ 50% 13 CULTURE AND SOCIETY > 1307 Understanding past societies > 130703 Understanding Australia’s past @ 50%
Downloads:	Total: 1 Last 12 Months: 1
	More Statistics