Article
Evaluating chloroplast DNA in prehistoric Texas coprolites: medicinal, dietary, or ambient ancient DNA?
Registro en:
REINHARD, Karl J. et al. Evaluating chloroplast DNA in prehistoric Texas coprolites: medicinal, dietary, or ambient ancient DNA?. Journal of Archaeological Science, v. 35, p.1748-1755, 2008.
0305-4403
10.1016/j.jas.2007.11.013
1095-9238
Autor
Reinhard, Karl J.
Chaves, Sergio M.
Jones, John G.
Iñiguez, Alena Mayo
Resumen
Molecular analysis of coprolites from Hinds Cave, Texas recovered chloroplast DNA sequences. The sequences were interpreted as evidence
of diet. We analyzed 19 Hinds Cave coprolites to evaluate the potential sources of the chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) and compared our results to
previous studies. This review shows that some cpDNA sequences could be from well-known prehistoric plants foods. Some other sequences
could have come from ambient plant material in the guts of small animals eaten by humans in antiquity. Using pollen concentration analysis,
we identify sources of ambient plant material which could have been inhaled or imbibed. It is even possible that cpDNA sequences are from
proplastids within ambient pollen grains themselves. However, three sequence types cannot be explained as resulting from only dietary or ambient
sources. We suggest instead that these might be from medicinal or hallucinogenic plants. We compared these three sequences to existing
sequences in the GenBank. We found that these sequences are 100% matches for Rhamnus, Fouquieria, and Solanum. 2022-01-01