Temporal And Geographic Patterning of Relative Head Height in The Central Plains And Middle Missouri Areas

Abstract

Temporal and geographic patterning of vault height evaluated as the Auricular Mean Height Index is examined in samples of crania from the Central and Northern Plains. Crania are placed into two large categories: one consisting of historic Caddoan speakers and their ancestors, the other of Mandan speakers and their ancestors. Woodland crania from the Central Plains and Middle Missouri areas are added to their respective groups for part of the analysis. Time consistently shows a strong relationship to Auricular Mean Height Index; geographical latitude is equivocal but does exhibit a relationship to the vault height index in Central Plains-Caddoan without Woodland. Auricular height decreases with the passage of time and increases as one proceeds northward. The analysis further shows that Central Plains Caddoan groups have higher vaults than Middle Missouri-Mandan crania at a given point in time and space. That cranial morphology is different in the groups supports the notion that gene pool differences are responsible. The causes of decreasing head height through time are unknown.     

The Central Plains Tradition Revisited

Abstract

Recent interpretations of the Central Plains Tradition are critically evaluated. In the process special attention is given to:( 1) alternative interpretations of the extant data base, (2) the cogency of taxonomic proposals, and (3) the construal of radiocarbon determinations. Blakeslee’s ”trade network thesis” is examined and an origin in the exigencies of population growth and spread is suggested.     

Temporal and Spatial Order in the Central Plains

Abstract

The major archeological complexes of the Central Plains can be arranged according to the Willey and Phillips system, thus recognizing not only content but time and space diemnsions.     

Antler Tine Scraper Handles in the Central Plains

Abstract

In the perspectives of archaeology, it is evident that the widespread antler-handled fleshing adz used by most historic Plains Indian tribes was preceded in the region by other types of hafted skin-working tools. These, inferentially, varied in construction and materials from area to area, but were everywhere provided with planoconvex chipped stone blades - the familiar and omnipresent end scraper of the Plains. In early historic times in the Central Plains, curved antler handles with stone blades are thought from archaeological evidence to have been used not in adz fashion but with a pushing motion, away from the operator. The relative abundance, variety in size and form, and longevity as an artifact type of the plano-convex end scraper raises various questions that invite further inquiry.     

House Floors and Native Settlement Populations in the Central Plains

Abstract

The quantitative relationships between aboriginal abuse floor and village areas and the associated native populations have long interested archeologists and lrehistorians. With varying success, formulae for lStimating these relationships have been proposed for some groups in certain regions and at different levels of cultural complexity. The present paper undertakes o correlate Central Plains historical, ethnographical, md archeological materials on the Pawnee and Nichita in search of clues to the estimation of prehistoric population patterns in the region. It is suggested that documentary evidence points toward a atio of approximately 5 square meters per person tmong the historic peoples, who inhabited circular one-room structures with lodge populations someimes reported to reach 50 people per house. rcheological evidence indicates that the subrecangular dwellings of the prehistoric Central Plains Tradition were generally smaller, with one-or two-family habitations perhaps more common than he larger multi-family households of the post-White contact period.     

Craniometric Variation In The Northern And Central Plains

Abstract

Cranial measurements of 13 male and 12 female samples from the Central and Northern Plains region were subjected to canonical analysis. The samples include historic or protohistoric crania that can be ascribed to the Arikara, Mandan, Pawnee, Ponca and Omaha tribes. In addition, two samples belong to the archaeologically defined St. Helena Focus. Both sexes yielded five significant canonical variates, although only four were readily interpretable. The first canonical variate is clearly a Siouan-Caddoan discriminator and reflects variation in cranial vault height. St. Helena sites associate with the Arikara on this axis, supporting previous craniometric analyses which suggest a relationship between these two groups. Subsequent canonical variates deal with more particular aspects of craniometric variation among groups, but are still interpretable in historic or evolutionary terms. The classificatory analysis shows that the Arikara sites are closely related. A major exception to this is the Sully site, which frequently misclassifies with non-Arikara groups. This suggests that the Sully crania have little collective reality; and that there may be non-Arikara components represented at the Sully Site.     

Herbicides for Establishing Switchgrass in the Central and Northern Great Plains

Weed interference limits switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) establishment from seed. Our objectives were to determine the effect of selected post-plant, preemergence herbicides on stand establishment and subsequent biomass yields of adapted upland switchgrass cultivars grown in three environments in the Central and Northern Great Plains. A separate experiment was conducted in eastern Nebraska to determine if there were any differences among switchgrass ecotypes for herbicide tolerance to the optimal herbicide combination. Herbicides applied immediately after planting were different concentrations of atrazine [Aatrex 4L®; 6-chloro-N-ethyl-N′-(1-methylethyl)-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine], quinclorac (Paramount®; 3,7-Dichloro-8-quinolinecarboxylic acid), atrazine+quinclorac, imazapic {Plateau®; 2-[4,5-dihydro-4-methyl-4-(1-methylethyl)-5-oxo-1H-imidazol-2-yl]-5-methyl-3-pyridinecarboxylic acid}, and quinclorac+imazapic. Herbicide efficacy was determined by measuring stand frequency of occurrence and biomass yield the year after establishment. The application of quinclorac plus atrazine resulted in acceptable stands and high biomass yields. Imazapic often reduced switchgrass stands in comparison to the nontreated control and is not recommended for switchgrass establishment. In the multi-state trials, the herbicide by cultivar interaction was not significant for stands or biomass yields, indicating that the effects of herbicides on switchgrass stands and biomass yields were consistent over the upland cultivars used in the trials. No differences were detected among switchgrass lowland and upland ecotypes for tolerance to atrazine and quinclorac. Quinclorac, which provides effective control of grassy weeds, and herbicides such as atrazine which provide good broadleaf weed control are an excellent herbicide combination for establishing switchgrass for biomass production in the Great Plains and the Midwest.     

Pollination biology in a palm swamp community in the Venezuelan Central Plains

RAMIREZ, N. & BRITO, Y., 1992. Pollination biology in a palm swamp community in the Venezuelan central plains. In a palm swamp community that differs strongly from the surrounding savanna in the Venezuelan central plains, the pollination and floral biology of 33 plant species were studied during three years: 1983, 1984 and 1989. The most frequent flower colours were white, pink, yellow, and in a lesser proportion green, brown, purple and red. Floral symmetry was found in roughly equal proportion for actinomorphic and zygomorphic flowers. Most flowers were short-lived (6–12 hours); in monoecious species the female flowers were longer-lived than the male flowers. The most frequent rewards were pollen and nectar (36.4%) and pollen (30.3%). At the community level, bee- and wasp-pollination prevailed in 57.1% of plant species studies, followed by wind- (14.3%), fly- (11.4%), butterfly- (8.6%), bird- (5.7%) and beetle-pollination (2.9%). Between one and five plant species were simultaneously visited by the visitor species. The vast majority of the pollinating species displayed a high degree of load specificity: 26 pollinator species (65.0%) carried pollen from only one plant species, eight (20.0%,) carried pollen from two plant species, three (7.5%) carried pollen from three plant species and one (2.5%) carried pollen from five plant species. Visitor specificity and pollen transportation were similar amongst the visiting agents. Plant pollination-system specificity and pollen transportation were statistically significant among plant species with different pollinator types, but plant pollination system and pollen transportation were not different among floral symmetry, floral longevity, reward type, plant sexuality, breeding system and plant life form. The visitor species/plant species ratio was 1.6, and the pollinator species/ plant species ratio was 1.3. Among different guilds, birds, Coleoptera and Lepidoptera showed the highest pollinator species/plant species ratio, and wind pollination exhibited the lowest.     

Archaic Skeletal Remains from the Central Plains: Demography and Burial Practices

Abstract

Recently a number of reports on Plains Archaic skeletal material have been published which quadruple the number of burials described and analyzed in the literature. Although the total number of burials is still relatively small, it is large enough to allow research to begin in paieodemographic aspects of the central part of thePlains and the suggestion of burial patterns for these materials. By combining all Archaic burials from the Plains a demographic profile has been developed. It is compared with other Archaic populations from the eastern United States, and with a Plains population dating after A.O. 1000. The results of the analysis show that with few exceptions burial patterns and the demographic picture of the Plains are quite stable over time, although differences are found in metric and non-metric variations in both the time and space continua. The analysis further shows that certain anomalous conditions in the skeleton appear to be much more prevalent inArchaic material than in recent material from the same area. The results finally suggest that Archaic people in the demographic and burial practice continua are quite similar to later populations, at least through Middle Mississippian populationsin the Plains.     

中原城市群生态效率时空演变及影响因素

提高生态效率是推进生态文明建设和绿色发展的重要途径。基于2003—2016年中原城市群29个城市的面板数据,运用Super-SBM(超效率SBM模型, Super slacks-based model)模型对生态效率进行测算,并综合运用GIS技术与空间滞后模型,分析了生态效率的时空演变及空间关联特征,研究了生态效率变动的影响因素。结果表明:(1)2003—2016年,中原城市群生态效率总体上呈"阶梯状"的上升趋势,空间分布存在差异,形成了北部和南部高,中间低的空间格局。(2)中原城市群生态效率呈正向空间自相关,空间集聚趋势逐步增强,冷点区在西北部地区动态变化,东南部地区形成稳定的热点区。(3)中原城市群生态效率存在正向空间溢出效应,经济发展水平和对外开放水平产生显著正向效应,而科技水平产生显著负向效应。     

中原地区几处仰韶文化时期考古遗址的人类食物状况分析

本文应用稳定同位素δ13C、δ15N对中原地区仰韶文化遗址, 即郑州西山、西安鱼化寨和灵宝西坡遗址出土人骨中碳、氮稳定同位素进行分析。结果显示,遗址基本均是以C4类植物为主食。δ15N值显示人们食物中也有一定程度的肉类。同时, 对相关区域的部分动物骨头的碳同位素分析结果表明, 家养动物的食性与人类食物状况具有一定的相关性, 这在C4类植物为人类主食区域中再次得到显示和证明。结合墓葬状况的分析表明, 仰韶时期已经存在社会分层现象, 在人们食物状况上也有体现。     

Plains Anthropologist Journal Of the Plains Conference

Abstract

Ethnographic literature of the late 19th and early 20th centuries contains a number of accounts of the use ofheat in the manufacture of chipped stone artifacts.Consistent failure of attempts to duplicate these techniquesled to scepticism regarding any association’ of fire with flint knapping. In 1964, Crabtree and Butler described a technique of thermal pretreatment which improved the working quality of the material and which they believedhad been used aboriginally. Archaeological evidence now indicates that use of this technique was widespread both geographically and temporally.

The need for a simple objective test for the identification of thermally pretreated archaeological materials has led to a number of investigations into the nature of chert and of the thermally induced changes which take place. Chert, a microcrystalline silicate, is composed of granular quartz microcrystals in a fibrous matrix. SEM micrographs indicate that fracture in raw chert tends to be intergranular and thatthematrix tears rather than breaking. With the application of heat, the fibrous matrix becomes fused, probablythrough the eutectic development of mineral impurities. The resultant material is more homogeneous and allows more predictable transgranular fracture.     

STR Polymorphisms of the Henan Population and Investigation of the Central Plains Han Origin of Chaoshanese

Allele frequencies for 15 short tandem repeat (STR) loci were obtained from a Chinese Han population in Henan province of middle China. No deviation from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium was observed for the STR loci except for D3S1358. The 15 STR loci are potentially useful for paternity testing and forensic casework in the Henan population. A phylogenetic tree based on CODIS STR allele frequencies of 25 Han populations revealed noticeable but far less clear distinctions between southern and northern Chinese populations; the Henan Han population was located at an intermediate position between south and north Chinese Han populations, relatively closer to Chaoshan and Minnan Han. Moreover, admixture analysis showed a large proportion of Central Plains Han origin in Chaoshanese and Minnanese. Admixture and phylogenetic analysis also reflected the genetic similarity shared by these two groups.     

Sunflower stem weevil and its larval parasitoids in the Central and Northern Plains of the USA

The sunflower stem weevil, Cylindrocopturus adspersus (LeConte) (Coleoptera:Curculionidae), is apest of cultivated sunflower (Helianthusannuus L) from the southern to the northernGreat Plains. The incidence of weevilinfestation in fields from the six differentstates sampled during 1996 and 1997 ranged from33% (Minnesota) to 100% (Kansas, Colorado,Nebraska). Weevil populations in the fieldssampled were statistically greater in thecentral Plains (Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska)with a mean of 12.3 and 19.5 larvae per stalkcompared with the northern Plains (North andSouth Dakota, Minnesota) of 0.7 and 1.3 larvaeper stalk in 1996 and 1997, respectively.Parasitization of weevils varied from field tofield ranging from 1 to 100%, but was usuallyless than 20%. The nine species oflarval parasitoids recovered were allHymenoptera and included: Nealioluscurculionis (Fitch), N. collaris(Brues), Bracon sp. (Braconidae); Neocatolaccus tylodermae (Ashmead), Chlorocytus sp., Pteromalus sp.(Pteromalidae); Quadrastichus ainslieiGahan (Eulophidae), Eurytoma tylodermatisAshmead (Eurytomidae); and Eupelmus sp.(Eupelmidae). Nealiolus curculionis wasthe most prevalent parasitoid reared from C. adspersus, and it was recovered from allstates sampled. Parasitoid species richness wasgreatest in the central Plains. Thereduced number of parasitoid species foundattacking C. adspersus in the northernPlains may be caused by low host populationlevels, slow migration by parasitoids into theregion, or lack of adaptation to climaticconditions. Additional work to understandthe population dynamics of the parasitoidcomplex associated with C. adspersus mayresult in improved biological control of thesunflower stem weevil in cultivatedsunflower.     

A Reexamination of Roper’S Trend-Surface Analysis of Central Plains Radiocarbon Dates

Abstract

A reexamination of Roper’s (1976) trend-surface analysis of Central Plains radiocarbon dates indicates that 1) a nonlinear trend in the data was not recognized, and 2) the dates of the trend-surface contours given in her map of the Central Plains are in error. A revised trend-surface model is presented which better describes the site data and more closely agrees with the Central Plains cultural sequence.     

Litter decomposition in grasslands of Central North America (US Great Plains)

One of the major concerns about global warming is the potential for an increase in decomposition and soil respiration rates, increasing CO₂ emissions and creating a positive feedback between global warming and soil respiration. This is particularly important in ecosystems with large belowground biomass, such as grasslands where over 90% of the carbon is allocated belowground. A better understanding of the relative influence of climate and litter quality on litter decomposition is needed to predict these changes accurately in grasslands. The Long‐Term Intersite Decomposition Experiment Team (LIDET) dataset was used to evaluate the influence of climatic variables (temperature, precipitation, actual evapotranspiration, and climate decomposition index), and litter quality (lignin content, carbon : nitrogen, and lignin : nitrogen ratios) on leaf and root decomposition in the US Great Plains. Wooden dowels were used to provide a homogeneous litter quality to evaluate the relative importance of above and belowground environments on decomposition. Contrary to expectations, temperature did not explain variation in root and leaf decomposition, whereas precipitation partially explained variation in root decomposition. Percent lignin was the best predictor of leaf and root decomposition. It also explained most variation in root decomposition in models which combined litter quality and climatic variables. Despite the lack of relationship between temperature and root decomposition, temperature could indirectly affect root decomposition through decreased litter quality and increased water deficits. These results suggest that carbon flux from root decomposition in grasslands would increase, as result of increasing temperature, only if precipitation is not limiting. However, where precipitation is limiting, increased temperature would decrease root decomposition, thus likely increasing carbon storage in grasslands. Under homogeneous litter quality, belowground decomposition was faster than aboveground and was best predicted by mean annual precipitation, which also suggests that the high moisture in soil accelerates decomposition belowground.     

Crop residue harvest impacts wind erodibility and simulated soil loss in the Central Great Plains

Crop residue removal can affect the susceptibility to soil wind erosion in climates such as those of the Central Great Plains, United States. Six on‐farm trials were conducted in Kansas from 2011 to 2013 to determine the effects of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), corn (Zea mays L.), and grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench), residue removal at 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100% of initial height on soil wind erosion parameters. Those parameters include soil surface random roughness (RR), and wind erodible fraction (EF; aggregates <0.84 mm), geometric mean diameter (GMD) and geometric standard deviation (GSD), stability of dry aggregates (DAS). Complete (100%) residue removal decreased the surface RR, increased EF, and decreased GMD. Overwinter EF values increased for five of six sites from fall 2011 to spring of 2012, particularly for the uppermost removal height (≥75%). Measured EF, GMD, GSD, DAS, and RR were also input into the Single‐event Wind Erosion Evaluation Program (SWEEP) to determine the effect of these parameters on simulated soil loss. The SWEEP simulated the wind velocity needed to initiate wind erosion as well as soil loss under each residue removal height at a wind velocity of 13 m s^?1 for three hours. Threshold wind velocity required to initiate wind erosion generally decreased with increasing crop residue removal height, particularly for >75% removal. Total estimated soil loss over the three‐hour event ranged from ≈2 to 25 Mg ha^?1, depending on EF, GMD, GSD, RR, and percent crop residue cover. Removing 75% residue increased simulated wind erosion at three of six sites while removing 50% appears sustainable at all six study sites. Findings reinforce the need for site‐by‐site consideration of the potential amount of crop residue that may be harvested while mitigating wind erosion. Study results indicate the value of maintaining residue at >75% of original height.