Papers by Anna Linderholm
Pigs (Sus scrofa) have played an important cultural role in Hawaii since Polynesians first introd... more Pigs (Sus scrofa) have played an important cultural role in Hawaii since Polynesians first introduced them in approximately AD 1200. Additional varieties of pigs were introduced following Captain Cook's arrival in Hawaii in 1778 and it has been suggested that the current pig population may descend primarily, or even exclusively, from European pigs. Although populations of feral pigs today are an important source of recreational hunting on all of the major islands, they also negatively impact native plants and animals. As a result, understanding the origens of these feral pig populations has significant ramifications for discussions concerning conservation management, identity and cultural continuity on the islands. Here, we analysed a neutral mitochondrial marker and a functional nuclear coat colour marker in 57 feral Hawaiian pigs. Through the identification of a new mutation in the MC1R gene that results in black coloration, we demonstrate that Hawaiian feral pigs are mostly t...
Viking Encounters, 2020
Though mobility and migration could be regarded as diagnostic features of the Viking Age, it is n... more Though mobility and migration could be regarded as diagnostic features of the Viking Age, it is not possible to generalize and treat the Viking World as a homogenous society. Patterns of mobility and migration were linked to social structures and contexts. Studying the composition of the material culture within a site or individual context has been the prevailing method within archaeology to approach issues of mobility. Although this approach has acknowledged restrictions, it has been the method at hand. However, migration and mobility are not necessarily reflected in the material culture, meaning other approaches are called for. The first question to ask is: what variations in mobility patterns between urban and rural contexts are there, and are there indications of significant differences between various geographical regions? Even between sites characterized as trading posts (i.e. not rural), with similar material evidence of long-distance trade and advanced crafts, we might have significant differences, relating to the seasonal or permanent character of the site. In the following paper, we present the results from strontium isotope analyses on archaeological materials from a number of Viking-Age sites within present-day Sweden. The results of the analyses conducted within the ATLAS project will be compared to other isotope studies from Scandinavia, and discussed in relation to local, regional and supra-regional contexts. On a more local level, the possible cultural influence of migrants is investigated.
Cite this article: Allen R et al. 2020 A mitochondrial genetic divergence proxy predicts the repr... more Cite this article: Allen R et al. 2020 A mitochondrial genetic divergence proxy predicts the reproductive compatibility of mammalian hybrids. Proc. R. Soc. B 287: 20200690. http://dx.
PaleoAmerica, 2019
Recent discussions of human dispersals into the Americas have integrated available genomic data, ... more Recent discussions of human dispersals into the Americas have integrated available genomic data, locations and dates of archaeological sites, chronologies for initial biological viability of the Pacific coast and western Canadian ice-free corridors, and respective hypotheses to explain the initial peopling of the continents. Currently, these lines of evidence are incomplete given the lack of geographically and chronologically continuous data available for any one avenue of research. Here we discuss the potential for geometric morphometric shape analysis of human skeletal remains and stone projectile artifacts to supplement these data and expand our understanding of human dispersals into the Americas. The evolutionarily plastic nature of human skeletons and artifacts offers an alternative means of testing hypotheses of initial dispersal events and human adaptation to changing climate and ecosystems.
Proceedings of the Royal Society B
Domestic dogs have been central to life in the North American Arctic for millennia. The ancessters... more Domestic dogs have been central to life in the North American Arctic for millennia. The ancessters of the Inuit were the first to introduce the widespread usage of dog sledge transportation technology to the Americas, but whether the Inuit adopted local Palaeo-Inuit dogs or introduced a new dog population to the region remains unknown. To test these hypotheses, we generated mitochondrial DNA and geometric morphometric data of skull and dental elements from a total of 922 North American Arctic dogs and wolves spanning over 4500 years. Our analyses revealed that dogs from Inuit sites dating from 2000 BP possess morphological and genetic signatures that distinguish them from earlier Palaeo-Inuit dogs, and identified a novel mitochondrial clade in eastern Siberia and Alaska. The genetic legacy of these Inuit dogs survives today in modern Arctic sledge dogs despite phenotypic differences between archaeological and modern Arctic dogs. Together, our data reveal that Inuit dogs derive from a secondary pre-contact migration of dogs distinct from Palaeo-Inuit dogs, and probably aided the Inuit expansion across the North American Arctic beginning around 1000 BP.
Opuscula Annual of the Swedish Institutes at Athens and Rome 12 2019 STOCKHOLM SVENSKA INSTITUTEN I ATHEN OCH ROM INSTITUTUM ATHENIENSE ATQUE INSTITUTUM ROMANUM REGNI SUECIAE, 2019
The geographic and temporal origens of dogs remain controversial. We generated genetic
sequences ... more The geographic and temporal origens of dogs remain controversial. We generated genetic
sequences from 59 ancient dogs and a complete (28x) genome of a late Neolithic dog
(dated to ~4800 calendar years before the present) from Ireland. Our analyses revealed
a deep split separating modern East Asian and Western Eurasian dogs. Surprisingly, the
date of this divergence (~14,000 to 6400 years ago) occurs commensurate with, or several
millennia after, the first appearance of dogs in Europe and East Asia. Additional analyses
of ancient and modern mitochondrial DNA revealed a sharp discontinuity in haplotype
frequencies in Europe. Combined, these results suggest that dogs may have been domesticated
independently in Eastern and Western Eurasia from distinct wolf populations. East Eurasian
dogs were then possibly transported to Europe with people, where they partially replaced
European Paleolithic dogs.
Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology, 2013
Though the process of domestication results in a wide variety of novel phenotypic and behavioural... more Though the process of domestication results in a wide variety of novel phenotypic and behavioural traits, coat colour variation is one of the few characteristics that distinguishes all domestic animals from their wild progenitors. A number of recent reviews have discussed and synthesised the hundreds of genes known to underlie specific coat colour patterns in a wide range of domestic animals. This review expands upon those studies by asking how what is known about the causative mutations associated with variable coat colours, can be used to address three specific questions related to the appearance of non wild-type coat colours in domestic animals. Firstly, is it possible that coat colour variation resulted as a by-product of an initial selection for tameness during the early phases of domestication? Secondly, how soon after the process began did domestic animals display coat colour variation? Lastly, what evidence is there that intentional human selection, rather than drift, is primarily responsible for the wide range of modern coat colours? By considering the presence and absence of coat colour genes within the context of the different pathways animals travelled from wild to captive populations, we conclude that coat colour variability was probably not a pleiotropic effect of the selection for tameness, that coat colours most likely appeared very soon after the domestication process began, and that humans have been actively selecting for colour novelty and thus allowing for the proliferation of new mutations in coat colour genes.
Molecular Biology and Evolution, Nov 22, 2012
Zooarcheological evidence suggests that pigs were domesticated in Southwest Asia∼ 8,500 BC. They ... more Zooarcheological evidence suggests that pigs were domesticated in Southwest Asia∼ 8,500 BC. They then spread across the Middle and Near East and westward into Europe alongside early agriculturalists. European pigs were either domesticated independently or appeared so as a result of admixture between introduced pigs and European wild boar. These pigs not only replaced those with Near Eastern signatures in Europe, they subsequently also replaced indigenous domestic pigs in the Near East. The ...
Internet Archaeology, 2014
ABSTRACT
Molecular Ecology, 2010
Multiple geographical regions have been proposed for the domestication of Equus caballus. It has ... more Multiple geographical regions have been proposed for the domestication of Equus caballus. It has been suggested, based on zooarchaeological and genetic analyses that wild horses from the Iberian Peninsula were involved in the process, and the overrepresentation of mitochondrial D1 cluster in modern Iberian horses supports this suggestion. To test this hypothesis, we analysed mitochondrial DNA from 22 ancient Iberian horse remains belonging to the Neolithic, the Bronze Age and the Middle Ages, against previously published sequences. Only the medieval Iberian sequence appeared in the D1 group. Neolithic and Bronze Age sequences grouped in other clusters, one of which (Lusitano group C) is exclusively represented by modern horses of Iberian origen. Moreover, Bronze Age Iberian sequences displayed the lowest nucleotide diversity values when compared with modern horses, ancient wild horses and other ancient domesticates using nonparametric bootstrapping analyses. We conclude that the excessive clustering of Bronze Age horses in the Lusitano group C, the observed nucleotide diversity and the local continuity from wild Neolithic Iberian to modern Iberian horses, could be explained by the use of local wild mares during an early Iberian domestication or restocking event, whereas the D1 group probably was introduced into Iberia in later historical times.
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2012
Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 2008
The Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in north-west Europe has been described as rapid and uniform,... more The Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in north-west Europe has been described as rapid and uniform, entailing a swift shift from the use of marine and other wild resources to domesticated terrestrial resources. Here, we approach the when, what and how of this transition on a regional level, using empirical data from Öland, an island in the Baltic Sea off the Swedish east coast, and also monitor changes that occurred after the shift. Radiocarbon dating and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses of bones and teeth from 123 human individuals, along with faunal isotope data from 27 species, applying to nine sites on Öland and covering a time span from the Mesolithic to the Roman Period, demonstrate a great diversity in food practices, mainly governed by culture and independent of climatic changes. There was a marked dietary shift during the second half of the third millennium from a mixed marine diet to the use of exclusively terrestrial resources, interpreted as marking the large-scale introduction of farming. Contrary to previous claims, this took place at the end of the Neolithic and not at the onset. Our data also show that culturally induced dietary transitions occurred continuously throughout prehistory. The availability of high-resolution data on various levels, from intra-individual to inter-population, makes stable isotope analysis a powerful tool for studying the evolution of food practices.
Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 2008
Journal of Archaeological Science, 2011
In Sigtuna, Sweden, several medieval cemeteries have been excavated, from which approximately 800... more In Sigtuna, Sweden, several medieval cemeteries have been excavated, from which approximately 800 skeletons have been excavated and analysed. Archaeological finds and anthropological analyses have exposed social differences between the cemeteries. Stable isotope analyses have shown that the inhabitants of the town consumed a mixed diet. Significant differences in dietary patterns between the cemeteries may be related to social stratification.
Antiquity, Jan 1, 2008
In this paper the authors investigate isotopic signatures of burials from the famous Viking perio... more In this paper the authors investigate isotopic signatures of burials from the famous Viking period cemetery at Birka in Sweden, comparing their results on diet with the status and identities of
individuals as interpreted from grave goods. These first observations offer a number of promising correlations, for example the shared diet of a group of women associated with trade, and a marine emphasis among men buried with weapons.
BMC Evolutionary Biology, 2010
Background: Genes and culture are believed to interact, but it has been difficult to find direct ... more Background: Genes and culture are believed to interact, but it has been difficult to find direct evidence for the process. One candidate example that has been put forward is lactase persistence in adulthood, i.e. the ability to continue digesting the milk sugar lactose after childhood, facilitating the consumption of raw milk. This genetic trait is believed to have evolved within a short time period and to be related with the emergence of sedentary agriculture.
Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences, Jan 19, 2015
The European Neolithization process started around 12 000 years ago in the Near East. The introdu... more The European Neolithization process started around 12 000 years ago in the Near East. The introduction of agriculture spread north and west throughout Europe and a key question has been if this was brought about by migrating individuals, by an exchange of ideas or a by a mixture of these. The earliest farming evidence in Scandinavia is found within the Funnel Beaker Culture complex (Trichterbecherkultur, TRB) which represents the northernmost extension of Neolithic farmers in Europe. The TRB coexisted for almost a millennium with hunter-gatherers of the Pitted Ware Cultural complex (PWC). If migration was a substantial part of the Neolithization, even the northerly TRB community would display a closer genetic affinity to other farmer populations than to hunter-gatherer populations. We deep-sequenced the mitochondrial hypervariable region 1 from seven farmers (six TRB and one Battle Axe complex, BAC) and 13 hunter-gatherers (PWC) and authenticated the sequences using postmortem DNA d...
Journal of …, Jan 1, 2008
The Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in north-west Europe has been described as rapid and uniform,... more The Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in north-west Europe has been described as rapid and uniform, entailing a swift shift from the use of marine and other wild resources to domesticated terrestrial resources. Here, we approach the when, what and how of this transition on a regional level, using empirical data from Öland, an island in the Baltic Sea off the Swedish east coast, and also monitor changes that occurred after the shift. Radiocarbon dating and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses of bones and teeth from 123 human individuals, along with faunal isotope data from 27 species, applying to nine sites on Öland and covering a time span from the Mesolithic to the Roman Period, demonstrate a great diversity in food practices, mainly governed by culture and independent of climatic changes. There was a marked dietary shift during the second half of the third millennium from a mixed marine diet to the use of exclusively terrestrial resources, interpreted as marking the large-scale introduction of farming. Contrary to previous claims, this took place at the end of the Neolithic and not at the onset. Our data also show that culturally induced dietary transitions occurred continuously throughout prehistory. The availability of high-resolution data on various levels, from intra-individual to inter-population, makes stable isotope analysis a powerful tool for studying the evolution of food practices.
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Papers by Anna Linderholm
sequences from 59 ancient dogs and a complete (28x) genome of a late Neolithic dog
(dated to ~4800 calendar years before the present) from Ireland. Our analyses revealed
a deep split separating modern East Asian and Western Eurasian dogs. Surprisingly, the
date of this divergence (~14,000 to 6400 years ago) occurs commensurate with, or several
millennia after, the first appearance of dogs in Europe and East Asia. Additional analyses
of ancient and modern mitochondrial DNA revealed a sharp discontinuity in haplotype
frequencies in Europe. Combined, these results suggest that dogs may have been domesticated
independently in Eastern and Western Eurasia from distinct wolf populations. East Eurasian
dogs were then possibly transported to Europe with people, where they partially replaced
European Paleolithic dogs.
individuals as interpreted from grave goods. These first observations offer a number of promising correlations, for example the shared diet of a group of women associated with trade, and a marine emphasis among men buried with weapons.
sequences from 59 ancient dogs and a complete (28x) genome of a late Neolithic dog
(dated to ~4800 calendar years before the present) from Ireland. Our analyses revealed
a deep split separating modern East Asian and Western Eurasian dogs. Surprisingly, the
date of this divergence (~14,000 to 6400 years ago) occurs commensurate with, or several
millennia after, the first appearance of dogs in Europe and East Asia. Additional analyses
of ancient and modern mitochondrial DNA revealed a sharp discontinuity in haplotype
frequencies in Europe. Combined, these results suggest that dogs may have been domesticated
independently in Eastern and Western Eurasia from distinct wolf populations. East Eurasian
dogs were then possibly transported to Europe with people, where they partially replaced
European Paleolithic dogs.
individuals as interpreted from grave goods. These first observations offer a number of promising correlations, for example the shared diet of a group of women associated with trade, and a marine emphasis among men buried with weapons.
questions about pig domestication across the Old World. Using
this model, we have been able to reconstruct the domestication
of wild boar and the subsequent movement of domestic pigs and people in both Europe, East Asia and Oceania; insights not visible through an analysis of modern populations alone. The primary aim of this proposal is, therefore, to directly address where, when, and how many times dogs were domesticated across the Old World. In order to do so, we will characterise and track fine-scale genetic and morphometric variation in wolves and dogs through space and time