Reconstructing Ancestral Pueblo food webs in the southwestern United States

摘要: Abstract Analyzing how humans interacted with (and within) their greater ecosystems facilitates a more nuanced understanding of past lifeways. In this aim, we use food web modeling to reconstruct the biotic environment Ancestral Pueblo people living in central Mesa Verde region between A.D. 750 and 1300. This framework enables an investigation into effects species introductions removals by linking they consumed. We combine diachronic examination multiple archaeological assemblages database every modern non-invasive feeding links 4,600 square kilometer area southwestern Colorado. Although human omnivory provided some flexibility, high population density likely curtailed ability prey switch. Ultimately, these factors combined decrease resilience environmental changes.