A linkage between paleoclimate and population dynamics in inland Japan revealed by carbon isotope analysis of fossil pollen

• Project/Area Number: 15H06062
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Geology
• Research Institution: Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (2016); Fukushima University (2015)
• Principal Investigator: NAITO Yuichi 国立研究開発法人海洋研究開発機構, 生物地球化学研究分野, ポストドクトラル研究員 (10754848)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-08-28 – 2017-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2016)
• Budget Amount: ¥2,990,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥690,000); Fiscal Year 2016: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000); Fiscal Year 2015: ¥1,690,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥390,000)
• Keywords: 古気候 / 花粉 / 炭素同位体比 / 古人口 / 微気候 / 人口 / 気候変動 / 分析科学 / 人類学 / 同位体比 / 堆積物 / ピックアップ / 化学処理

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Pollen composition in sediments is used for estimating paleoenvironmental change through Quaternary period because of its well preservation. Stable isotopic composition of pollen has also been proposed as paleoclimate indicators such as precipitation while the utility of this approach has not yet been confirmed for many plant species and regions. In this study, modern tree pollens that frequently appear in Holocene lake sediments in Japan were collected throughout the mainland and analyzed for carbon isotopic compositions to test their potential as a paleoclimate proxy. Some tree species such as a pine (Pinus densiflora) showed significant correlation between carbon isotopic composition and several types of meteorological data. The results suggest that carbon isotopic composition of pollen grains of the specific species from sediments could be used as local-scale paleoclimate proxies in Japanese archipelago.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] アイソトープを使い先史日本列島人の暮しを窺う (2017)
  • Author(s): 内藤裕一
  • Journal Title: 科学 Volume: 87 Pages: 158-161
• [Journal Article] Evidence for herbivorous cave bears (Ursus spelaeus) in Goyet Cave, Belgium: Implications for paleodietary reconstruction of fossil bears using amino acid δ15N approaches (2016)
  • Author(s): Naito, Y.I., M. Germonpre, Y. Chikaraishi, N. Ohkouchi, D.G. Drucker, K.A. Hobson, M.A. Edwards, C. Wibing, and H. Bocherens
  • Journal Title: Journal of Quaternary Science Volume: 31 Issue: 6 Pages: 598-606
  • DOI: 10.1002/jqs.2883
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Variation in vegetative morphology tracks the complex genetic diversification of the mycoheterotrophic species Pyrola japonica sensu lato (2016)
  • Author(s): Shutoh, K., S. Kaneko, K. Suetsugu, Y.I. Naito, and T. Kurosawa, T.
  • Journal Title: American Journal of Botany Volume: 103 Issue: 9 Pages: 1-12
  • DOI: 10.3732/ajb.1600091
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
• [Journal Article] Isotopic evidence for dietary ecology of Late Neandertals in North-Western Europe (2016)
  • Author(s): Wibing, C., H. Rougier, I. Crevecoeur, M. Germonpre, Y.I. Naito, P. Semal, and H. Bocherens
  • Journal Title: Quaternary International Volume: 411 Pages: 327-345
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2015.09.091
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Ecological niche of Neanderthals from Spy Cave revealed by nitrogen isotopes of individual amino acids in collagen (2016)
  • Author(s): Naito, Y.I., Chikaraishi, Y., Drucker, D.G., Ohkouchi, N., Semal, P., Wissing, C., Bocherens, H.
  • Journal Title: Journal of Human Evolution Volume: 93 Pages: 82-90
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2016.01.009
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research / Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Presentation] Stable isotope analysis of pollen grains for terrestrial paleoclimate reconstruction revisited (2017)
  • Author(s): Naito, Y.I.
  • Organizer: JpGU-AGU Joint Meeting 2017
  • Place of Presentation: Makuhari Messe, 千葉県千葉市
  • Year and Date: 2017-05-23
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] 爪ケラチンのアミノ酸14C分析による現代人の食習慣・移住の解析 (2016)
  • Author(s): 内藤裕一，高野淑識，山根雅子，横山祐典，永田俊，大河内直彦
  • Organizer: 第70回日本人類学会大会
  • Place of Presentation: 学生総合プラザSTEP（新潟県新潟市）
  • Year and Date: 2016-10-09
• [Presentation] Decoding food habits in the past: emerging perspectives from compound-specific isotope analysis of archaeological human remains (2016)
  • Author(s): Yuichi I. Naito, Yoshito Chikaraishi, Yoshinori Takano, Naohiko Ohkouchi
  • Organizer: World Archaeology Congress 8 (WAC-8)
  • Place of Presentation: Doshisha University, 京都府京都市
  • Year and Date: 2016-09-01
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Nitrogen isotopic composition of individual amino acids in bones: a tool for illuminating past human and animal behaviors (2016)
  • Author(s): Naito, Y.I.
  • Organizer: International workshop of Organic Geochemistry "Biomarkers and Molecular Isotopes"
  • Place of Presentation: Minoo Kanko Hotel, 大阪府箕面市
  • Year and Date: 2016-07-05
  • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
• [Book] 裏磐梯・猪苗代地域の環境学 (2016)
  • Author(s): 塘忠顕
  • Total Pages: 260
  • Publisher: 福島民報社