THE CONCLUSION
We relied on the number of taxa in each cluster to measure diversity.The
resulting diversity correlates with available Archaic site data. Ecological
diversity and eco-tones between clusters in earlier time periods may
prove to be one way of implying a Paleo-Indian presence in the Phoenix
and Tonto Basins. The potential elevational range, and resulting coverage
of the clusters, drops sharply with the number of middens. Possible solutions
include Bayesian approaches (i.e., weighted evidence) or accepting packrat
midden data from farther outside the study area to increase sample size.
resulting diversity correlates with available Archaic site data. Ecological
diversity and eco-tones between clusters in earlier time periods may
prove to be one way of implying a Paleo-Indian presence in the Phoenix
and Tonto Basins. The potential elevational range, and resulting coverage
of the clusters, drops sharply with the number of middens. Possible solutions
include Bayesian approaches (i.e., weighted evidence) or accepting packrat
midden data from farther outside the study area to increase sample size.
Defining ecological communities in the late Pleistocene and early Holocene by image data analysis of GIS-generated images appears to have yielded encouraging results in this pilot study. The method has advantages for areas where direct analysis of sediments is not feasible. In this case we used Packrat midden data, which are actual rather than probable. Establishing highest and lowest elevation from the middens also is grounded in reality and errs on the side of being conservative. The law of latitudinal equivalent in elevation applies to a limited region and does result in a relatively coarse translation of elevations from one latitude to another, but it has been in use for more than a century.
.................................................ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The work, of which this pilot study is one part, was made possible by a Graduate Research
..Fellowship from the Archaeological Research Institute at Arizona State University. Their
.......consistent support of graduate research is gratefully aknowledged. We thank Bruce
.Phillips, paleo-ecologist at Archaeological Consulting Services, Ltd., Tempe, Arizona, for
.......making time to consult with us. MultiSpec(tm) is a multispectral image data analysis
............system developed by David Landgrebe and Larry Biehl at Purdue University.
......................................................We drew data from:
....................................http://esp.cr.usgs.gov/data/midden/
..............................................http://plants.usda.gov/
.................................................http://azsitepublic.asu.edu/
......................The law of latitudinal equivalent in elevation comes from:
Lowe, Charles H., editor
1972 .....The Vertebrates of Arizona. University of Arizona Press. Pages 84-85.
.......................................We are solely responsible for errors.
The work, of which this pilot study is one part, was made possible by a Graduate Research
..Fellowship from the Archaeological Research Institute at Arizona State University. Their
.......consistent support of graduate research is gratefully aknowledged. We thank Bruce
.Phillips, paleo-ecologist at Archaeological Consulting Services, Ltd., Tempe, Arizona, for
.......making time to consult with us. MultiSpec(tm) is a multispectral image data analysis
............system developed by David Landgrebe and Larry Biehl at Purdue University.
......................................................We drew data from:
....................................http://esp.cr.usgs.gov/data/midden/
..............................................http://plants.usda.gov/
.................................................http://azsitepublic.asu.edu/
......................The law of latitudinal equivalent in elevation comes from:
Lowe, Charles H., editor
1972 .....The Vertebrates of Arizona. University of Arizona Press. Pages 84-85.
.......................................We are solely responsible for errors.
PALEO-ECOLOGY IN AN URBAN BASIN SYSTEM
Reconstructed Perennial Plant Communities in the Phoenix and Tonto Basins
2,000 Year Intervals from 14,000 bp to 4,000 bp
Steven Schmich, Archaeological Research Institute, and C. Michael Barton, Department of Anthropology, Arizona State University
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