DataSheet1_Morphometric Identification of Starch Granules From Archaeological Contexts: Diagnostic Characteristics of Seven Major North American Plant Families.XLSX

Starch-rich plants have played an important role in human evolution and societal development. Collected, grown, and consumed to support ever-increasing populations, such plants are integral to understanding past human diets. With the advent of starch granule analysis, plant resources that were invisible in the archaeological record can now be revealed in the cracks and crevices of artifacts. Widespread application of this technique, however, has stalled due to a lack of rigorous and standardized protocols. For example, taxonomic identification of starch granules using consistent diagnostic characteristics is still a challenge as there are no comprehensive surveys across important (i.e., dietary) plant taxa, especially at the levels of families, genera, and species. This study provides characteristics for identifying starch granules of seven major North American plant families (Amaranthaceae, Apiaceae, Fagaceae, Liliaceae, Pinaceae, Poaceae, and Solanaceae) based on systematic, morphometric studies of modern reference materials. A dichotomous key to starch granules of the seven families was also generated to aid in identification of those from archaeological contexts. Although we have focused on plants from western North America, these families occur across the globe and have had dietary significance throughout prehistory.

富含淀粉的植物在人类演化与社会发展进程中发挥了关键作用。为支撑日益增长的人口而被采集、种植与食用的这类植物，是还原古人类饮食结构不可或缺的研究对象。随着淀粉粒分析技术的问世，此前在考古记录中难以被侦测到的植物遗存，如今可通过器物表面的裂隙与缝隙得以揭示。然而，由于缺乏严谨且标准化的实验流程，该技术的大规模应用仍停滞不前。例如，依靠统一诊断特征开展淀粉粒的分类学鉴定仍存在瓶颈：目前尚未针对具有重要饮食价值的植物类群（尤其是科、属、种层级）开展系统性的全面调研。本研究基于对现代参照标本的系统性形态计量学研究，提供了北美7个主要植物科——苋科（Amaranthaceae）、伞形科（Apiaceae）、壳斗科（Fagaceae）、百合科（Liliaceae）、松科（Pinaceae）、禾本科（Poaceae）以及茄科（Solanaceae）——淀粉粒的鉴定特征。此外，本研究还构建了针对这7个科植物淀粉粒的二分检索表，以辅助考古遗存中淀粉粒的鉴定工作。尽管本研究的研究对象聚焦于北美西部的植物类群，但上述植物科属广泛分布于全球各地，且在史前时期均具有重要的饮食价值。