What is Your “Phytolith Load”? An Examination of the Potential for Cross-Contamination During Phytolith Extraction

  • Abigail Francesca Buffington Department of Anthropology,The Ohio State University
  • Andrew Weiland Department of Anthropology, The Ohio State University
  • Julia Arnold Department of Microbiology & Department of Molecular Genetics, The Ohio State University
  • Drew Arbogast Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14237/ebl.9.2.2018.955
Keywords: Phytoliths, Contamination, Paleoethnobotany, Sediment analysis

Abstract

Phytoliths—amorphous opal silica bodies that form in living plant tissues—are assumed to be stable components of a soil matrix, minimally impacted by normal physical forces. This stability enables archaeologists to access an archive of prior vegetative landscapes when discrete horizons are recovered. However, there is a small chance of phytoliths moving in a laboratory setting via aeolian forces, especially after they have been isolated from other materials such as clay, organics, and carbonates, and when multiple samples are being processed simultaneously. As a result, an assessment of contamination risk on sample extraction is necessary for interpreting the results of phytolith analyses. We designed a study to test the potential for contamination on slides in two different locations of the phytolith laboratory. The results of our study inform how we can improve on phytolith processing protocols and analyses to reduce the potential effect of cross-contamination between samples.

Author Biographies

Abigail Francesca Buffington, Department of Anthropology,The Ohio State University
Abigail Buffington is an environmental anthropologist interested in paleoethnobotany, ancient landscapes, and pastoralism in the Near East
Andrew Weiland, Department of Anthropology, The Ohio State University
Andrew Weiland is a PhD Candidate at The Ohio State University. He specializes in North American paleoethnobotany. 
Julia Arnold, Department of Microbiology & Department of Molecular Genetics, The Ohio State University
Julia Arnold is a student at The Ohio State University with interests in cultural anthropology, German language, genetics, and microbiology.
Drew Arbogast, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University
Drew Arbogast is a student at The Ohio State University with interests in conservation and restoration ecology, paleoecology, and cultural anthropology.

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Ethnobiology Letters Cover, Volume 9, Issue 2, 2018
Published
2018-04-25
How to Cite
Buffington, A. F., Weiland, A., Arnold, J., & Arbogast, D. (2018). What is Your “Phytolith Load”? An Examination of the Potential for Cross-Contamination During Phytolith Extraction. Ethnobiology Letters, 9(2), 65-74. https://doi.org/10.14237/ebl.9.2.2018.955
Issue
Vol 9 No 2 (2018)
Section
Research Communications

Copyright (c) 2018 Abigail Francesca Buffington

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