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Investigating Isotopic Niche Space: Using rKIN for Stable Isotope Studies in Archaeology

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Abstract

Archaeological applications of stable isotope data have become increasingly prevalent, and the use of these data continues to expand rapidly. Researchers are starting to find that recovering data for multiple elements provides additional insight and quantitative data for answering questions about past human activities and behaviors. Many stable isotope studies in archaeology, however, rarely move beyond comparisons of descriptive statistics such as mean, median, and standard deviation. Over the last decade, ecologists have formalized the concept of isotopic niche space, and corresponding isotopic niche overlap, to incorporate data from two or more isotopic systems into a single analysis. Additionally, several methods for quantifying isotopic niche space and overlap are now available. Here, I describe the evolution of the isotopic niche space concept and demonstrate the usefulness of it for archaeological research through three case studies using the recently developed rKIN package that allows for a comparison of different methods of isotopic niche space and overlap estimations. Two case studies apply these new measures to previously published studies, while a third case study illustrates its applicability to exploring new hypotheses and research directions. The benefits and limitations of quantifying isotopic niche space and overlap are discussed, as well as suggestions for data reporting and transparency when using these methods. Isotopic niche space and overlap metrics will allow archaeologists to extract more nuanced information from stable isotope datasets in their drive to understand more fully the histories of the human conditions.

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  • 15 November 2021

    The original version of this paper was updated due to the revised statement of Availability of Data and Material

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  1. Archaeology Program, Boston University, 675 Commonwealth Avenue, Suite 347, Boston, MA, 02215, USA

    Joshua R. Robinson

  2. Geography-Anthropology Program, University of Southern Maine, 300 Bailey Hall, Gorham, ME, 04038, USA

    Joshua R. Robinson

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Robinson, J.R. Investigating Isotopic Niche Space: Using rKIN for Stable Isotope Studies in Archaeology. J Archaeol Method Theory 29, 831–861 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10816-021-09541-7

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