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    El cambio de la recolección de moluscos a la pesca como una estrategia primaria de forrajear costero pueda permitir las cazadores-recolectores a obtener más comida y asentar con poblaciones más altas. En las islas Channel más norteñas de California (NCI), después el desarrollo de los anzuelos hechos de piezas individuales de concha cerca de 2500 años calibrados ante de presente (cal BP), la dieta expandía de moluscos ante todo a incluir peces de cerca de la orilla en cantidades mayores. Durante la anomalía climática medieval (1150–600 cal BP), asentamiento en las islas condensaba a una cantidad pequeña de pueblos costales grandes con poblaciones de alta densidad apoyados por especies de pez de cerca de la orilla incluso de los rocotes, las mojarras y las señoritas. Datos faunales de cinco sitios de la región oeste de la Isla Santa Rosa (CA-SRI-15, -31, -97, -313 y -333) demuestran un aumento en la pesca cerca de la orilla a través del tiempo. Discutimos que cambios demográficos que ocurrían en la NCI eran acompañados por cambios en las estrategias subsistencias relacionadas en parte al riesgo de el fracaso cuando intentar a obtener recursos diferentes. Mientras la densidad de población aumentaba, la estrategia de bajo riesgo de cosechar los moluscos declinaba en importancia relativa y la estrategia del riesgo alto de la pesca cerca de la orilla aumentaba. Aunque ejemplos de múltiples estrategias de subsistencia simultáneos en comunidades de cazadores-recolectores están presentes en el registro etnográfico, este estudio proporciona una estructura a observar patrones semejantes en el registro arqueológico. 
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  3. The use of stable oxygen (δ18O) and carbon (δ13C) isotopic ratios of marine shell carbonate is a powerful tool for reconstructing past sea surface temperatures (SST) and estimating season of harvest for shells from coastal archaeological sites. While methods for sampling shells and analyzing the resulting data are established, less is known about the effects of anthropogenic activity on the geochemistry of the shells. Through an experimental study in which we heat carbonate powder from Mytilus californianus shells, we show that mussels cooked by boiling or steaming were unlikely to have their isotopic composition altered by the process. Shells heated over coals, however, show evidence of both visible and structural changes and in some cases are depleted in δ13C and/or δ18O. This indicates that archaeologists should use caution in interpreting past SST or site seasonality from burned shells and should instead test intact, unburned shells. 
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  4. The damage and loss of coastal archaeological sites from shoreline transgression and other near-coastal processes is common around the world. It negatively impacts our ability to address important research questions including those about the colonization of the New World, which likely occurred along the Pacific Coast. Differences in geomorphic context, annual weather patterns, topography, vegetation, bedrock, and land-use history lead to distinct localized patterns of erosion even within small geographic regions. We assessed near-coastal erosion on Santa Rosa Island, California, by monitoring annual change at 16 controlled points on 11 archaeological sites from 2013 to 2017 and by comparing it to the local geomorphic context and annual weather patterns. Overall, erosion through this period was greatest on the northwest coast of the island, which is directly in the path of prevailing winds and most winter storms, and least on the more protected west and south coasts. The 2016–2017 winter was the rainiest and had the most annual erosion in general; however, erosion at sites along gulley walls was lowest that year. By monitoring annual erosion and weather and associating them with variations in erosional processes, we can better understand threats to valuable cultural resources and take appropriate steps for mitigating their losses and the loss of archaeological data. 
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