In the last decade, macrobotanical remains from meters-thick infills of riverbeds excavated at two archaeological sites in Brussels were extensively studied. To the north of the city centre, at the site of Tour & Taxis, the remains of a meandering river arm was brought to light. Archaeological finds indicate human occupation during the Gallo-Roman period, while in the early medieval period anthropogenic activities declined and the river arm gradually disappeared from the landscape. The second site is situated within the ancient city centre of Brussels, in the area of the medieval harbour on the Senne, where several phases of the medieval river were uncovered. The oldest layers document on the towns’ earliest developments while the most recent deposits shed light on the late medieval city and its urbanisation. The results of the macrobotanical analyses of these two similar contexts from a rural and an urban site illustrate the potential and challenges of archaeobotanical studies of fluvial deposits and highlight the importance of an integrated taphonomical approach. The exceptional diversity of the plant material and its excellent waterlogged preservation offer unique insights into various aspects of daily life through time. Plant remains from both sites consist of a mixture of naturally accumulated material and remains from anthropogenic deposits, including animal dung, human excrements, fuel, domestic and artisanal waste. Due to the diverse origins of the botanical material that ended up in the water, the assemblages not only provide information on the local vegetation history but also on agriculture, food economy, trade, ornamental plants and waste management. In addition, numerous remains from the urban Senne deposits give material evidence for textile working and dyeing with plants along the riverbanks for more than three centuries. Keywords: Archaeobotany; Vegetation; Food Economy; Textile Working; Urbanisation; Taphonomy; River Deposits Presentation in session E2: River and Inland Water Archaeology - Exploring submerged and Watercourse-Linked Cultural Heritage
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The BioBlitz concept has become popular across taxonomic fields, attracting interest globally to increase knowledge of local biodiversity. However, large-scale application of BioBlitz events for parasites has not occurred due to the need for wide taxonomic expertise and in-field sample processing and microscopy. As a team of parasitologists with individual, complementary and methodologically aligned expertise, we adopted the concept of a BioBlitz as a ‘moonshot’-like endeavor and a proof-of-concept in our research field. Over ca. two weeks, we intensively screened fishes and various invertebrate taxa (annelids, crustaceans, snails, bivalves) for parasites, and sampled sediment and water for eDNA from four aquatic habitats: wetland, freshwater pond, brackish impoundment, and tidal creek at Stono Preserve (College of Charleston’s Foundation, South Carolina, USA) to cover ecosystem-level parasite diversity. Morphological and molecular identification of parasites collected revealed the presence of eight major parasite taxa (monogeneans, cestodes, digeneans, nematodes, copepods, myxozoans, flagellates, and leeches), several of which were new host and/or locality records with numerous host-parasite combinations. The finding of species new to science and numerous host-parasite combinations further supports that such short term and intensive surveys improve knowledge of parasite diversity, which is under-studied yet essential for deeper understanding of ecosystems at local and global scales.
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Stress responses are key for parasite survival and, thus, also the evolutionary success of these organisms. However, a strong bias in parasite genomic research towards few human pathogens results in a lack of knowledge on evolutionary diversification mechanisms. Comparative studies of closely related and functionally similar lineages are the key for understanding factors driving adaptive evolution of stress responses. To address this knowledge gap, we contrasted evolutionary patterns of several antioxidant, heat shock, osmoregulatory, and behaviour-related genes in two fish parasitic flatworm lineages with varying species and ecological diversity, Cichlidogyrus and Kapentagyrus (Monopisthocotyla). We assembled the sequences of 48 genes related to stress responses in 11 species through an in-silico exon bait capture approach, applied phylogenetic reconstruction and tested for signatures of selection. The study also reports the first foraging (For) gene orthologs in flatworms. Additionally, the absence of cytochrome P450 (Cyp) and kappa (Gstk) and sigma-class glutathione S-transferases (Gsts) in monopisthocotylan flatworms is reported, genes typically considered essential for metazoan life. The results reveal copy number differences in heat shock (Hsp) and oxidative stress genes between the two parasite lineages potentially linked to the diversity of ecological niches occupied by their respective host taxa. Positive selection is detected in genes related to mitochondrial protein import (Hsp) and behaviour (For) in species of Cichlidogyrus infecting a host lineage under adaptive radiation (East African cichlids), suggesting an adaptive link to a putative co-radiation of parasites and hosts. Therefore, the study identifies the first potential molecular function linked to a flatworm radiation.
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