Stowaways: Maritime ecology of the oldest commensal ship rats (Rattus rattus) found on a Mediterranean shipwreck

Sierra Harding; Madeline Tapson; Guy Bar-Oz; Deborah Cvikel; Nimrod Marom

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2023.103947

Stowaways: Maritime ecology of the oldest commensal ship rats (Rattus rattus) found on a Mediterranean shipwreck

Sierra Harding, Madeline Tapson, Guy Bar-Oz, Deborah Cvikel, Nimrod Marom

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Ship rats (Rattus rattus) have successfully colonized six continents and 80% of islands worldwide by stowing-away on anthropogenic vessels. Numerous zooarchaeological and metagenomic studies have contributed to tracing the western dispersal of ship rats out of the Indian subcontinent and into the Mediterranean Basin, North Africa, and Europe. This has increased understanding of historical maritime mobility, trade contacts, and the spread of pandemic disease such as the plague. Moreover, considerable research has been conducted on the behavior, ecology, and population dynamics of ship rats in invaded areas, which supports conservation and eradication efforts. However, few studies have shed light on the mode of travel in between the geographic origins and destinations of ship rats, such as ships and boats, which act as mobile, commensal habitat for this cosmopolitan species. We address this lacuna here, by analyzing an assemblage of ship rat remains from an early Islamic period shipwreck, the Ma‘agan Mikhael B, located on the Carmel coast of modern Israel. Using zooarchaeological, biometrical, and palaeogenetic (aDNA) methodologies, we investigated the maritime ecology of ship rats regarding dispersal behavior, habitat selection, source–sink dynamics, and relative body size. The results of this study suggest that ship rats actively inhabited the Ma‘agan Mikhael B as part of their habitat selection processes, that conditions onboard provided high-quality habitat (adequate food and harborage, likely absence of predators and disease), and that they appear to have exhibited a degree of gigantism, possibly due to ‘island rule’. This study has implications for future metapopulation genetic studies on ship rats, as well as shows the value of zooarchaeological analysis in understanding the ecological circumstances of the maritime mobility of ship rats in the Mediterranean region.

Original language	English
Article number	103947
Journal	Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
Volume	49
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2023.103947
State	Published - Jun 2023

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The underwater excavations (IAA permits G-41/2016, G-40/2017, G-26/2018, G-34/2019, and G-42/2021) and research of the Ma‘agan Mikhael B shipwreck are supported by the Israel Science Foundation (Grant #1891/16 to D.C.), the Honor Frost Foundation, the President and the Research Authority of the University of Haifa, the Sir Maurice and Lady Irene Hatter Research Grant, Kibbutz Ma‘agan Mikhael, and anonymous donors, to whom the authors are grateful. The study of the ship rats was carried out as part of the Zooarchaeology of Southern Phoenicia research funded by the Israel Science Foundation (Grant #252/19 to N.M.). The genetic study of the rats commenced as part of the NEGEVBYZ ERC Project funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program (Grant #648427 to G.B.), and was also supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada by Grant #20008499 to Dr. Hendrik Poinar, McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, McMaster University. We thank Roee Shafir for his assistance in photographing the specimens. We appreciate access to the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History (Tel Aviv) and the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (Paris) mammal collections, facilitated by Dr. Karin Tamar and Dr. Violaine Nicolas-Colin, respectively. Many thanks to Prof. Shai Meiri for his arguments on a previous version of this manuscript; the subsequent iterations were significantly bettered by them.

Funding Information:
The underwater excavations (IAA permits G-41/2016, G-40/2017, G-26/2018, G-34/2019, and G-42/2021) and research of the Ma‘agan Mikhael B shipwreck are supported by the Israel Science Foundation (Grant #1891/16 to D.C.), the Honor Frost Foundation, the President and the Research Authority of the University of Haifa, the Sir Maurice and Lady Irene Hatter Research Grant, Kibbutz Ma‘agan Mikhael, and anonymous donors, to whom the authors are grateful. The study of the ship rats was carried out as part of the Zooarchaeology of Southern Phoenicia research funded by the Israel Science Foundation (Grant #252/19 to N.M.). The genetic study of the rats commenced as part of the NEGEVBYZ ERC Project funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program (Grant #648427 to G.B.), and was also supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada by Grant #20008499 to Dr. Hendrik Poinar, McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, McMaster University. We thank Roee Shafir for his assistance in photographing the specimens. We appreciate access to the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History (Tel Aviv) and the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (Paris) mammal collections, facilitated by Dr. Karin Tamar and Dr. Violaine Nicolas-Colin, respectively. Many thanks to Prof. Shai Meiri for his arguments on a previous version of this manuscript; the subsequent iterations were significantly bettered by them.

Funding Information:
This work was supported by Israel Science Foundation under Grant #1891/16 and Grant #252/19, the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program Grant #648427, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Grant #20008499.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Elsevier Ltd

Keywords

Ecology
Island rule
Ma‘agan Mikhael B
Plague
Ship rats
Shipwreck
aDNA

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Archaeology
Archaeology

Access to Document

10.1016/j.jasrep.2023.103947

Cite this

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title = "Stowaways: Maritime ecology of the oldest commensal ship rats (Rattus rattus) found on a Mediterranean shipwreck",

abstract = "Ship rats (Rattus rattus) have successfully colonized six continents and 80% of islands worldwide by stowing-away on anthropogenic vessels. Numerous zooarchaeological and metagenomic studies have contributed to tracing the western dispersal of ship rats out of the Indian subcontinent and into the Mediterranean Basin, North Africa, and Europe. This has increased understanding of historical maritime mobility, trade contacts, and the spread of pandemic disease such as the plague. Moreover, considerable research has been conducted on the behavior, ecology, and population dynamics of ship rats in invaded areas, which supports conservation and eradication efforts. However, few studies have shed light on the mode of travel in between the geographic origins and destinations of ship rats, such as ships and boats, which act as mobile, commensal habitat for this cosmopolitan species. We address this lacuna here, by analyzing an assemblage of ship rat remains from an early Islamic period shipwreck, the Ma{\textquoteleft}agan Mikhael B, located on the Carmel coast of modern Israel. Using zooarchaeological, biometrical, and palaeogenetic (aDNA) methodologies, we investigated the maritime ecology of ship rats regarding dispersal behavior, habitat selection, source–sink dynamics, and relative body size. The results of this study suggest that ship rats actively inhabited the Ma{\textquoteleft}agan Mikhael B as part of their habitat selection processes, that conditions onboard provided high-quality habitat (adequate food and harborage, likely absence of predators and disease), and that they appear to have exhibited a degree of gigantism, possibly due to {\textquoteleft}island rule{\textquoteright}. This study has implications for future metapopulation genetic studies on ship rats, as well as shows the value of zooarchaeological analysis in understanding the ecological circumstances of the maritime mobility of ship rats in the Mediterranean region.",

keywords = "Ecology, Island rule, Ma{\textquoteleft}agan Mikhael B, Plague, Ship rats, Shipwreck, aDNA",

author = "Sierra Harding and Madeline Tapson and Guy Bar-Oz and Deborah Cvikel and Nimrod Marom",

note = "Funding Information: The underwater excavations (IAA permits G-41/2016, G-40/2017, G-26/2018, G-34/2019, and G-42/2021) and research of the Ma{\textquoteleft}agan Mikhael B shipwreck are supported by the Israel Science Foundation (Grant #1891/16 to D.C.), the Honor Frost Foundation, the President and the Research Authority of the University of Haifa, the Sir Maurice and Lady Irene Hatter Research Grant, Kibbutz Ma{\textquoteleft}agan Mikhael, and anonymous donors, to whom the authors are grateful. The study of the ship rats was carried out as part of the Zooarchaeology of Southern Phoenicia research funded by the Israel Science Foundation (Grant #252/19 to N.M.). The genetic study of the rats commenced as part of the NEGEVBYZ ERC Project funded by the European Union{\textquoteright}s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program (Grant #648427 to G.B.), and was also supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada by Grant #20008499 to Dr. Hendrik Poinar, McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, McMaster University. We thank Roee Shafir for his assistance in photographing the specimens. We appreciate access to the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History (Tel Aviv) and the Mus{\'e}um national d'Histoire naturelle (Paris) mammal collections, facilitated by Dr. Karin Tamar and Dr. Violaine Nicolas-Colin, respectively. Many thanks to Prof. Shai Meiri for his arguments on a previous version of this manuscript; the subsequent iterations were significantly bettered by them. Funding Information: The underwater excavations (IAA permits G-41/2016, G-40/2017, G-26/2018, G-34/2019, and G-42/2021) and research of the Ma{\textquoteleft}agan Mikhael B shipwreck are supported by the Israel Science Foundation (Grant #1891/16 to D.C.), the Honor Frost Foundation, the President and the Research Authority of the University of Haifa, the Sir Maurice and Lady Irene Hatter Research Grant, Kibbutz Ma{\textquoteleft}agan Mikhael, and anonymous donors, to whom the authors are grateful. The study of the ship rats was carried out as part of the Zooarchaeology of Southern Phoenicia research funded by the Israel Science Foundation (Grant #252/19 to N.M.). The genetic study of the rats commenced as part of the NEGEVBYZ ERC Project funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program (Grant #648427 to G.B.), and was also supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada by Grant #20008499 to Dr. Hendrik Poinar, McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, McMaster University. We thank Roee Shafir for his assistance in photographing the specimens. We appreciate access to the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History (Tel Aviv) and the Mus{\'e}um national d'Histoire naturelle (Paris) mammal collections, facilitated by Dr. Karin Tamar and Dr. Violaine Nicolas-Colin, respectively. Many thanks to Prof. Shai Meiri for his arguments on a previous version of this manuscript; the subsequent iterations were significantly bettered by them. Funding Information: This work was supported by Israel Science Foundation under Grant #1891/16 and Grant #252/19, the European Union{\textquoteright}s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program Grant #648427, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Grant #20008499. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023 Elsevier Ltd",

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AU - Marom, Nimrod

N1 - Funding Information: The underwater excavations (IAA permits G-41/2016, G-40/2017, G-26/2018, G-34/2019, and G-42/2021) and research of the Ma‘agan Mikhael B shipwreck are supported by the Israel Science Foundation (Grant #1891/16 to D.C.), the Honor Frost Foundation, the President and the Research Authority of the University of Haifa, the Sir Maurice and Lady Irene Hatter Research Grant, Kibbutz Ma‘agan Mikhael, and anonymous donors, to whom the authors are grateful. The study of the ship rats was carried out as part of the Zooarchaeology of Southern Phoenicia research funded by the Israel Science Foundation (Grant #252/19 to N.M.). The genetic study of the rats commenced as part of the NEGEVBYZ ERC Project funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program (Grant #648427 to G.B.), and was also supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada by Grant #20008499 to Dr. Hendrik Poinar, McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, McMaster University. We thank Roee Shafir for his assistance in photographing the specimens. We appreciate access to the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History (Tel Aviv) and the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (Paris) mammal collections, facilitated by Dr. Karin Tamar and Dr. Violaine Nicolas-Colin, respectively. Many thanks to Prof. Shai Meiri for his arguments on a previous version of this manuscript; the subsequent iterations were significantly bettered by them. Funding Information: The underwater excavations (IAA permits G-41/2016, G-40/2017, G-26/2018, G-34/2019, and G-42/2021) and research of the Ma‘agan Mikhael B shipwreck are supported by the Israel Science Foundation (Grant #1891/16 to D.C.), the Honor Frost Foundation, the President and the Research Authority of the University of Haifa, the Sir Maurice and Lady Irene Hatter Research Grant, Kibbutz Ma‘agan Mikhael, and anonymous donors, to whom the authors are grateful. The study of the ship rats was carried out as part of the Zooarchaeology of Southern Phoenicia research funded by the Israel Science Foundation (Grant #252/19 to N.M.). The genetic study of the rats commenced as part of the NEGEVBYZ ERC Project funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program (Grant #648427 to G.B.), and was also supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada by Grant #20008499 to Dr. Hendrik Poinar, McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, McMaster University. We thank Roee Shafir for his assistance in photographing the specimens. We appreciate access to the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History (Tel Aviv) and the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (Paris) mammal collections, facilitated by Dr. Karin Tamar and Dr. Violaine Nicolas-Colin, respectively. Many thanks to Prof. Shai Meiri for his arguments on a previous version of this manuscript; the subsequent iterations were significantly bettered by them. Funding Information: This work was supported by Israel Science Foundation under Grant #1891/16 and Grant #252/19, the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program Grant #648427, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Grant #20008499. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 Elsevier Ltd

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Stowaways: Maritime ecology of the oldest commensal ship rats (Rattus rattus) found on a Mediterranean shipwreck

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

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