Estimating California mussel (Mytilus californianus) size from hinge fragments: a methodological application in historical ecology

Whole shell measurements from archaeological sites increasingly have become an important component of historical ecological research in coastal zones around the world. Size variation in California mussels (Mytilus californianus), one of the dominant taxa in North American Pacific Coast shell midden assemblages, have been used to assess human impacts and natural climate change on intertidal resources over millennia. Archaeological samples are...