Lichens growing on human bone remains: A case study from continental Patagonia (Deseado Massif, Santa Cruz, Argentina)
- García, Renato Andrés
- Magnin, Lucia Angelica
- Miotti, Laura Lucia
- Barrientos, Gustavo
DOIAbstract
Lichens are organisms capable of colonizing almost every type of materials, provided they are stable and have sufficient exposure to light. The growing of lichens on bone surface is rare, due to the speed to which this substrate is weathered and destroyed. For the most part, documented cases occur in extreme environments, such as the Arctic and Antarctic, where bone elements remain unaltered for long periods, although they have also been found in other latitudes. The aim of this paper is to describe the taxonomic diversity of the lichens growing on a set of human bones recovered at a looted Late Holocene aboriginal cairn burial (chenque) in southern continental Patagonia (Piedra Museo archaeological locality, Deseado Massif, Santa Cruz, Arg...
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