Screen Size and Differential Faunal Recovery: A Hawaiian Example

Abstract

Sampling is an important issue in the analysis and interpretation of faunal remains from archaeological sites. Use of various screen sizes influences the representativeness and sample size of remains collected during excavation. In this study, the effects of screen size on measures of diversity were examined using faunal remains excavated from Nu'alolo Kai, Kauai Island, Hawaii. Variation in richness, the number of taxa present, and evenness, the distribution of abundance values, is shown to be related to sampling biases produced by different recovery methods. Consequently, interpretations of prehistoric human subsistence from faunal remains recovered by the larger screen sizes are questionable. The use of smaller screen sizes should be considered the more effective approach to sampling a representative range of faunal remains.

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