Published by Maney Publishing (c) Association of Environmental Archaeology Testing the impact of environmental zone on experimental taphonomic faunal models Melanie Fillios Traditional paradigms governing the generation of actualistic taphonomic faunal models suggest that outcomes will vary depending on the particular environmental zone in which data is generated. Scavenging experiments were carried out in two distinct environmental zones (temperate and semi-arid) in New South Wales, Australia, to test the validity of this prevailing paradigm. The results of this study suggest that a particular environmental zone may not be as important a variable as other taphonomic factors, such as natural versus cultural agents of accumulation. These observations are part of larger study whose goal is to provide a working taphonomic model for faunal accumulations in open archaeological sites derived from Australian contexts. Keywords: faunal analysis, taphonomy, archaeology, ecology, Australia Introduction This study discusses preliminary observations on the role of environmental zone in the creation and applicability of taphonomic faunal models. Data is derived from two actualistic studies involving scaven- ging of kangaroo carcasses near waterholes in the semi-arid and temperate zones of New South Wales, Australia. These observations are part of a larger study currently under way whose broader aim is the generation of comparative data to differentiate between naturally and culturally accumulated archae- ological faunal assemblages at Australian open sites. The prevailing view in the construction and applica- tion of such models is that the specific environmental zone (e.g. climatic area) in which experiments are conducted will influence data (cf. Behrensmeyer 1978; Behrensmeyer and Hill 1980; Solomon et al. 1990; Haynes 1991b; Lyman 1994). This paradigm, however, does not consider that a particular environmental zone may not be as important as a suite of other taphonomic factors. If two zones are separated by slight differences in rainfall, will there be a significant impact on the ultimate composition of a faunal assemblage? Is it necessary to develop individual models for every environmental zone in Australia, or is there validity in a more generalised taphonomic model? These questions are addressed through com- parison of data derived from two similar experiments in two different environmental zones, followed by a discussion of potential archaeological implications. Background The ecological model Analyses of faunal assemblages rest on understanding the host of ecological variables that may have contributed to an accumulation of animal bones. Variables such as climate (rainfall, temperature), vegetation, and scavenger and predator abundance all exert an influence on the formation of a naturally accumulated faunal assemblage (Lyman 1994). Water, in the form of rainfall and evaporation, exerts a heavy influence on faunal accumulations, affecting not only populations of scavenging and predator species (Brown et al. 2006), but also preservation of material (cf. Behrensmeyer 1978; Solomon et al. 1990; Haynes 1991b). Given the significant influence of environment, it is reasonable to suggest that individual models should be generated for different environmental zones. While the great majority of the Australian continent is arid, it is a land of extremes, with tropical, sub-tropical, temperate and semi-arid regions. Contrasting extreme biomes, such as the tropical and arid zones, will certainly yield significant differences in taphonomic processes due to variation in scavenging species (e.g. Melanie Fillios, Australian Centre for Microscopy & Microanalysis, University of Sydney, Sydney, 2006 NSW, Australia; e-mail: melanie.fil lios@sydney.edu.au ß Association for Environmental Archaeology 2011 Published by Maney DOI 10.1179/174963111X13110803260895 Environmental Archaeology 2011 VOL 16 NO 2 113