Table 3.
p-values from the results of the statistical 2-tailed t-tests, performed on amino acid data from Free Amino Acid (FAA) fraction and Total Hydrolysable Amino Acid (THAA) fraction from the shells of Valvata piscinalis and Bithynia, and opercula of Bithynia from Clacton and West Runton. If p < 0.05 (shown in bold) it is possible to distinguish between Clacton and West Runton at the 95% confidence level. ↑ indicates that the West Runton samples are more degraded than Clacton samples; ↓ indicates that they are less degraded; = indicates that they cannot be discriminated. ND = not determined. Note that whereas only 12 of the 24 measures for protein degradation of the shells indicate that West Runton is older than Clacton (with two even suggesting a younger age), in the opercula data all 12 (of the 12) measures demonstrate this.
| Asx | Glx | Ser | Ala | Val | [Ser]/[Ala] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valvata piscinalis | FAA (n = 8) | 0.000 ↑ | 0.000 ↑ | 0.001 ↓ | 0.069 = | 0.554 = | 0.006 ↑ |
| THAA (n = 8) | 0.087 = | 0.013 ↑ | 0.001 ↓ | 0.832 = | 0.000 ↑ | 0.903 = | |
| Bithynia shell | FAA (n = 8) | 0.038 ↑ | 0.021 ↑ | ND | 0.001 ↑ | 0.000 ↑ | 0.555 = |
| THAA (n = 8) | 0.301 = | 0.003 ↑ | ND | 0.000 ↑ | 0.000 ↑ | 0.360 = | |
| Bithynia opercula | FAA (n = 18) | 0.000 ↑ | 0.000 ↑ | 0.001 ↑ | 0.000 ↑ | 0.000 ↑ | 0.000 ↑ |
| THAA | 0.000 ↑ | 0.000 ↑ | 0.001 ↑ | 0.000 ↑ | 0.000 ↑ | 0.000 ↑ | |