c.

c. AD 600 – 900: During the transition to the Ostionoid period, a significant shift in dietary preferences occurred as communities in Puerto Rico began to favor marine mollusks over land crabs. Historically, it was believed that Saladoid groups preferred land crabs while later Ostiones groups preferred marine resources, almost to the point of mutual disdain. This change in subsistence coincides with the development of the Ostiones ceramic style, which eventually supplanted the earlier Saladoid traditions. While some early archaeologists proposed that this shift represented a new migration, most now agree it was a local development. This evolution in diet and material culture demonstrates how indigenous societies continuously adapted their social practices and resource management to changing island conditions.