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Sierra A, Navarrete V, Alcàntara R, Camalich MD, Martín-Socas D, Fiorillo D, McGrath K, Saña M. Shepherding the past: High-resolution data on Neolithic Southern Iberian livestock management at Cueva de El Toro (Antequera, Málaga). PLoS One 2024; 19:e0299786. [PMID: 38568879 PMCID: PMC10990244 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0299786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The feeding strategies of the first domesticated herds had to manage the risks arising from the novelty of livestock practices in territories often distant from the animals' primary habitats. The Iberian Peninsula is characterised by a great diversity of environments, which undoubtedly influenced these dynamics. At the beginning of the Neolithic period these led the possibility to combine diverse livestock farming practices based on different animal feeding habits. This variability is also consistent with the rythms of adoption of domesticated animals, being later on the northern area. In order to address this issue, this work focuses on the dietary regimes of early sheep herds from southern Iberia, an area for which information is currently scarce. This study utilises high-resolution radiocarbon dating and stable isotope data on teeth to investigate sheep husbandry management strategies in Cueva de El Toro (Antequera, Málaga). The radiocarbon dates on the analysed remains evidenced they were deposited at the site over a short period, supporting the recurrent use of the cave. The sequential analysis of oxygen and carbon isotopes in tooth enamel reveals distinct livestock management strategies, reproduction patterns, feeding habits, and mobility during this short period. This variability demonstrates that livestock management practices in the western Mediterranean are more diverse than previously considered. Furthermore, these findings support the hypothesis that early Neolithic communities in the southern Iberian Peninsula were able to adopt different feeding strategies within the same herd, depending on their ecological and productive needs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Sierra
- Departament de Prehistòria, Laboratori d’Arqueozoologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Vanessa Navarrete
- Institución Milá y Fontanals de Estudios en Humanidades del Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Grupo de Arqueología de las Dinámicas Sociales, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Roger Alcàntara
- Departament de Prehistòria, Laboratori d’Arqueozoologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
- School of History, Archaeology and Religion, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - María Dolores Camalich
- Departamento de Geografía e Historia, Área de Prehistoria, Universidad de la Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
| | - Dimas Martín-Socas
- Departamento de Geografía e Historia, Área de Prehistoria, Universidad de la Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
| | - Denis Fiorillo
- AASPE «Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique: Sociétés, Pratiques, Environnements» CNRS, MNHN, Paris, France
| | - Krista McGrath
- Departament de Prehistòria, Laboratori d’Arqueozoologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
- Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA - UAB), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Maria Saña
- Departament de Prehistòria, Laboratori d’Arqueozoologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
- Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA - UAB), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
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2
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Hullot M, Martin C, Blondel C, Rössner GE. Life in a Central European warm-temperate to subtropical open forest: Paleoecology of the rhinocerotids from Ulm-Westtangente (Aquitanian, Early Miocene, Germany). THE SCIENCE OF NATURE - NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN 2024; 111:10. [PMID: 38353735 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-024-01893-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
The Ulm-Westtangente locality has yielded the most abundant vertebrate fauna from the Aquitanian stage in Germany. Its dating to the Mammal Neogene Zone 2a, a turnover in Cenozoic climate, makes it a crucial source for the understanding of faunal, paleoecological and paleoenvironmental specifics of the European Aquitanian. However, while most taxa from Ulm-Westtangente have been studied, little to no research has been conducted on the large herbivores, particularly on the two rhinocerotids Mesaceratherium paulhiacense and Protaceratherium minutum. Here, we used a multi-proxy approach to investigate the paleoecology of these two species. The remains of the smaller species P. minutum (438 to 685 kg) are twice as abundant as those of the larger M. paulhiacense (1389 to 2327 kg), but both display a similar age structure (~ 10% of juveniles, 20% of subadults and 70% of adults), mortality curves, and mild prevalence of hypoplasia (~ 17%). Results from dental mesowear, microwear, and carbon isotopes indicate different feeding preferences: both were C3 feeders but M. paulhiacense had a more abrasive diet and was probably a mixed feeder. Our study on rhinocerotids also yielded new paleoenvironmental insights, such as the mean annual temperature (15.8 °C) and precipitation (317 mm/year) suggesting rather warm and dry conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manon Hullot
- SNSB - Bayerische Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und Geologie, Richard-Wagner-Straße 10, 80333, Munich, Germany.
| | - Céline Martin
- Géosciences Montpellier, Université de Montpellier, Campus Triolet cc060, Bât 22 - Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095, Montpellier cedex 5, France
| | - Cécile Blondel
- PALEVOPRIM Poitiers, Université de Poitiers Bât B35 - TSA 51106, 6 Rue Michel Brunet, 86073, Poitiers, France
| | - Gertrud E Rössner
- SNSB - Bayerische Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und Geologie, Richard-Wagner-Straße 10, 80333, Munich, Germany
- Department für Geo- und Umweltwissenschaften, Paläontologie & Geobiologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Richard-Wagner-Straße 10, 80333, Munich, Germany
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3
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MacLatchy LM, Cote SM, Deino AL, Kityo RM, Mugume AAT, Rossie JB, Sanders WJ, Cosman MN, Driese SG, Fox DL, Freeman AJ, Jansma RJW, Jenkins KEH, Kinyanjui RN, Lukens WE, McNulty KP, Novello A, Peppe DJ, Strömberg CAE, Uno KT, Winkler AJ, Kingston JD. The evolution of hominoid locomotor versatility: Evidence from Moroto, a 21 Ma site in Uganda. Science 2023; 380:eabq2835. [PMID: 37053310 DOI: 10.1126/science.abq2835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/15/2023]
Abstract
Living hominoids are distinguished by upright torsos and versatile locomotion. It is hypothesized that these features evolved for feeding on fruit from terminal branches in forests. To investigate the evolutionary context of hominoid adaptive origins, we analyzed multiple paleoenvironmental proxies in conjunction with hominoid fossils from the Moroto II site in Uganda. The data indicate seasonally dry woodlands with the earliest evidence of abundant C4 grasses in Africa based on a confirmed age of 21 million years ago (Ma). We demonstrate that the leaf-eating hominoid Morotopithecus consumed water-stressed vegetation, and postcrania from the site indicate ape-like locomotor adaptations. These findings suggest that the origin of hominoid locomotor versatility is associated with foraging on leaves in heterogeneous, open woodlands rather than forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura M MacLatchy
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Susanne M Cote
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Alan L Deino
- Berkeley Geochronology Center, Berkeley, CA 94709, USA
| | - Robert M Kityo
- Department of Zoology, Entomology and Fisheries Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Amon A T Mugume
- Department of Zoology, Entomology and Fisheries Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
- Uganda National Museum, Department of Museums and Monuments, Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, Kampala, Uganda
| | - James B Rossie
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - William J Sanders
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Miranda N Cosman
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Steven G Driese
- Department of Geosciences, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, USA
| | - David L Fox
- Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - April J Freeman
- Department of Geosciences, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, USA
| | - Rutger J W Jansma
- Institute of Human Origins, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Kirsten E H Jenkins
- Department of Social Sciences, Tacoma Community College, Tacoma, WA 98466, USA
| | - Rahab N Kinyanjui
- Earth Sciences Department, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
- Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology, Jena D-07743, Germany
- Human Origins Program, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013, USA
| | - William E Lukens
- Department of Geology & Environmental Science, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA 22807, USA
| | - Kieran P McNulty
- Department of Anthropology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Alice Novello
- CEREGE, Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD, Collège de France, INRAE, Aix en Provence, France
- Department of Biology & Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Daniel J Peppe
- Department of Geosciences, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, USA
| | - Caroline A E Strömberg
- Department of Biology & Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Kevin T Uno
- Division of Biology and Paleo Environment, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, NY 10964, USA
| | - Alisa J Winkler
- Roy M. Huffington Department of Earth Sciences, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75275, USA
- Section of Anatomy, Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - John D Kingston
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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Lüdecke T, Leichliter JN, Aldeias V, Bamford MK, Biro D, Braun DR, Capelli C, Cybulski JD, Duprey NN, Ferreira da Silva MJ, Foreman AD, Habermann JM, Haug GH, Martínez FI, Mathe J, Mulch A, Sigman DM, Vonhof H, Bobe R, Carvalho S, Martínez-García A. Carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen stable isotopes in modern tooth enamel: A case study from Gorongosa National Park, central Mozambique. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.958032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The analyses of the stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ13C), nitrogen (δ15N), and oxygen (δ18O) in animal tissues are powerful tools for reconstructing the feeding behavior of individual animals and characterizing trophic interactions in food webs. Of these biomaterials, tooth enamel is the hardest, most mineralized vertebrate tissue and therefore least likely to be affected by chemical alteration (i.e., its isotopic composition can be preserved over millions of years), making it an important and widely available archive for biologists and paleontologists. Here, we present the first combined measurements of δ13C, δ15N, and δ18O in enamel from the teeth of modern fauna (herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores) from the well-studied ecosystem of Gorongosa National Park (GNP) in central Mozambique. We use two novel methods to produce high-precision stable isotope enamel data: (i) the “oxidation-denitrification method,” which permits the measurement of mineral-bound organic nitrogen in tooth enamel (δ15Nenamel), which until now, has not been possible due to enamel’s low organic content, and (ii) the “cold trap method,” which greatly reduces the sample size required for traditional measurements of inorganic δ13Cenamel and δ18Oenamel (from ≥0.5 to ≤0.1 mg), permitting analysis of small or valuable teeth and high-resolution serial sampling of enamel. The stable isotope results for GNP fauna reveal important ecological information about the trophic level, dietary niche, and resource consumption. δ15Nenamel values clearly differentiate trophic level (i.e., carnivore δ15Nenamel values are 4.0‰ higher, on average, than herbivores), δ13Cenamel values distinguish C3 and/or C4 biomass consumption, and δ18Oenamel values reflect local meteoric water (δ18Owater) in the park. Analysis of combined carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen stable isotope data permits geochemical separation of grazers, browsers, omnivores, and carnivores according to their isotopic niche, while mixed-feeding herbivores cannot be clearly distinguished from other dietary groups. These results confirm that combined C, N, and O isotope analyses of a single aliquot of tooth enamel can be used to reconstruct diet and trophic niches. Given its resistance to chemical alteration, the analysis of these three isotopes in tooth enamel has a high potential to open new avenues of research in (paleo)ecology and paleontology.
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Ameen M, Khan AM, Ahmad RM, Ijaz MU, Imran M. Tooth marker of ecological abnormality: The interpretation of stress in extinct mega herbivores (proboscideans) of the Siwaliks of Pakistan. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9432. [PMCID: PMC9618825 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Revised: 09/18/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate affects living ecosystems and defines species physiology. Climate change causes certain stress on animals, recorded as Enamel Hypoplasia (EH). Proboscideans, the mega herbivores, were extensively represented in the Siwaliks of Pakistan between the Middle Miocene to Pleistocene (~15.99–~0.6 Ma). This study was carried out on 15 species from 9 genera and 4 families using 319 teeth from 266 individual quarries. Our results revealed that 20.06% (64/319) of teeth were infected by EH. Family Deinotheriidae faced higher stress during the terminal of the Middle Miocene (EH 25%). Dental characters of deinotheres indicated that this family preferred soft vegetation like C3 plants and failed to survive in grassland ecology at the onset of the Late Miocene (~10–9 Ma). Gomphotheriidae (EH 21.05%) and Stegodontidae (EH 23.40%) survived through warm and dry climatic conditions of the Late Miocene, but could not survive the cool and dry climate of Plio‐Pleistocene where grasslands were abundant with less browsing activity. Family Elephantidae (EH 8.47%) was successful in drier conditions and utilized the exclusive C4 diet in open grasslands as efficient grazers, indicated by their tooth morphology. Elephantids were dominant of the proboscideans in open grassland and drier climate during Plio‐Pleistocene in the Indian subcontinent. We assume that change in the Siwalik palaeoenvironment was governed by a microclimate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Ameen
- Institute of ZoologyUniversity of the PunjabLahorePakistan
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of SciencesUniversity of SialkotSialkotPakistan
| | | | | | - Muhammad Umar Ijaz
- Department of Zoology, Wildlife and FisheriesUniversity of AgricultureFaisalabadPakistan
| | - Muhammad Imran
- Institute of ZoologyUniversity of the PunjabLahorePakistan
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6
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Climate and demography drive 7000 years of dietary change in the Central Andes. Sci Rep 2022; 12:2026. [PMID: 35132100 PMCID: PMC8821598 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-05774-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Explaining the factors that influence past dietary variation is critically important for understanding changes in subsistence, health, and status in past societies; yet systematic studies comparing possible driving factors remain scarce. Here we compile the largest dataset of past diet derived from stable isotope δ13C‰ and δ15N‰ values in the Americas to quantitatively evaluate the impact of 7000 years of climatic and demographic change on dietary variation in the Central Andes. Specifically, we couple paleoclimatic data from a general circulation model with estimates of relative past population inferred from archaeologically derived radiocarbon dates to assess the influence of climate and population on spatiotemporal dietary variation using an ensemble machine learning model capable of accounting for interactions among predictors. Results reveal that climate and population strongly predict diet (80% of δ15N‰ and 66% of δ13C‰) and that Central Andean diets correlate much more strongly with local climatic conditions than regional population size, indicating that the past 7000 years of dietary change was influenced more by climatic than socio-demographic processes. Visually, the temporal pattern suggests decreasing dietary variation across elevation zones during the Late Horizon, raising the possibility that sociopolitical factors overrode the influence of local climatic conditions on diet during that time. The overall findings and approach establish a general framework for understanding the influence of local climate and demography on dietary change across human history.
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7
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Savini G, Scolari F, Ometto L, Rota-Stabelli O, Carraretto D, Gomulski LM, Gasperi G, Abd-Alla AMM, Aksoy S, Attardo GM, Malacrida AR. Viviparity and habitat restrictions may influence the evolution of male reproductive genes in tsetse fly (Glossina) species. BMC Biol 2021; 19:211. [PMID: 34556101 PMCID: PMC8461966 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-021-01148-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Glossina species (tsetse flies), the sole vectors of African trypanosomes, maintained along their long evolutionary history a unique reproductive strategy, adenotrophic viviparity. Viviparity reduces their reproductive rate and, as such, imposes strong selective pressures on males for reproductive success. These species live in sub-Saharan Africa, where the distributions of the main sub-genera Fusca, Morsitans, and Palpalis are restricted to forest, savannah, and riverine habitats, respectively. Here we aim at identifying the evolutionary patterns of the male reproductive genes of six species belonging to these three main sub-genera. We then interpreted the different patterns we found across the species in the light of viviparity and the specific habitat restrictions, which are known to shape reproductive behavior. RESULTS We used a comparative genomic approach to build consensus evolutionary trees that portray the selective pressure acting on the male reproductive genes in these lineages. Such trees reflect the long and divergent demographic history that led to an allopatric distribution of the Fusca, Morsitans, and Palpalis species groups. A dataset of over 1700 male reproductive genes remained conserved over the long evolutionary time scale (estimated at 26.7 million years) across the genomes of the six species. We suggest that this conservation may result from strong functional selective pressure on the male imposed by viviparity. It is noteworthy that more than half of these conserved genes are novel sequences that are unique to the Glossina genus and are candidates for selection in the different lineages. CONCLUSIONS Tsetse flies represent a model to interpret the evolution and differentiation of male reproductive biology under different, but complementary, perspectives. In the light of viviparity, we must take into account that these genes are constrained by a post-fertilization arena for genomic conflicts created by viviparity and absent in ovipositing species. This constraint implies a continuous antagonistic co-evolution between the parental genomes, thus accelerating inter-population post-zygotic isolation and, ultimately, favoring speciation. Ecological restrictions that affect reproductive behavior may further shape such antagonistic co-evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grazia Savini
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Francesca Scolari
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
- Institute of Molecular Genetics IGM-CNR "Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza", Pavia, Italy
| | - Lino Ometto
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Omar Rota-Stabelli
- Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach (FEM), San Michele all'Adige, Italy
- Center Agriculture Food Environment (C3A), University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Davide Carraretto
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Ludvik M Gomulski
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Giuliano Gasperi
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Adly M M Abd-Alla
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food & Agriculture, Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Serap Aksoy
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Geoffrey M Attardo
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Anna R Malacrida
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
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8
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Jiang Q, Zhao L, Guo L, Hu Y. First direct evidence of conservative foraging ecology of early Gigantopithecus blacki (~2 Ma) in Guangxi, southern China. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2021; 176:93-108. [PMID: 33964022 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Revised: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Gigantopithecus blacki, the largest hominoid known, is one of the representative Pleistocene mammals in southern China and northern Southeast Asia. Here we investigate the feeding ecology of G. blacki in its core habitat (Guangxi, Southern China) during the early Early Pleistocene, which was the early period in its evolution. MATERIALS AND METHODS The stable isotopic (C, O) analysis of tooth enamel of the fauna associated with G. blacki (n = 58), including the largest number of G. blacki teeth (n = 12) to date from the Liucheng Gigantopithecus Cave (~2 Ma), Guangxi, China, is undertaken. RESULTS The δ13 C values of Liucheng fauna range from -12.9 to -19.0‰ with an average of -16.1 ± 1.3‰ (n = 58) and the δ18 O values range from -4.3 to -9.6‰ with an average of -6.9 ± 1.2‰ (n = 58). The δ13 C values of G. blacki range from -15.9‰ to -17.0‰ with an average of -16.5 ± 0.4‰ (n = 12), and the δ18 O values vary from -5.9‰ to -7.5‰ with an average of -6.6 ± 0.5‰ (n = 12). CONCLUSIONS The isotopic data show Guangxi was characterized by closed C3 forest and humid climate in the early Early Pleistocene. Niche partitioning is found among G. blacki, Sinomastodon, Ailuropoda and Stegodon, the typical megafauna in South China in the early Early Pleistocene. This could be one of the important factors for them to co-exist until the Middle Pleistocene. Smallest isotopic variations of G. blacki are found compared with those of contemporary animals, indicating a conservative foraging ecology i.e., limited foraging area and/or narrow dietary flexibility. Furthermore, the more confined foraging ecology of G. blacki is also seen in comparison with fossil and extant large-bodied primates. However, the unique dietary pattern of G. blacki does not seem to have hindered its survival. The environment in Guangxi during the early Early Pleistocene offered the suitable conditions for G. blacki to become one of the typical species in the faunal assemblages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quyi Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Zhejiang Provincial Office of Cultural Relics Authentication, Hangzhou, China
| | - Lingxia Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, China
| | - Lin Guo
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, China.,College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yaowu Hu
- Department of Cultural Heritage and Museology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.,Institute of Archaeological Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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9
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Bleasdale M, Wotzka HP, Eichhorn B, Mercader J, Styring A, Zech J, Soto M, Inwood J, Clarke S, Marzo S, Fiedler B, Linseele V, Boivin N, Roberts P. Isotopic and microbotanical insights into Iron Age agricultural reliance in the Central African rainforest. Commun Biol 2020; 3:619. [PMID: 33110164 PMCID: PMC7591565 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-01324-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2020] [Accepted: 09/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence of agriculture in Central Africa has previously been associated with the migration of Bantu-speaking populations during an anthropogenic or climate-driven ‘opening’ of the rainforest. However, such models are based on assumptions of environmental requirements of key crops (e.g. Pennisetum glaucum) and direct insights into human dietary reliance remain absent. Here, we utilise stable isotope analysis (δ13C, δ15N, δ18O) of human and animal remains and charred food remains, as well as plant microparticles from dental calculus, to assess the importance of incoming crops in the Congo Basin. Our data, spanning the early Iron Age to recent history, reveals variation in the adoption of cereals, with a persistent focus on forest and freshwater resources in some areas. These data provide new dietary evidence and document the longevity of mosaic subsistence strategies in the region. Bleasdale et al. examine the introduction of agricultural crops in the Congo Basin with stable isotope analysis of human and animal remains, charred food remains, and plant microparticles from dental calculus. Their findings reveal variation in the adoption of cereals from the early Iron Age, and provide long-term insights into changing human reliance on different resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeleine Bleasdale
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Straße 10, 07745, Jena, Germany. .,Department of Archaeology, University of York, King's Manor, Exhibition Square, York, YO1 7EP, UK.
| | - Hans-Peter Wotzka
- Institute of Prehistory, University of Cologne, Weyertal 125, 50931, Cologne, Germany
| | - Barbara Eichhorn
- Institute of Archaeological Sciences, Goethe University, Norbert-Wollheim-Platz 1, D-60629, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Julio Mercader
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Straße 10, 07745, Jena, Germany.,Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive, N.W. Calgary, Alberta, T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Amy Styring
- Institute of Archaeological Sciences, Goethe University, Norbert-Wollheim-Platz 1, D-60629, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, 1 South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3TG, UK
| | - Jana Zech
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Straße 10, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - María Soto
- Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive, N.W. Calgary, Alberta, T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Jamie Inwood
- Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive, N.W. Calgary, Alberta, T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Siobhán Clarke
- Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive, N.W. Calgary, Alberta, T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Sara Marzo
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Straße 10, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Bianca Fiedler
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Straße 10, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Veerle Linseele
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Center for Archaeological Sciences, University of Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200E, 3001, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Nicole Boivin
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Straße 10, 07745, Jena, Germany.,Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive, N.W. Calgary, Alberta, T2N 1N4, Canada.,Department of Archaeology, University of Queensland, St Lucia QLD, 4072, Brisbane, Australia.,Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, 10th Street & Constitution Avenue, Washington, DC, 20560, USA
| | - Patrick Roberts
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Straße 10, 07745, Jena, Germany. .,Department of Archaeology, University of Queensland, St Lucia QLD, 4072, Brisbane, Australia.
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10
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Ehleringer JR, Covarrubias Avalos S, Tipple BJ, Valenzuela LO, Cerling TE. Stable isotopes in hair reveal dietary protein sources with links to socioeconomic status and health. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:20044-20051. [PMID: 32747534 PMCID: PMC7443935 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1914087117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in hair sampled from 65 communities across the central and intermountain regions of the United States and more intensively throughout 29 ZIP codes in the Salt Lake Valley, Utah, revealed a dietary divergence related to socioeconomic status as measured by cost of living, household income, and adjusted gross income. Corn-fed, animal-derived proteins were more common in the diets of lower socioeconomic status populations than were plant-derived proteins, with individual estimates of animal-derived protein diets as high as 75%; United States towns and cities averaged 57%. Similar patterns were seen across the socioeconomic status spectrum in the Salt Lake Valley. It is likely that corn-fed animal proteins were associated with concentrated animal-feeding operations, a common practice for industrial animal production in the United States today. Given recent studies highlighting the negative impacts of animal-derived proteins in our diets, hair carbon isotope ratios could provide an approach for scaling assessments of animal-sourced foods and health risks in communities across the United States.
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Affiliation(s)
- James R Ehleringer
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112;
- Global Change and Sustainability Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112
| | | | - Brett J Tipple
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112
- Global Change and Sustainability Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112
| | - Luciano O Valenzuela
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva Humana, Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, CP 7631 Quequén, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Thure E Cerling
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112
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Abstract
The relationship of evolution with diet and environment can provide insights into modern disease. Fossil evidence shows apes, and early human ancestors were fruit eaters living in environments with strongly seasonal climates. Rapid cooling at the end of the Middle Miocene (15-12 Ma: millions of years ago) increased seasonality in Africa and Europe, and ape survival may be linked with a mutation in uric acid metabolism. Climate stabilized in the later Miocene and Pliocene (12-5 Ma), and fossil apes and early hominins were both adapted for life on ground and in trees. Around 2.5 Ma, early species of Homo introduced more animal products into their diet, and this coincided with developing bipedalism, stone tool technology and increase in brain size. Early species of Homo such as Homo habilis still lived in woodland habitats, and the major habitat shift in human evolution occurred at 1.8 Ma with the origin of Homo erectus. Homo erectus had increased body size, greater hunting skills, a diet rich in meat, control of fire and understanding about cooking food, and moved from woodland to savannah. Group size may also have increased at the same time, facilitating the transmission of knowledge from one generation to the next. The earliest fossils of Homo sapiens appeared about 300 kyr, but they had separated from Neanderthals by 480 kyr or earlier. Their diet shifted towards grain-based foods about 100 kyr ago, and settled agriculture developed about 10 kyr ago. This pattern remains for many populations to this day and provides important insights into current burden of lifestyle diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Andrews
- From the, Natural History Museum, London University College, London, UK
| | - R J Johnson
- University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
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12
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Rannikko J, Adhikari H, Karme A, Žliobaitė I, Fortelius M. The case of the grass-eating suids in the Plio-Pleistocene Turkana Basin: 3D dental topography in relation to diet in extant and fossil pigs. J Morphol 2020; 281:348-364. [PMID: 31998996 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2018] [Revised: 01/03/2020] [Accepted: 01/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Two separate subfamilies of Plio-Pleistocene African pigs (suids) consecutively evolved hypsodont and horizodont molars with flat occlusal surfaces, commonly interpreted as an adaptive trait to a grazing diet, similar to that of the present warthogs (Phacochoerus spp.). To investigate this in detail, we studied the 3D-dental topography of fossil specimens from the Turkana Basin, using geographic information systems-based methods. To establish baselines for interpretation of the Turkana Basin suids, topography of third molars of extant suids with known diets were analyzed: grazing warthog (Phacochoerus africanus), herbivorous mixed-feeder forest hog (Hylochoerus meinertzhageni), omnivorous generalist wild boar (Sus scrofa), omnivorous fruit and tuber eater bush pig (Potamochoerus spp.), and omnivorous fruit eater babirusa (Babyrousa spp.) In addition, we analyzed supposedly browsing Miocene suids, Listriodon spp. The same topographic measures were applied to Plio-Pleistocene specimens from the Turkana Basin, Kenya: Notochoerus euilus, Notochoerus scotti, Kolpochoerus heseloni, and Metridiochoerus andrewsi. With some differences between techniques, 3D-dental topography analysis of extant suid molars mostly predicts the dietary differences between the species correctly. The grazing P. africanus differs from both the omnivorous suids and the herbivorous mixed-feeder H. meinertzhageni in all except one metrics. The omnivorous mostly tropical suids, Potamochoerus and Babyrousa, primarily differ from the generalist, S. scrofa, in the orientation patch count analysis, showing higher occlusal complexity in the latter. Although, there might be significant gaps between the morphological changes and the ecological changes, we conclude that based on comparison of dental topography with the present-day suids, N. scotti and M. andrewsi were most likely highly specialized grazers, while N. euilus and K. heseloni retained more of their ancestral, omnivorous heritage, but consumed grasses more than the extant omnivorous suids. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Dental topography can predict different diets in present-day wild pigs. The Plio-Pleistocene pigs in the Turkana Basin had dental topography mostly similar to extant grazing warthog, although some species also had resemblances to omnivorous forest pigs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janina Rannikko
- Helsinki XR Center, Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Hari Adhikari
- Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Aleksis Karme
- Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Indre Žliobaitė
- Department of Computer Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Mikael Fortelius
- Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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13
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Zhu M, Sealy J. Multi-tissue stable carbon and nitrogen isotope models for dietary reconstruction: Evaluation using a southern African farming population. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2018; 168:145-153. [PMID: 30379328 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2018] [Revised: 09/22/2018] [Accepted: 09/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Multi-tissue stable isotope models to reconstruct past diets (Froehle, Kellner, & Schoeninger, 2012; Kellner & Schoeninger, 2007) have lacked data from a heavily C4 -dependent population. Using new data from southern African agriculturalists, published models are evaluated for accuracy in dietary reconstruction and applicability to isotopically diverse diets. Additionally, isotopic variation between tooth enamel and bone apatite, which are often treated as isotopically equivalent, is investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS δ13 Cbone apatite , δ13 Ctooth enamel , δ13 Ccollagen , and δ15 Ncollagen values for 51 adult southern African agriculturalists are presented. Bivariate (linear) and multivariate (cluster analysis, discriminant function analysis) models are recreated including these data, and the resulting dietary reconstructions evaluated against what we know of archaeological diets. RESULTS Δ13 Ccollagen-enamel (5.67 ± 1.66‰) is significantly larger than Δ13 Ccollagen-bone apatite (4.77 ± 1.42‰) and are significantly different from each other (Mann Whitney U-Test, p = 0.0). δ13 Cbone apatite and δ13 Ctooth enamel were uncorrelated (R2 = 0.24). The agriculturalists consumed highly variable and heterogeneous diets, (mean δ13 Cbone apatite = -6.25 ± 2.49‰, δ13 Ctooth enamel = -2.88 ± 2.48‰, δ13 Ccollagen = -8.65 ± 2.16‰, δ15 Ncollagen = 10.05 ± 1.9‰). Multi- and bi-variate models under-estimate the probable contribution of C3 energy sources, and recreation of cluster analysis results in a significant reduction in the parsimony of the dietary clusters derived in Froehle et al., 2012. CONCLUSION Bone apatite and tooth enamel are distinct biominerals, and their δ13 C values should not be treated as equivalent. Multiple tissue isotopes provide valuable insight into diet that cannot be achieved with single tissues, but current models are limited by the lack of isotopic diversity in the data on which they are based.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeline Zhu
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Judith Sealy
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
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Maclaren JA, Hulbert RC, Wallace SC, Nauwelaerts S. A morphometric analysis of the forelimb in the genus Tapirus (Perissodactyla: Tapiridae) reveals influences of habitat, phylogeny and size through time and across geographical space. Zool J Linn Soc 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zly019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jamie A Maclaren
- Department of Biology, Universiteit Antwerpen, Campus Drie Eiken, Universiteitsplein, Wilrijk, Antwerp,, Belgium
| | - Richard C Hulbert
- Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Dickinson Hall, Gainesville, Florida, FL, USA
| | - Steven C Wallace
- Don Sundquist Center of Excellence in Paleontology, Department of Geosciences, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City TN, USA
| | - Sandra Nauwelaerts
- Department of Biology, Universiteit Antwerpen, Campus Drie Eiken, Universiteitsplein, Wilrijk, Antwerp,, Belgium
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Koninklijke Maatschappij voor Dierkunde (KMDA), Koningin Astridplein, Antwerp, Belgium
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Münster A, Knipper C, Oelze VM, Nicklisch N, Stecher M, Schlenker B, Ganslmeier R, Fragata M, Friederich S, Dresely V, Hubensack V, Brandt G, Döhle HJ, Vach W, Schwarz R, Metzner-Nebelsick C, Meller H, Alt KW. 4000 years of human dietary evolution in central Germany, from the first farmers to the first elites. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0194862. [PMID: 29584767 PMCID: PMC5870995 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0194862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2017] [Accepted: 03/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Investigation of human diet during the Neolithic has often been limited to a few archaeological cultures or single sites. In order to provide insight into the development of human food consumption and husbandry strategies, our study explores bone collagen carbon and nitrogen isotope data from 466 human and 105 faunal individuals from 26 sites in central Germany. It is the most extensive data set to date from an enclosed geographic microregion, covering 4,000 years of agricultural history from the Early Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age. The animal data show that a variety of pastures and dietary resources were explored, but that these changed remarkably little over time. In the human δ15N however we found a significant increase with time across the different archaeological cultures. This trend could be observed in all time periods and archaeological cultures (Bell Beaker phenomenon excluded), even on continuously populated sites. Since there was no such trend in faunal isotope values, we were able largely to exclude manuring as the cause of this effect. Based on the rich interdisciplinary data from this region and archaeological period we can argue that meat consumption increased with the increasing duration of farming subsistence. In δ13C, we could not observe any clear increasing or decreasing trends during the archaeological time periods, either for humans or for animals, which would have suggested significant changes in the environment and landscape use. We discovered sex-related dietary differences, with males of all archaeological periods having higher δ15N values than females, and an age-related increasing consumption of animal protein. An initial decrease of δ15N-values at the age of 1–2 years reveals partial weaning, while complete weaning took place at the age of 3–4 years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angelina Münster
- Institute of Anthropology, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
- * E-mail: (AM); (KWA)
| | - Corina Knipper
- Curt-Engelhorn-Centre for Archaeometry gGmbH, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Vicky M. Oelze
- Anthropology Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
| | - Nicole Nicklisch
- Center of Natural and Cultural History of Man, Danube Private University (DPU), Krems-Stein, Austria
- State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology, Saxony-Anhalt/State Museum of Prehistory, Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - Marcus Stecher
- Institute of Anthropology, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Björn Schlenker
- State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology, Saxony-Anhalt/State Museum of Prehistory, Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - Robert Ganslmeier
- State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology, Saxony-Anhalt/State Museum of Prehistory, Halle/Saale, Germany
| | | | - Susanne Friederich
- State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology, Saxony-Anhalt/State Museum of Prehistory, Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - Veit Dresely
- State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology, Saxony-Anhalt/State Museum of Prehistory, Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - Vera Hubensack
- State Office for Heritage Management, Saxony, Dresden, Germany
| | - Guido Brandt
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
| | - Hans-Jürgen Döhle
- State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology, Saxony-Anhalt/State Museum of Prehistory, Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - Werner Vach
- Clinical Epidemiology Group, Center for Medical Biometry and Medical Informatics, Medical Center—University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Ralf Schwarz
- State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology, Saxony-Anhalt/State Museum of Prehistory, Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - Carola Metzner-Nebelsick
- Institute of Prehistoric Archaeology and Provincial Roman Archaeology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Harald Meller
- State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology, Saxony-Anhalt/State Museum of Prehistory, Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - Kurt W. Alt
- Center of Natural and Cultural History of Man, Danube Private University (DPU), Krems-Stein, Austria
- State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology, Saxony-Anhalt/State Museum of Prehistory, Halle/Saale, Germany
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Integrative Prehistory and Archaeological Science, Basel University, Basel, Switzerland
- * E-mail: (AM); (KWA)
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16
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Abstract
Savannas first began to spread across Africa during the Miocene. A major hypothesis for explaining this vegetation change is the increase in C4 grasses, promoting fire. We investigated whether mammals could also have contributed to savanna expansion by using spinescence as a marker of mammal herbivory. Looking at the present distribution of 1,852 tree species, we established that spinescence is mainly associated with two functional types of mammals: large browsers and medium-sized mixed feeders. Using a dated phylogeny for the same tree species, we found that spinescence evolved at least 55 times. The diversification of spiny plants occurred long after the evolution of Afrotherian proboscideans and hyracoids. However, it is remarkably congruent with diversification of bovids, the lineage including the antelope that predominantly browse these plants today. Our findings suggest that herbivore-adapted savannas evolved several million years before fire-maintained savannas and probably, in different environmental conditions. Spiny savannas with abundant mammal herbivores occur in drier climates and on nutrient-rich soils, whereas fire-maintained savannas occur in wetter climates on nutrient-poor soils.
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17
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Nelson SV, Rook L. Isotopic reconstructions of habitat change surrounding the extinction of Oreopithecus, the last European ape. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2016; 160:254-71. [PMID: 26932906 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2015] [Revised: 01/31/2016] [Accepted: 02/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Oreopithecus bambolii was the last hominoid to survive in Europe. The purpose of this investigation was to reconstruct, through stable isotope analyses, Oreopithecus' habitat, subsistence behavior, and changes in habitat that may have led to its extinction. METHODS Carbon and oxygen stable isotopes from inorganic carbonate in tooth enamel from Oreopithecus and its contemporaneous faunas from localities in Tuscany and Sardinia were sampled. Also the fauna from localities in Tuscany shortly after Oreopithecus went extinct were sampled. RESULTS Results indicated that Oreopithecus, compared with most modern hominoids, inhabited forests that probably had a more open canopy. At Tuscan localities, Oreopithecus yields some of the highest carbon isotope values but some of the lowest oxygen, suggesting a diet that may have included tubers or aquatic vegetation. Relatively higher oxygen values in Sardinia suggested that its diet included arboreal foods as well. Among modern and fossil hominoids, Oreopithecus only resembled chimpanzees living outside of rainforests. It also resembled Ardipithecus in carbon isotope values, suggesting possible similarities in feeding strategies concordant with shared skeletal features between Oreopithecus and early hominins. Isotope values from post-Oreopithecus faunas indicated a shift to more forested conditions, unlike other hominoid extinctions associated with loss of forest. CONCLUSIONS Isotopic reconstructions of Oreopithecus' habitat and changes associated with its extinction indicated that its paleoecology was unique among hominoids. However, these reconstructions also suggested that like other hominoids, Oreopithecus was susceptible to changes in seasonality of precipitation, and it may have used wetlands as a buffer to seasonal regimes. Am J Phys Anthropol 160:254-271, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sherry V Nelson
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, MSC01-1040, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131-0001
| | - Lorenzo Rook
- Dipartimento Di Scienze Della Terra, Università Di Firenze, via G. La Pira, 4, Firenze, 50121, Italy
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Toon A, Crisp MD, Gamage H, Mant J, Morris DC, Schmidt S, Cook LG. Key innovation or adaptive change? A test of leaf traits using Triodiinae in Australia. Sci Rep 2015. [PMID: 26215163 PMCID: PMC4648476 DOI: 10.1038/srep12398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The evolution of novel traits ("key innovations") allows some lineages to move into new environments or adapt to changing climates, whereas other lineages may track suitable habitat or go extinct. We test whether, and how, trait shifts are linked to environmental change using Triodiinae, C4 grasses that form the dominant understory over about 30% of Australia. Using phylogenetic and relaxed molecular clock estimates, we assess the Australian biogeographic origins of Triodiinae and reconstruct the evolution of stomatal and vascular bundle positioning. Triodiinae diversified from the mid-Miocene, coincident with the aridification of Australia. Subsequent niche shifts have been mostly from the Eremaean biome to the savannah, coincident with the expansion of the latter. Biome shifts are correlated with changes in leaf anatomy and radiations within Triodiinae are largely regional. Symplectrodia and Monodia are nested within Triodia. Rather than enabling biome shifts, convergent changes in leaf anatomy have probably occurred after taxa moved into the savannah biome-they are likely to have been subsequent adaptions rather than key innovations. Our study highlights the importance of testing the timing and origin of traits assumed to be phenotypic innovations that enabled ecological shifts.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Toon
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD 4072, Australia
| | - M D Crisp
- Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia
| | - H Gamage
- School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD 4072, Australia
| | - J Mant
- 1] School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD 4072, Australia [2] Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia
| | - D C Morris
- Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia
| | - S Schmidt
- School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD 4072, Australia
| | - L G Cook
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD 4072, Australia
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19
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New Fauna from Loperot Contributes to the Understanding of Early Miocene Catarrhine Communities. INT J PRIMATOL 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-014-9799-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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20
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Nelson SV. The paleoecology of early PleistoceneGigantopithecus blackiinferred from isotopic analyses. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2014; 155:571-8. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2014] [Accepted: 08/21/2014] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sherry V. Nelson
- Department of Anthropology; University of New Mexico; Albuquerque NM 87131-0001
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21
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Nelson SV. Chimpanzee fauna isotopes provide new interpretations of fossil ape and hominin ecologies. Proc Biol Sci 2013; 280:20132324. [PMID: 24197413 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2013.2324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Carbon and oxygen stable isotopes within modern and fossil tooth enamel record the aspects of an animal's diet and habitat use. This investigation reports the first isotopic analyses of enamel from a large chimpanzee community and associated fauna, thus providing a means of comparing fossil ape and early hominin palaeoecologies with those of a modern ape. Within Kibale National Park forest, oxygen isotopes differentiate primate niches, allowing for the first isotopic reconstructions of degree of frugivory versus folivory as well as use of arboreal versus terrestrial resources. In a comparison of modern and fossil community isotopic profiles, results indicate that Sivapithecus, a Miocene ape from Pakistan, fed in the forest canopy, as do chimpanzees, but inhabited a forest with less continuous canopy or fed more on leaves. Ardipithecus, an early hominin from Ethiopia, fed both arboreally and terrestrially in a more open habitat than inhabited by chimpanzees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sherry V Nelson
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, , MSC01-1040, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, USA
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Gregoricka LA. Geographic origins and dietary transitions during the Bronze Age in the Oman Peninsula. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2013; 152:353-69. [PMID: 24104555 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2013] [Revised: 08/06/2013] [Accepted: 08/09/2013] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The nature of the Bronze Age transition from the Umm an-Nar (ca. 2700-2000 BC) to the Wadi Suq (ca. 2000-1300 BC) period in the Oman Peninsula has been highly debated by archaeologists, with some characterizing the latter as a time of cultural isolation, social collapse, and/or population replacement following the successful involvement of the area in widespread interregional exchange networks across Arabia and South Asia. The hypothesis that a substantial change in residential mobility, immigration, and diet took place in response to considerable societal changes as reflected by the archaeological record was tested using stable oxygen and carbon isotope analysis. Archaeological human dental enamel from individuals interred in six Umm an-Nar (n = 100) and seven Wadi Suq (n = 16) communal tombs in the United Arab Emirates was used. Oxygen isotope data reveal largely homogeneous ratios indicative of a predominantly local population that acquired water from isotopically similar sources, although the presence of immigrants during both periods suggests that the region was not as isolated as previously held. Carbon isotope data exhibit a substantial temporal shift from an extremely varied to a more restricted diet, demonstrating that while considerable changes in subsistence strategies and social organization took place in the early second millennium BC, population continuity and sustained (although lessened) participation in pan-Gulf trade systems best characterizes this regional transformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lesley A Gregoricka
- Department of Sociology, Anthropology, & Social Work, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, 36688
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23
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Merceron G, Kostopoulos DS, Bonis LD, Fourel F, Koufos GD, Lécuyer C, Martineau F. Stable isotope ecology of Miocene bovids from northern Greece and the ape/monkey turnover in the Balkans. J Hum Evol 2013; 65:185-98. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2013.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2012] [Revised: 04/29/2013] [Accepted: 05/09/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Tian X, Zhu C, Shui T, Huang Y. Diets, eco-environments and seasonal variations recorded in the oxygen and carbon isotopic compositions of mammal tooth enamel from the Shunshanji site, Sihong County, Jiangsu Province, China. CHINESE SCIENCE BULLETIN-CHINESE 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s11434-013-5894-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Gehler A, Tütken T, Pack A. Oxygen and carbon isotope variations in a modern rodent community - implications for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions. PLoS One 2012; 7:e49531. [PMID: 23226212 PMCID: PMC3501499 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0049531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2012] [Accepted: 10/10/2012] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The oxygen (δ18O) and carbon (δ13C) isotope compositions of bioapatite from skeletal remains of fossil mammals are well-established proxies for the reconstruction of palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic conditions. Stable isotope studies of modern analogues are an important prerequisite for such reconstructions from fossil mammal remains. While numerous studies have investigated modern large- and medium-sized mammals, comparable studies are rare for small mammals. Due to their high abundance in terrestrial ecosystems, short life spans and small habitat size, small mammals are good recorders of local environments. Methodology/Findings The δ18O and δ13C values of teeth and bones of seven sympatric modern rodent species collected from owl pellets at a single locality were measured, and the inter-specific, intra-specific and intra-individual variations were evaluated. Minimum sample sizes to obtain reproducible population δ18O means within one standard deviation were determined. These parameters are comparable to existing data from large mammals. Additionally, the fractionation between coexisting carbonate (δ18OCO3) and phosphate (δ18OPO4) in rodent bioapatite was determined, and δ18O values were compared to existing calibration equations between the δ18O of rodent bioapatite and local surface water (δ18OLW). Specific calibration equations between δ18OPO4 and δ18OLW may be applicable on a taxonomic level higher than the species. However, a significant bias can occur when bone-based equations are applied to tooth-data and vice versa, which is due to differences in skeletal tissue formation times. δ13C values reflect the rodents’ diet and agree well with field observations of their nutritional behaviour. Conclusions/Significance Rodents have a high potential for the reconstruction of palaeoenvironmental conditions by means of bioapatite δ18O and δ13C analysis. No significant disadvantages compared to larger mammals were observed. However, for refined palaeoenvironmental reconstructions a better understanding of stable isotope signatures in modern analogous communities and potential biases due to seasonality effects, population dynamics and tissue formation rates is necessary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Gehler
- Georg-August-Universität, Geowissenschaftliches Zentrum, Abteilung Isotopengeologie, Göttingen, Deutschland.
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Late Miocene to Pliocene carbon isotope record of differential diet change among East African herbivores. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2011; 108:6509-14. [PMID: 21464327 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1018435108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Stable isotope and molecular data suggest that C(4) grasses first appeared globally in the Oligocene. In East Africa, stable isotope data from pedogenic carbonate and fossil tooth enamel suggest a first appearance between 15-10 Ma and subsequent expansion during the Plio-Pleistocene. The fossil enamel record has the potential to provide detailed information about the rates of dietary adaptation to this new resource among different herbivore lineages. We present carbon isotope data from 452 fossil teeth that record differential rates of diet change from C(3) to mixed C(3)/C(4) or C(4) diets among East African herbivore families at seven different time periods during the Late Miocene to the Pliocene (9.9-3.2 Ma). Significant amounts of C(4) grasses were present in equid diets beginning at 9.9 Ma and in rhinocerotid diets by 9.6 Ma, although there is no isotopic evidence for expansive C(4) grasslands in this part of the Late Miocene. Bovids and hippopotamids followed suit with individuals that had C(4)-dominated (>65%) diets by 7.4 Ma. Suids adopted C(4)-dominated diets between 6.5 and 4.2 Ma. Gomphotheriids and elephantids had mostly C(3)-dominated diets through 9.3 Ma, but became dedicated C(4) grazers by 6.5 Ma. Deinotheriids and giraffids maintained a predominantly C(3) diet throughout the record. The sequence of differential diet change among herbivore lineages provides ecological insight into a key period of hominid evolution and valuable information for future studies that focus on morphological changes associated with diet change.
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Stable isotopes of modern herbivore tooth enamel in the Tibetan Plateau: Implications for paleoelevation reconstructions. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2009. [DOI: 10.1007/s11434-009-0543-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Boyer DM. Relief index of second mandibular molars is a correlate of diet among prosimian primates and other euarchontan mammals. J Hum Evol 2008; 55:1118-37. [PMID: 18930306 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2008.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2008] [Revised: 06/25/2008] [Accepted: 08/13/2008] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
This study describes and tests a new method of calculating a shape metric known as the relief index (RFI) on lower second molars of extant euarchontan mammals, including scandentians (treeshrews), dermopterans (flying lemurs), and prosimian primates (strepsirhines and tarsiers). RFI is the ratio of the tooth crown three-dimensional area to two-dimensional planar area. It essentially expresses hypsodonty and complexity of tooth shape. Like other measurements of complexity, RFI ignores taxon-specific features, such as certain cusps and crests, which are usually considered in more traditional studies of tooth function. Traditional statistical analyses of the study sample show that RFI distinguishes taxa with differing amounts of structural carbohydrates in their diets, with frugivore/gramnivores being significantly lower in RFI than omnivores, and insectivores/folivores being significantly higher in RFI than the other two. Information on absolute size, or body mass, is needed to reliably parse out insectivores and folivores; however, if the study sample is limited to Primates, RFI alone distinguishes many folivores (lower) from insectivores (higher). Finally, phylogenetically independent contrasts of RFI and dietary preference are strongly correlated with one another, indicating that variance in RFI is better explained by dietary diversity than phylogenetic affinity in this sample. Because of the accuracy and phylogenetic insensitivity of the RFI among Euarchonta, this method can be applied to fossil primates and stem-primates (plesiadapiforms) and used to elucidate and compare their dietary preferences. Such comparisons are important for developing a more detailed view of primate evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doug M Boyer
- Department of Anatomical Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-8081, United States.
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Reconstructing past subsistence patterns on Zhongba Site using stable carbon and oxygen isotopes of fossil tooth enamel. Sci Bull (Beijing) 2008. [DOI: 10.1007/s11434-008-5001-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Fourie NH, Lee-Thorp JA, Ackermann RR. Biogeochemical and craniometric investigation of dietary ecology, niche separation, and taxonomy of Plio-Pleistocene cercopithecoids from the Makapansgat Limeworks. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2008; 135:121-35. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.20713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Bowen GJ, West JB. Isotope Landscapes for Terrestrial Migration Research. TRACKING ANIMAL MIGRATION WITH STABLE ISOTOPES 2008. [DOI: 10.1016/s1936-7961(07)00004-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
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Ségalen L, Lee-Thorp JA, Cerling T. Timing of C4 grass expansion across sub-Saharan Africa. J Hum Evol 2007; 53:549-59. [PMID: 17905413 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2006.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2005] [Revised: 10/04/2006] [Accepted: 12/01/2006] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The emergence of C(4) grass biomes is believed to have first taken place in the upper Miocene, when a series of events modified global climate with long-lasting impacts on continental biotas. Changes included major shifts in floral composition-characterized in Africa by shrinking of forests and emergence of C(4) grasses and more open landscapes-followed by large-scale evolutionary shifts in faunal communities. The timing of the emergence of C(4) grasses, and the subsequent global expansion of C(4) grass-dominated biomes, however, is disputed, leading to contrasting views of the patterns of environmental changes and their links to faunal shifts, including those of early hominins. Here we evaluate the existing isotopic evidence available for central, eastern, and southern Africa, and review interpretations in light of these data. Pedogenic and biomineral carbonate delta(13)C data suggest that clear evidence for C(4) biomass in low latitudes exists only from 7-8 Ma. This likely postdates the emergence of C(4) plants, whose physiology is adapted to low atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. Biomes with C(4) grasses appeared later in mid-latitude sites. Moreover, C(4) grasses apparently remained a relatively minor component of most environments until the late Pliocene and early Pleistocene. Hence establishment of C(4) grasses, even as minor components of African biomes, precedes the very earliest evidence for bipedalism by two million years, and the more abundant and secure evidence by some three to four million years. This may suggest a protracted process of hominin adaptation to these emerging, more open landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loïc Ségalen
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa.
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Kingston JD. Shifting adaptive landscapes: Progress and challenges in reconstructing early hominid environments. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2007; Suppl 45:20-58. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.20733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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Lee-Thorp J, Sponheimer M. Contributions of biogeochemistry to understanding hominin dietary ecology. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2006; Suppl 43:131-48. [PMID: 17103429 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.20519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Dietary ecology is one key to understanding the biology, lifeways, and evolutionary pathways of many animals. Determining the diets of long-extinct hominins, however, is a considerable challenge. Although archaeological evidence forms a pillar of our understanding of diet and subsistence in the more recent past, for early hominins, the most direct evidence is to be found in the fossils themselves. Here we review the suite of emerging biochemical paleodietary tools based on stable isotope and trace element archives within fossil calcified tissues. We critically assess their contribution to advancing our understanding of australopith, early Homo, and Neanderthal diets within the broader context of non-biogeochemical techniques for dietary reconstruction, such as morphology and dental microwear analysis. The most significant outcomes to date are the demonstration of high trophic-level diets among Neanderthals and Late Pleistocene modern humans in Glacial Europe, and the persistent inclusion of C(4) grass-related foods in the diets of Plio-Pleistocene hominins in South Africa. Such studies clearly show the promise of biogeochemical techniques for testing hypotheses about the diets of early hominins. Nevertheless, we argue that more contextual data from modern ecosystem and experimental studies are needed if we are to fully realize their potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Lee-Thorp
- Archaeological Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford BD1 7DP, UK.
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Jacobs BF. Palaeobotanical studies from tropical Africa: relevance to the evolution of forest, woodland and savannah biomes. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2004; 359:1573-83. [PMID: 15519973 PMCID: PMC1693443 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2004.1533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 121] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Fossil plants provide data on climate, community composition and structure, all of which are relevant to the definition and recognition of biomes. Macrofossils reflect local vegetation, whereas pollen assemblages sample a larger area. The earliest solid evidence for angiosperm tropical rainforest in Africa is based primarily on Late Eocene to Late Oligocene (ca. 39-26 Myr ago) pollen assemblages from Cameroon, which are rich in forest families. Plant macrofossil assemblages from elsewhere in interior Africa for this time interval are rare, but new work at Chilga in the northwestern Ethiopian Highlands documents forest communities at 28 Myr ago. Initial results indicate botanical affinities with lowland West African forest. The earliest known woodland community in tropical Africa is dated at 46 Myr ago in northern Tanzania, as documented by leaves and fruits from lake deposits. The community around the lake was dominated by caesalpinioid legumes, but included Acacia, for which this, to my knowledge, is the earliest record. This community is structurally similar to modern miombo, although it is different at the generic level. The grass-dominated savannah biome began to expand in the Middle Miocene (16 Myr ago), and became widespread in the Late Miocene (ca. 8 Myr ago), as documented by pollen and carbon isotopes from both West and East Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bonnie F Jacobs
- Environmental Science Program, Southern Methodist University, PO Box 750395, Dallas, TX 75275-0395, USA.
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WEST AG, AYLIFFE LK, CERLING TE, ROBINSON TF, KARREN B, DEARING MD, EHLERINGER JR. Short-term diet changes revealed using stable carbon isotopes in horse tail-hair. Funct Ecol 2004. [DOI: 10.1111/j.0269-8463.2004.00862.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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van der Merwe NJ, Thackeray JF, Lee-Thorp JA, Luyt J. The carbon isotope ecology and diet of Australopithecus africanus at Sterkfontein, South Africa. J Hum Evol 2003; 44:581-97. [PMID: 12765619 DOI: 10.1016/s0047-2484(03)00050-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
The stable carbon isotope ratio of fossil tooth enamel carbonate is determined by the photosynthetic systems of plants at the base of the animal's foodweb. In subtropical Africa, grasses and many sedges have C(4)photosynthesis and transmit their characteristically enriched 13C/(12)C ratios (more positive delta13C values) along the foodchain to consumers. We report here a carbon isotope study of ten specimens of Australopithecus africanus from Member 4, Sterkfontein (ca. 2.5 to 2.0Ma), compared with other fossil mammals from the same deposit. This is the most extensive isotopic study of an early hominin species that has been achieved so far. The results show that this hominin was intensively engaged with the savanna foodweb and that the dietary variation between individuals was more pronounced than for any other early hominin or non-human primate species on record. Suggestions that more than one species have been incuded in this taxon are not supported by the isotopic evidence. We conclude that Australopithecus africanus was highly opportunistic and adaptable in its feeding habits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolaas J van der Merwe
- Archaeometry Research Unit, Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town, 7701 Rondebosch, South Africa.
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MITCHELL G, Skinner JD. On the origin, evolution and phylogeny of giraffes Giraffa camelopardalis. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2003. [DOI: 10.1080/00359190309519935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Retallack GJ, Wynn JG, Benefit BR, Mccrossin ML. Paleosols and paleoenvironments of the middle Miocene, Maboko Formation, Kenya. J Hum Evol 2002; 42:659-703. [PMID: 12069506 DOI: 10.1006/jhev.2002.0553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The middle Miocene (15 Ma) Maboko Formation of Maboko Island and Majiwa Bluffs, southwestern Kenya, has yielded abundant fossils of the earliest known cercopithecoid monkey (Victoriapithecus macinnesi), and of a kenyapithecine hominoid (Kenyapithecus africanus), as well as rare proconsuline (Simiolus leakeyorum, cf. Limnopithecus evansi) and oreopithecine apes (Mabokopithecus clarki, M. pickfordi), and galagids (Komba winamensis). Specific habitat preferences can be interpreted from large collections of primate fossils in different kinds of paleosols (pedotypes). Fossiliferous drab-colored paleosols with iron-manganese nodules (Yom pedotype) are like modern soils of seasonally waterlogged depressions (dambo). Their crumb structure and abundant fine root-traces, as well as scattered large calcareous rhizoconcretions indicate former vegetation of seasonally wet, wooded grassland. Other fossiliferous paleosols are evidence of nyika bushland (Ratong), and early-successional riparian woodland (Dhero). No fossils were found in Mogo paleosols interpreted as saline scrub soils. Very shallow calcic horizons (in Yom, Ratong, and Mogo paleosols) and Na-montmorillonite (in Mogo) are evidence of dry paleoclimate (300-500 mm MAP=mean annual precipitation). This is the driest paleoclimate and most open vegetation yet inferred as a habitat for any Kenyan Miocene apes or monkeys. Victoriapithecus was abundant in dambo wooded grassland (Yom) and riparian woodland (Dhero), a distribution like that of modern vervet monkeys. Kenyapithecus ranged through all these paleosols, but was the most common primate in nyika bushland paleosols (Ratong), comparable to baboons and macaques today. Mabokopithecus was virtually restricted to riparian woodland paleosols (Dhero), and Simiolus had a similar, but marginally wider, distribution. Habitat preferences of Mabokopithecus and Simiolus were like those of modern colobus monkeys and mangabeys. A single specimen of Komba was found in dambo wooded grassland paleosol (Yom), a habitat more like that of the living Senegal bushbaby than of rainforest galagids. A shift to non-forest habitats may explain the terrestrial adaptations of Victoriapithecus, basal to the cercopithecid radiation, and of Kenyapithecus, basal to the hominoid radiation. Both taxa are distinct from earlier Miocene arboreal proconsulines, oreopithecines and galagids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory J Retallack
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, 97403-1272, USA.
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Ward CV, Leakey MG, Walker A. Morphology of Australopithecus anamensis from Kanapoi and Allia Bay, Kenya. J Hum Evol 2001; 41:255-368. [PMID: 11599925 DOI: 10.1006/jhev.2001.0507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 155] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The hominid species Australopithecus anamensis was originally described in 1995, with new specimens and more secure dates given in 1998. This paper lists all fossils attributed to A. anamensis, and provides anatomical descriptions of those not yet described in detail with photographs of all but undiagnostic fragments. We also provide comparative analysis of these specimens. The A. anamensis holotype mandible was found at Kanapoi, as were most of the paratypes. The Allia Bay sample is less well represented, and does not preserve many anatomical elements diagnostic of this species. Still, the Allia Bay sample most closely resembles that from Kanapoi, and we suggest that for the time being it be retained as A. anamensis. A. anamensis most closely resembles A. afarensis, but can be distinguished from it in many features. Most of these features are inferred to be primitive for the genus. Based on the limited postcranial evidence available, A. anamensis appears to have been habitually bipedal, although it retained some primitive features of its upper limbs. A. anamensis differs from A. afarensis in having narrower, more parallel jaws with a very slightly more ape-like canine/premolar complex than is found in A. afarensis, although not as ape-like as in Ardipithecus ramidus. It had slightly larger lower lateral incisors, a unique upper canine morphology, and a different structure of the lateral nasal aperture than A. afarensis. A. anamensis had at least as great a range of body size, and perhaps slightly greater canine dimorphism, although this is difficult to determine. At present, there appears to be no autapomorphies precluding A. anamensis from ancestry of A. afarensis.
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Affiliation(s)
- C V Ward
- Department of Anthropology, University of Missouri, 107 Swallow Hall, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA.
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