scholarly journals Unfolding long-term Late Pleistocene-Holocene disturbances of forest communities in the southwestern Amazonian lowlands

Ecosphere ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. e02457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dilce F. Rossetti ◽  
Rogério Gribel ◽  
Peter M. Toledo ◽  
Sonia H. Tatumi ◽  
Márcio Yee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Forest Communities ◽  
Amazonian Lowlands

scholarly journals Reconstructing Late Pleistocene paleoclimate at the scale of human behavior: an example from the Neandertal occupation of La Ferrassie (France)

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Pederzani ◽  
Vera Aldeias ◽  
Harold L. Dibble ◽  
Paul Goldberg ◽  
Jean-Jacques Hublin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Behavior ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Tooth Enamel ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Climatic Data ◽  
Human Scale ◽  
Winter Temperatures ◽  
Archaeological Materials ◽  
Climatic Records

AbstractExploring the role of changing climates in human evolution is currently impeded by a scarcity of climatic information at the same temporal scale as the human behaviors documented in archaeological sites. This is mainly caused by high uncertainties in the chronometric dates used to correlate long-term climatic records with archaeological deposits. One solution is to generate climatic data directly from archaeological materials representing human behavior. Here we use oxygen isotope measurements of Bos/Bison tooth enamel to reconstruct summer and winter temperatures in the Late Pleistocene when Neandertals were using the site of La Ferrassie. Our results indicate that, despite the generally cold conditions of the broader period and despite direct evidence for cold features in certain sediments at the site, Neandertals used the site predominantly when climatic conditions were mild, similar to conditions in modern day France. We suggest that due to millennial scale climate variability, the periods of human activity and their climatic characteristics may not be representative of average conditions inferred from chronological correlations with long-term climatic records. These results highlight the importance of using direct routes, such as the high-resolution archives in tooth enamel from anthropogenically accumulated faunal assemblages, to establish climatic conditions at a human scale.

Denisovan DNA in Late Pleistocene sediments from Baishiya Karst Cave on the Tibetan Plateau

Science ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 370 (6516) ◽  
pp. 584-587
Author(s):  
Dongju Zhang ◽  
Huan Xia ◽  
Fahu Chen ◽  
Bo Li ◽  
Viviane Slon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Amino Acid Substitution ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Karst Cave ◽  
Late Middle Pleistocene

A late Middle Pleistocene mandible from Baishiya Karst Cave (BKC) on the Tibetan Plateau has been inferred to be from a Denisovan, an Asian hominin related to Neanderthals, on the basis of an amino acid substitution in its collagen. Here we describe the stratigraphy, chronology, and mitochondrial DNA extracted from the sediments in BKC. We recover Denisovan mitochondrial DNA from sediments deposited ~100 thousand and ~60 thousand years ago (ka) and possibly as recently as ~45 ka. The long-term occupation of BKC by Denisovans suggests that they may have adapted to life at high altitudes and may have contributed such adaptations to modern humans on the Tibetan Plateau.

scholarly journals A Long-Term Record of Quaternary Facies Patterns and Palaeonvironmental Trends from the Po Plain (NE Italy) as Revealed by Bio-Sedimentary Data

Geosciences ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 401
Author(s):  
Veronica Rossi ◽  
Alessandro Amorosi ◽  
Giulia Barbieri ◽  
Stefano Claudio Vaiani ◽  
Matteo Germano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Environmental Response ◽  
Alluvial Deposits ◽  
Po Plain ◽  
Ne Italy ◽  
Coastal Marine

Understanding Quaternary dynamics of delta-coastal plains across multiple glacial-interglacial cycles in the Milankovitch band (~100 kyrs) is crucial to achieve a robust evaluation of possible environmental response to future climate-change scenarios. In this work, we document the long-term bio-sedimentary record of core 204 S16 (~205 m long), which covers a wide portion of the post-MPR (Mid-Pleistocene Revolution) interval, taking advantage of the highly subsiding context of the SE Po Plain (NE Italy). Detailed facies characterization through an integrated sedimentological and meiofauna (benthic foraminifers and ostracods) approach allowed for the identification of a repetitive pattern of alluvial deposits alternating with four fossiliferous, paralic to shallow-marine units (Units 1–4). The transgressive surfaces identified at the base of these units mark major flooding events, forced by Holocene (Unit 4), Late Pleistocene (Unit 3) and Middle Pleistocene (Units 1, 2) interglacials. Distinct stratigraphic patterns typify the Middle Pleistocene interval, which includes coastal-marine (tidal inlet and bay) deposits. In contrast, lagoonal sediments record the maximum marine influence in the Late Pleistocene-Holocene succession. As a whole, the meiofauna tracks a regressive trend, with the deepest conditions recorded by the oldest Unit 1 (MIS 9/11 age?).

Evaluating climate effects over long-term salts accumulation in hyperarid soils using stochastic modeling

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lior Siman-Tov ◽  
Onn Crouvi ◽  
Efrat Morin ◽  
Rivka Amit ◽  
Yehouda Enzel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Alluvial Fan ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Soil Profiles ◽  
Sulfate Concentration ◽  
Climate Scenarios ◽  
Mean Annual Rainfall ◽  
Dust Flux

<p>Hyperarid (< 80 mm yr<sup>-1</sup>) soils in hot deserts are characterized by accumulations of soluble salts (gypsum and halite) in diagnostic horizons as a result of limited moisture availability. In most desert terrains, the source for pedogenic gypsum and halite is atmospheric dust and rainwater. The interplay between climatic properties such as frequency and intensity of rain events, rainfall composition, dust flux, and evaporation rates, govern the depth and concentration of these salts. Better understanding of these relationships can improve our estimation of regional paleoenvironmental and paleoclimate conditions. Up to date, only empirical correlations between annual rainfall and pedogenic salt horizons are available.</p><p>The goals of this study are to: 1) quantify rates of pedogenic gypsum accumulation with time and the role of controlling climatic conditions that govern its accumulation, 2) estimate the most likely climatic scenarios that led to the formation of the diagnostic gypsic horizon developed in late Pleistocene (~ 60 ka) abandoned alluvial fan surfaces in the hyperarid Negev desert,  southern Israel. To achieve these goals, we constructed a compartment model that simulates gypsum accumulation in soil and tests its sensitivity to various changes in the long-term climate properties. The model predicts gypsum content and depth of accumulation in the soil profile over thousands of years and more. The input parameters are stochastically simulated rainstorms, evaporation, dust flux, and sulfate concentration in rainwater, at daily time steps. The model was tested and calibrated using data of Holocene (< 11 ka) soil profiles developed on stable alluvial fans in the hyperarid Negev. With the assumption that the climate during the Holocene was not much different than today (i.e., mean annual rainfall < 50 mm). Sensitivity analyses indicate that gypsum accumulation is highly sensitive to mean annual rainfall and sulfate concentration in rainwater. Synthetic gypsum profiles were calculated using different climate scenarios and compared to late Pleistocene soils. Our results suggest that: (a) gypsum accumulation in late Pleistocene soils cannot occur simply by extending current climate conditions for a much longer duration. (b) The plausible climate scenarios for the late Pleistocene must include additional rain input (1.5 – 2.0 times than mean annual rainfall today) and increased sulfate concentration in rainwater (2.0 – 2.5 times than today) to successfully reconstruct the observed accumulated gypsum in mature (60 – 12 Ka) soil profiles.</p>

scholarly journals Human impacts reduce morphological diversity in an insular species of lizard

2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1857) ◽  
pp. 20170921 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corentin Bochaton ◽  
Salvador Bailon ◽  
Anthony Herrel ◽  
Sandrine Grouard ◽  
Ivan Ineich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
Morphological Changes ◽  
Morphological Evolution ◽  
Morphological Diversity ◽  
Apparent Size ◽  
Climatic Transition ◽  
Long Term Impact ◽  
The Impact

Fossil remains provide useful insights into the long-term impact of anthropogenic phenomena on faunas and are often used to reveal the local (extirpations) or global (extinctions) losses of populations or species. However, other phenomena such as minor morphological changes can remain inconspicuous in the fossil record depending on the methodology used. In this study, we used the anole of Marie-Galante Island ( Anolis ferreus ) in Guadeloupe (French, West Indies) as a model to demonstrate how the morphological evolution of an insular lizard can be tracked through the Pleistocene/Holocene climatic transition and the recent anthropization of the island. We used a fossil assemblage of nearly 30 000 remains and a combination of anatomical description, traditional morphometry and geometric morphometrics. These fossils are attributed to a single taxon, most likely to be A. ferreus on the basis of morphological and morphometric arguments. Our results show the disappearance of a distinct (sub)population of large specimens that were about 25% larger than the modern representatives of A. ferreus . We also demonstrate an apparent size stability of the main fossil population of this species since the Late Pleistocene but with the possible occurrence of a reduction in morphological diversity during the Late Holocene. These results highlight the impact of anthropic disturbances on a lizard whose morphology otherwise remained stable since the Late Pleistocene.

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