Life-history of Palaeoloxodon antiquus reveals Middle Pleistocene glacial refugium in the Megalopolis basin, Greece
Abstract The Balkans are considered a major glacial refugium where flora and fauna survived glacial periods and repopulated the rest of Europe during interglacials. While it is also thought to have harboured Pleistocene human populations, evidence linking human activity, paleoenvironmental indicator...
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| פורמט: | Article |
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Nature Portfolio
2024-01-01
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| סדרה: | Scientific Reports |
| גישה מקוונת: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-51592-9 |
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| author | Effrosyni Roditi Hervé Bocherens George E. Konidaris Athanassios Athanassiou Vangelis Tourloukis Panagiotis Karkanas Eleni Panagopoulou Katerina Harvati |
| author_facet | Effrosyni Roditi Hervé Bocherens George E. Konidaris Athanassios Athanassiou Vangelis Tourloukis Panagiotis Karkanas Eleni Panagopoulou Katerina Harvati |
| author_sort | Effrosyni Roditi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The Balkans are considered a major glacial refugium where flora and fauna survived glacial periods and repopulated the rest of Europe during interglacials. While it is also thought to have harboured Pleistocene human populations, evidence linking human activity, paleoenvironmental indicators and a secure temporal placement to glacial periods is scant. Here, we present the first intra-tooth multi-isotope analysis for the European straight-tusked elephant Palaeoloxodon antiquus, on an adult male individual excavated in association with lithic artefacts at the MIS 12 site Marathousa 1 (Megalopolis basin, Greece). The studied find also exhibits anthropogenic modifications, providing direct evidence of hominin presence. We employed strontium, carbon and oxygen isotope analysis on enamel bioapatite to investigate its foraging and mobility behaviour, using a sequential sampling strategy along the tooth growth axis of the third upper molar, to assess ecological changes during the last decade of life. We found a geographically restricted range, in a C3-dominated open woodland environment, and relatively stable conditions over the examined timeframe. Our results show that, despite the severity of the MIS 12 glacial, the Megalopolis basin sustained a mesic habitat, sufficient plant cover and limited seasonal fluctuations in resource availability, pointing to its role as a glacial refugium for both fauna and hominins. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T12:38:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-338e37a23e3e4f9a8523c97eb8df863a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T12:38:13Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-338e37a23e3e4f9a8523c97eb8df863a2024-01-21T12:19:08ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222024-01-0114111410.1038/s41598-024-51592-9Life-history of Palaeoloxodon antiquus reveals Middle Pleistocene glacial refugium in the Megalopolis basin, GreeceEffrosyni Roditi0Hervé Bocherens1George E. Konidaris2Athanassios Athanassiou3Vangelis Tourloukis4Panagiotis Karkanas5Eleni Panagopoulou6Katerina Harvati7Paleoanthropology, Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University of TübingenBiogeology, Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University of TübingenPaleoanthropology, Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University of TübingenHellenic Ministry of Culture, Ephorate of Paleoanthropology–SpeleologyPaleoanthropology, Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University of TübingenM.H. Wiener Laboratory for Archaeological Science, American School of Classical StudiesHellenic Ministry of Culture, Ephorate of Paleoanthropology–SpeleologyPaleoanthropology, Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University of TübingenAbstract The Balkans are considered a major glacial refugium where flora and fauna survived glacial periods and repopulated the rest of Europe during interglacials. While it is also thought to have harboured Pleistocene human populations, evidence linking human activity, paleoenvironmental indicators and a secure temporal placement to glacial periods is scant. Here, we present the first intra-tooth multi-isotope analysis for the European straight-tusked elephant Palaeoloxodon antiquus, on an adult male individual excavated in association with lithic artefacts at the MIS 12 site Marathousa 1 (Megalopolis basin, Greece). The studied find also exhibits anthropogenic modifications, providing direct evidence of hominin presence. We employed strontium, carbon and oxygen isotope analysis on enamel bioapatite to investigate its foraging and mobility behaviour, using a sequential sampling strategy along the tooth growth axis of the third upper molar, to assess ecological changes during the last decade of life. We found a geographically restricted range, in a C3-dominated open woodland environment, and relatively stable conditions over the examined timeframe. Our results show that, despite the severity of the MIS 12 glacial, the Megalopolis basin sustained a mesic habitat, sufficient plant cover and limited seasonal fluctuations in resource availability, pointing to its role as a glacial refugium for both fauna and hominins.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-51592-9 |
| spellingShingle | Effrosyni Roditi Hervé Bocherens George E. Konidaris Athanassios Athanassiou Vangelis Tourloukis Panagiotis Karkanas Eleni Panagopoulou Katerina Harvati Life-history of Palaeoloxodon antiquus reveals Middle Pleistocene glacial refugium in the Megalopolis basin, Greece Scientific Reports |
| title | Life-history of Palaeoloxodon antiquus reveals Middle Pleistocene glacial refugium in the Megalopolis basin, Greece |
| title_full | Life-history of Palaeoloxodon antiquus reveals Middle Pleistocene glacial refugium in the Megalopolis basin, Greece |
| title_fullStr | Life-history of Palaeoloxodon antiquus reveals Middle Pleistocene glacial refugium in the Megalopolis basin, Greece |
| title_full_unstemmed | Life-history of Palaeoloxodon antiquus reveals Middle Pleistocene glacial refugium in the Megalopolis basin, Greece |
| title_short | Life-history of Palaeoloxodon antiquus reveals Middle Pleistocene glacial refugium in the Megalopolis basin, Greece |
| title_sort | life history of palaeoloxodon antiquus reveals middle pleistocene glacial refugium in the megalopolis basin greece |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-51592-9 |
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