Ecological stability of Late Pleistocene-to-Holocene Lesotho, southern Africa, facilitated human upland habitation
Investigation of Homo sapiens’ palaeogeographic expansion into African mountain environments are changing the understanding of our species’ adaptions to various extreme Pleistocene climates and habitats. Here, we present a vegetation and precipitation record from the Ha Makotoko rockshelter in weste...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Springer Nature
2023
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| _version_ | 1826313150191894528 |
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| author | Patalano, R Arthur, C Carleton, WC Challis, S Dewar, G Gayantha, K Gleixner, G Ilgner, J Lucas, M Marzo, S Mokhachane, R Pazan, K Spurite, D Morley, MW Parker, A Mitchell, PJ Stewart, BA Roberts, P |
| author_facet | Patalano, R Arthur, C Carleton, WC Challis, S Dewar, G Gayantha, K Gleixner, G Ilgner, J Lucas, M Marzo, S Mokhachane, R Pazan, K Spurite, D Morley, MW Parker, A Mitchell, PJ Stewart, BA Roberts, P |
| author_sort | Patalano, R |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | Investigation of Homo sapiens’ palaeogeographic expansion into African mountain environments are changing the understanding of our species’ adaptions to various extreme Pleistocene climates and habitats. Here, we present a vegetation and precipitation record from the Ha Makotoko rockshelter in western Lesotho, which extends from ~60,000 to 1,000 years ago. Stable carbon isotope ratios from plant wax biomarkers indicate a constant C3-dominated ecosystem up to about 5,000 years ago, followed by C4 grassland expansion due to increasing Holocene temperatures. Hydrogen isotope ratios indicate a drier, yet stable, Pleistocene and Early Holocene compared to a relatively wet Late Holocene. Although relatively cool and dry, the Pleistocene was ecologically reliable due to generally uniform precipitation amounts, which incentivized persistent habitation because of dependable freshwater reserves that supported rich terrestrial foods and provided prime locations for catching fish. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-25T04:08:40Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:3e9b3b13-14ee-478c-8218-ce3889ee8851 |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-25T04:08:40Z |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publisher | Springer Nature |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:3e9b3b13-14ee-478c-8218-ce3889ee88512024-06-07T15:13:28ZEcological stability of Late Pleistocene-to-Holocene Lesotho, southern Africa, facilitated human upland habitationJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:3e9b3b13-14ee-478c-8218-ce3889ee8851EnglishSymplectic ElementsSpringer Nature2023Patalano, RArthur, CCarleton, WCChallis, SDewar, GGayantha, KGleixner, GIlgner, JLucas, MMarzo, SMokhachane, RPazan, KSpurite, DMorley, MWParker, AMitchell, PJStewart, BARoberts, PInvestigation of Homo sapiens’ palaeogeographic expansion into African mountain environments are changing the understanding of our species’ adaptions to various extreme Pleistocene climates and habitats. Here, we present a vegetation and precipitation record from the Ha Makotoko rockshelter in western Lesotho, which extends from ~60,000 to 1,000 years ago. Stable carbon isotope ratios from plant wax biomarkers indicate a constant C3-dominated ecosystem up to about 5,000 years ago, followed by C4 grassland expansion due to increasing Holocene temperatures. Hydrogen isotope ratios indicate a drier, yet stable, Pleistocene and Early Holocene compared to a relatively wet Late Holocene. Although relatively cool and dry, the Pleistocene was ecologically reliable due to generally uniform precipitation amounts, which incentivized persistent habitation because of dependable freshwater reserves that supported rich terrestrial foods and provided prime locations for catching fish. |
| spellingShingle | Patalano, R Arthur, C Carleton, WC Challis, S Dewar, G Gayantha, K Gleixner, G Ilgner, J Lucas, M Marzo, S Mokhachane, R Pazan, K Spurite, D Morley, MW Parker, A Mitchell, PJ Stewart, BA Roberts, P Ecological stability of Late Pleistocene-to-Holocene Lesotho, southern Africa, facilitated human upland habitation |
| title | Ecological stability of Late Pleistocene-to-Holocene Lesotho, southern Africa, facilitated human upland habitation |
| title_full | Ecological stability of Late Pleistocene-to-Holocene Lesotho, southern Africa, facilitated human upland habitation |
| title_fullStr | Ecological stability of Late Pleistocene-to-Holocene Lesotho, southern Africa, facilitated human upland habitation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ecological stability of Late Pleistocene-to-Holocene Lesotho, southern Africa, facilitated human upland habitation |
| title_short | Ecological stability of Late Pleistocene-to-Holocene Lesotho, southern Africa, facilitated human upland habitation |
| title_sort | ecological stability of late pleistocene to holocene lesotho southern africa facilitated human upland habitation |
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