A new paleoecological context for the Oldowan-Acheulean in Southern Africa
The influence of climatic and environmental change on human evolution in the Pleistocene is understood largely from extensive East African stable isotope records. These records show increasing proportions of C4 plants in the Early Pleistocene. We know far less about the expansion of C4 grasses in hi...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal article |
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Nature Publishing Group
2018
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| _version_ | 1797080495807266816 |
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| author | Ecker, M Brink, J Rossouw, L Chazan, M Horwitz, L Lee-Thorp, J |
| author_facet | Ecker, M Brink, J Rossouw, L Chazan, M Horwitz, L Lee-Thorp, J |
| author_sort | Ecker, M |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | The influence of climatic and environmental change on human evolution in the Pleistocene is understood largely from extensive East African stable isotope records. These records show increasing proportions of C4 plants in the Early Pleistocene. We know far less about the expansion of C4 grasses in higher latitudes, which were also occupied by early Homo but are more marginal for C4 plants. Here we show that both C3 and C4 grasses, and prolonged wetlands remained major components of Early Pleistocene environments in the central interior of southern Africa based on enamel stable carbon and oxygen isotope data and associated faunal abundance and phytolith evidence, from the site of Wonderwerk Cave. Vegetation contexts associated with Oldowan and Early Acheulean lithic industries, in which climate is driven by an interplay of regional rainfall seasonality together with global CO2 levels, develop along a regional distinct trajectory compared to eastern South Africa and East Africa. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T01:00:54Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:89ad1f72-175f-4a5e-b88c-9482832c1f02 |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T01:00:54Z |
| publishDate | 2018 |
| publisher | Nature Publishing Group |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:89ad1f72-175f-4a5e-b88c-9482832c1f022022-03-26T22:26:22ZA new paleoecological context for the Oldowan-Acheulean in Southern AfricaJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:89ad1f72-175f-4a5e-b88c-9482832c1f02Symplectic Elements at OxfordNature Publishing Group2018Ecker, MBrink, JRossouw, LChazan, MHorwitz, LLee-Thorp, JThe influence of climatic and environmental change on human evolution in the Pleistocene is understood largely from extensive East African stable isotope records. These records show increasing proportions of C4 plants in the Early Pleistocene. We know far less about the expansion of C4 grasses in higher latitudes, which were also occupied by early Homo but are more marginal for C4 plants. Here we show that both C3 and C4 grasses, and prolonged wetlands remained major components of Early Pleistocene environments in the central interior of southern Africa based on enamel stable carbon and oxygen isotope data and associated faunal abundance and phytolith evidence, from the site of Wonderwerk Cave. Vegetation contexts associated with Oldowan and Early Acheulean lithic industries, in which climate is driven by an interplay of regional rainfall seasonality together with global CO2 levels, develop along a regional distinct trajectory compared to eastern South Africa and East Africa. |
| spellingShingle | Ecker, M Brink, J Rossouw, L Chazan, M Horwitz, L Lee-Thorp, J A new paleoecological context for the Oldowan-Acheulean in Southern Africa |
| title | A new paleoecological context for the Oldowan-Acheulean in Southern Africa |
| title_full | A new paleoecological context for the Oldowan-Acheulean in Southern Africa |
| title_fullStr | A new paleoecological context for the Oldowan-Acheulean in Southern Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | A new paleoecological context for the Oldowan-Acheulean in Southern Africa |
| title_short | A new paleoecological context for the Oldowan-Acheulean in Southern Africa |
| title_sort | new paleoecological context for the oldowan acheulean in southern africa |
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