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Pavia M, Val A, Carrera L, Steininger CM. Fossil birds from Cooper's D aid in reconstructing the Early Pleistocene paleoenvironment in the Cradle of Humankind (Gauteng, South Africa). J Hum Evol 2022; 167:103185. [PMID: 35489251 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2021] [Revised: 03/13/2022] [Accepted: 03/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Several large-bodied hominin and nonhuman primates have coexisted in the Cradle of Humankind in South Africa during the Early Pleistocene. Previous paleoenvironmental studies regarding the Plio-Pleistocene of South Africa have focused heavily on mammal assemblages. Here, we conducted a comprehensive taxonomic analysis of the fossil bird remains from Cooper's D, the most fossiliferous locality of the hominin-bearing Cooper's Cave complex in South Africa. Our taxonomic evaluation of 505 remains reveals the presence of 23 bird taxa, two of which are extinct and already reported from the nearby fossil locality of Kromdraai. The taxonomically diverse bird assemblage is dominated by Francolinus sp. and other species associated with open grassland habitats, followed by rock-dwelling species, including Tyto cf. alba and the extinct Corvus bragai, and by woodland species such as Agapornis sp., Accipiter melanoleucos, and the extinct Glaucidium ireneae. The occurrence of these taxa and their respective proportions in the assemblage, in terms of both numbers of bones and individuals, point to the presence of extensive open grassland and/or savannah with rocky outcrops and woodland. These findings corroborate previous analyses of mammals from Cooper's D, with the exception of aquatic species, which are rare in the bird assemblage. Comparison with older deposits from Kromdraai confirms the definitive establishment of open habitats in the Cradle of Humankind during the Early Pleistocene following a transition from woodier habitats during the Late Pliocene. This study constitutes a further step in investigating the fossil bird diversity in the Cradle of Humankind during the Plio-Pleistocene. Our results add to the larger body of work using avian fossils for paleoenvironmental reconstructions in Africa and support the utility of birds as paleoenvironmental proxies. Similar future studies will refine our understanding of the paleoenvironments and landscape transformation during the Plio-Pleistocene, a critical timeframe for hominin evolution in southern Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Pavia
- Museo di Geologia e Paleontologia, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Torino, Via Valperga Caluso 35, I-10125 Torino, Italy; Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, 1 Jan Smuts Avenue, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa.
| | - Aurore Val
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, 1 Jan Smuts Avenue, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa; Abteilung für Ältere Urgeschichte und Quartärökologie, Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Lisa Carrera
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali, Università di Bologna, Piazza di Porta San Donato, 1, I-40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Christine M Steininger
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, 1 Jan Smuts Avenue, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa
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Stratford DJ. The Sterkfontein Caves after Eighty Years of Paleoanthropological Research: The Journey Continues. AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/aman.12982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dominic Justin Stratford
- Department of Archaeology, School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies; University of the Witwatersrand; Johanneburg South Africa
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Pedersen CET, Albrechtsen A, Etter PD, Johnson EA, Orlando L, Chikhi L, Siegismund HR, Heller R. A southern African origin and cryptic structure in the highly mobile plains zebra. Nat Ecol Evol 2018; 2:491-498. [PMID: 29358610 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-017-0453-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2017] [Accepted: 12/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The plains zebra (Equus quagga) is an ecologically important species of the African savannah. It is also one of the most numerous and widely distributed ungulates, and six subspecies have been described based on morphological variation. However, the within-species evolutionary processes have been difficult to resolve due to its high mobility and a lack of consensus regarding the population structure. We obtained genome-wide DNA polymorphism data from more than 167,000 loci for 59 plains zebras from across the species range, encompassing all recognized extant subspecies, as well as three mountain zebras (Equus zebra) and three Grevy's zebras (Equus grevyi). Surprisingly, the population genetic structure does not mirror the morphology-based subspecies delineation, underlining the dangers of basing management units exclusively on morphological variation. We use demographic modelling to provide insights into the past phylogeography of the species. The results identify a southern African location as the most likely source region from which all extant populations expanded around 370,000 years ago. We show evidence for inclusion of the extinct and phenotypically divergent quagga (Equus quagga quagga) in the plains zebra variation and reveal that it was less divergent from the other subspecies than the northernmost (Ugandan) extant population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casper-Emil T Pedersen
- Department of Biology, Section for Computational and RNA Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Anders Albrechtsen
- Department of Biology, Section for Computational and RNA Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Paul D Etter
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| | - Eric A Johnson
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| | - Ludovic Orlando
- Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lounes Chikhi
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras, Portugal.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Paul Sabatier, École Nationale de Formation Agronomique, UMR 5174 Laboratoire Évolution et Diversité Biologique, Toulouse, France
| | - Hans R Siegismund
- Department of Biology, Section for Computational and RNA Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Rasmus Heller
- Department of Biology, Section for Computational and RNA Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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Elderkin CL, Clewing C, Wembo Ndeo O, Albrecht C. Molecular phylogeny and DNA barcoding confirm cryptic species in the African freshwater oysterEtheria ellipticaLamarck, 1807 (Bivalvia: Etheriidae). Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Curt L. Elderkin
- Department of Biology; The College of New Jersey; Ewing NJ 08638 USA
| | - Catharina Clewing
- Department of Animal Ecology and Systematics; Justus Liebig University Giessen; Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32 IFZ; 35392 Giessen Germany
| | - Oscar Wembo Ndeo
- Hydrobiological Department; Faculty of Sciences; University of Kisangani; Kisangani Oriental Province DR Congo
| | - Christian Albrecht
- Department of Animal Ecology and Systematics; Justus Liebig University Giessen; Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32 IFZ; 35392 Giessen Germany
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Faith JT, Tryon CA, Peppe DJ, Beverly EJ, Blegen N. Biogeographic and Evolutionary Implications of an Extinct Late Pleistocene Impala from the Lake Victoria Basin, Kenya. J MAMM EVOL 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-013-9238-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Abstract
The savannah biome of sub-Saharan Africa harbours the highest diversity of ungulates (hoofed mammals) on Earth. In this review, we compile population genetic data from 19 codistributed ungulate taxa of the savannah biome and find striking concordance in the phylogeographic structuring of species. Data from across taxa reveal distinct regional lineages, which reflect the survival and divergence of populations in isolated savannah refugia during the climatic oscillations of the Pleistocene. Data from taxa across trophic levels suggest distinct savannah refugia were present in West, East, Southern and South-West Africa. Furthermore, differing Pleistocene evolutionary biogeographic scenarios are proposed for East and Southern Africa, supported by palaeoclimatic data and the fossil record. Environmental instability in East Africa facilitated several spatial and temporal refugia and is reflected in the high inter- and intraspecific diversity of the region. In contrast, phylogeographic data suggest a stable, long-standing savannah refuge in the south.
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Affiliation(s)
- E D Lorenzen
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
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Landscapes and their relation to hominin habitats: Case studies from Australopithecus sites in eastern and southern Africa. J Hum Evol 2011; 60:281-98. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2010.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2009] [Revised: 07/25/2010] [Accepted: 10/15/2010] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Bailey GN, Reynolds SC, King GCP. Landscapes of human evolution: models and methods of tectonic geomorphology and the reconstruction of hominin landscapes. J Hum Evol 2010; 60:257-80. [PMID: 20947132 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2010.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2008] [Revised: 05/09/2009] [Accepted: 12/10/2009] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
This paper examines the relationship between complex and tectonically active landscapes and patterns of human evolution. We show how active tectonics can produce dynamic landscapes with geomorphological and topographic features that may be critical to long-term patterns of hominin land use, but which are not typically addressed in landscape reconstructions based on existing geological and paleoenvironmental principles. We describe methods of representing topography at a range of scales using measures of roughness based on digital elevation data, and combine the resulting maps with satellite imagery and ground observations to reconstruct features of the wider landscape as they existed at the time of hominin occupation and activity. We apply these methods to sites in South Africa, where relatively stable topography facilitates reconstruction. We demonstrate the presence of previously unrecognized tectonic effects and their implications for the interpretation of hominin habitats and land use. In parts of the East African Rift, reconstruction is more difficult because of dramatic changes since the time of hominin occupation, while fossils are often found in places where activity has now almost ceased. However, we show that original, dynamic landscape features can be assessed by analogy with parts of the Rift that are currently active and indicate how this approach can complement other sources of information to add new insights and pose new questions for future investigation of hominin land use and habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoffrey N Bailey
- Department of Archaeology, University of York, The King's Manor, York, YO1 7EP, UK.
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Re-appraisal of the stratigraphy and determination of new U-Pb dates for the Sterkfontein hominin site, South Africa. J Hum Evol 2010; 59:70-86. [PMID: 20605190 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2010.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2009] [Revised: 03/25/2010] [Accepted: 03/26/2010] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Le Fur S, Fara E, Mackaye HT, Vignaud P, Brunet M. The mammal assemblage of the hominid site TM266 (Late Miocene, Chad Basin): ecological structure and paleoenvironmental implications. Naturwissenschaften 2008; 96:565-74. [PMID: 19107453 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-008-0504-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2008] [Revised: 12/08/2008] [Accepted: 12/11/2008] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Characterizing the paleoenvironmental context of the first hominids is a key issue for understanding their behavioral and morphological evolution. The present study aims at reconstructing the paleoenvironment of the TM266 vertebrate assemblage (Toros-Menalla, Northern Chad) that yielded the earliest known hominid Sahelanthropus tchadensis (7 Ma). For the first time, a quantitative analysis is carried out on the fossil mammal assemblage associated with that hominid. Two complementary approaches were applied: (1) the analysis of the relative abundances of taxa and their habitat preferences; and (2) the study of the distribution of taxa within three meaningful ecovariables: locomotion, feeding preferences, and body mass. The resulting taxonomic and paleoecological structures are used to reconstruct the diversity and the relative extent of the habitats in that part of northern Chad seven million years ago. The paleoenvironment was composed of open areas with dry and humid grasslands, prevailing over wooded habitats. Water was also widely available as freshwater bodies and certainly swamps. It appears that the high habitat diversity of the landscape is a common feature among paleoenvironments associated with early hominids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soizic Le Fur
- Institut de Paléoprimatologie et Paléontologie Humaine, Evolution et Paléoenvironnements, IPHEP, UMR 6046/CNRS, UFR SFA, Université de Poitiers, 40 Avenue du Recteur Pineau, 86022 Poitiers cedex, France
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LORENZEN ELINED, ARCTANDER PETER, SIEGISMUND HANSR. High variation and very low differentiation in wide ranging plains zebra (Equus quagga): insights from mtDNA and microsatellites. Mol Ecol 2008; 17:2812-24. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2008.03781.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Maslin MA, Christensen B. Tectonics, orbital forcing, global climate change, and human evolution in Africa: introduction to the African paleoclimate special volume. J Hum Evol 2007; 53:443-64. [PMID: 17915289 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2007.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2007] [Revised: 06/15/2007] [Accepted: 06/28/2007] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The late Cenozoic climate of Africa is a critical component for understanding human evolution. African climate is controlled by major tectonic changes, global climate transitions, and local variations in orbital forcing. We introduce the special African Paleoclimate Issue of the Journal of Human Evolution by providing a background for and synthesis of the latest work relating to the environmental context for human evolution. Records presented in this special issue suggest that the regional tectonics, appearance of C(4) plants in East Africa, and late Cenozoic global cooling combined to produce a long-term drying trend in East Africa. Of particular importance is the uplift associated with the East African Rift Valley formation, which altered wind flow patterns from a more zonal to more meridinal direction. Results in this volume suggest a marked difference in the climate history of southern and eastern Africa, though both are clearly influenced by the major global climate thresholds crossed in the last 3 million years. Papers in this volume present lake, speleothem, and marine paleoclimate records showing that the East African long-term drying trend is punctuated by episodes of short, alternating periods of extreme wetness and aridity. These periods of extreme climate variability are characterized by the precession-forced appearance and disappearance of large, deep lakes in the East African Rift Valley and paralleled by low and high wind-driven dust loads reaching the adjacent ocean basins. Dating of these records show that over the last 3 million years such periods only occur at the times of major global climatic transitions, such as the intensification of Northern Hemisphere Glaciation (2.7-2.5 Ma), intensification of the Walker Circulation (1.9-1.7 Ma), and the Mid-Pleistocene Revolution (1-0.7 Ma). Authors in this volume suggest this onset occurs as high latitude forcing in both Hemispheres compresses the Intertropical Convergence Zone so that East Africa becomes locally sensitive to precessional forcing, resulting in rapid shifts from wet to dry conditions. These periods of extreme climate variability may have provided a catalyst for evolutionary change and driven key speciation and dispersal events amongst mammals and hominins in Africa. In particular, hominin species seem to differentially originate and go extinct during periods of extreme climate variability. Results presented in this volume may represent the basis of a new theory of early human evolution in Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A Maslin
- Environmental Change Research Centre, Department of Geography, University College London, UK.
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