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Fan Y, Fehringer LK, Liao W, Liang H, Wang W, Ungar PS. Dental microwear and diets of mainland fossil Pongo from the Mid-Pleistocene of southern China. J Hum Evol 2024; 193:103565. [PMID: 38964281 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 06/07/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Yaobin Fan
- Institute of Cultural Heritage, Shandong University, 72 Jimo-Binhai Road, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Leah K Fehringer
- Department of Anthropology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
| | - Wei Liao
- Institute of Cultural Heritage, Shandong University, 72 Jimo-Binhai Road, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Hua Liang
- Institute of Cultural Heritage, Shandong University, 72 Jimo-Binhai Road, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Institute of Cultural Heritage, Shandong University, 72 Jimo-Binhai Road, Qingdao 266237, China.
| | - Peter S Ungar
- Department of Anthropology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA.
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2
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Yi Z, Zanolli C, Liao W, Liang H, Yao Y, Tian C, Wang K, Xu G, Wang W. Enamel thickness in the deciduous postcanine dentition of fossil and extant Pongo. J Hum Evol 2024; 191:103493. [PMID: 38714076 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Revised: 01/01/2024] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/09/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Zhixing Yi
- Institute of Cultural Heritage, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China; Guangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanning, 530007, China
| | - Clément Zanolli
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, MCC, PACEA, UMR 5199, F-33600, Pessac, France
| | - Wei Liao
- Institute of Cultural Heritage, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China
| | - Hua Liang
- Institute of Cultural Heritage, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China
| | - Yanyan Yao
- Institute of Cultural Heritage, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China; Anthropology Museum of Guangxi, Nanning, 530012, China
| | - Chun Tian
- Institute of Cultural Heritage, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China
| | - Kun Wang
- School of Resources and Geosciences, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, 221116, China
| | - Guilin Xu
- Guangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanning, 530007, China; Key Laboratory of Beibu Gulf Environment Change and Resources Utilization of Ministry of Education, Nanning Normal University, Nanning, 530001, China.
| | - Wei Wang
- Institute of Cultural Heritage, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China.
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3
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Liang H, Harrison T, Shao Q, Bahain JJ, Mo J, Feng Y, Liao W, Wang W. Evidence for the smallest fossil Pongo in southern China. J Hum Evol 2024; 189:103507. [PMID: 38417249 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103507] [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: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/01/2024]
Abstract
The rarity of Pongo fossils with precise absolute dating from the Middle Pleistocene hampers our understanding of the taxonomy and spatiotemporal distribution of Quaternary orangutans in southern China. Here, we report a newly discovered sample of 113 isolated teeth of fossil Pongo from Zhongshan Cave in the Bubing Basin, Guangxi, southern China. We describe the Pongo specimens from Zhongshan Cave and compare them metrically to other samples of fossil Pongo species (i.e., Pongo weidenreichi, Pongo devosi, Pongo duboisi, Pongo palaeosumatrensis, Pongo javensis, and Pongo sp.) and to extant orangutans (i.e., Pongo pygmaeus and Pongo abelii). The Zhongshan Pongo assemblage is dated using U-series and coupled electron spin resonance/U-series methods. Our results reasonably constrain the Zhongshan Pongo assemblage to 184 ± 16 ka, which is consistent with the biostratigraphic evidence. The Zhongshan Pongo teeth are only 6.5% larger on average than those of extant Pongo. The Zhongshan teeth are smaller overall than those of Pongo from all other cave sites in southern China, and they currently represent the smallest fossil orangutans in southern China. Based on their dental size, and the presence of a well-developed lingual pillar and lingual cingulum on the upper and lower incisors, an intermediate frequency of lingual cingulum remnants on the upper molars, and a higher frequency of moderate to heavy wrinkling on the upper and lower molars, we provisionally assign the Zhongshan fossils to P. devosi. Our results confirm earlier claims that P. weidenreichi is replaced by a smaller species in southern China, P. devosi, by the late Middle Pleistocene. The occurrence of P. devosi in Zhongshan Cave further extends its spatial and temporal distribution. The Pongo specimens from Zhongshan provide important new evidence to demonstrate that the dental morphological features of Pongo in southern China changed substantially during the late Middle Pleistocene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hua Liang
- Institute of Cultural Heritage, Shandong University, 72 Jimo-Binhai Road, Qingdao, 266237, China
| | - Terry Harrison
- Center for the Study of Human Origins, Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, USA
| | - Qingfeng Shao
- College of Geographical Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Jean-Jacques Bahain
- Histoire Naturelle de L'Homme Préhistorique UMR7194 HNHP, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 75013, France
| | - Jinyou Mo
- Natural History Museum of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, 530012, China
| | - Yuexing Feng
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, 519082, China; RIF, School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Wei Liao
- Institute of Cultural Heritage, Shandong University, 72 Jimo-Binhai Road, Qingdao, 266237, China.
| | - Wei Wang
- Institute of Cultural Heritage, Shandong University, 72 Jimo-Binhai Road, Qingdao, 266237, China.
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4
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Zhang Y, Westaway KE, Haberle S, Lubeek JK, Bailey M, Ciochon R, Morley MW, Roberts P, Zhao JX, Duval M, Dosseto A, Pan Y, Rule S, Liao W, Gully GA, Lucas M, Mo J, Yang L, Cai Y, Wang W, Joannes-Boyau R. The demise of the giant ape Gigantopithecus blacki. Nature 2024; 625:535-539. [PMID: 38200315 PMCID: PMC10794149 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06900-0] [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: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
The largest ever primate and one of the largest of the southeast Asian megafauna, Gigantopithecus blacki1, persisted in China from about 2.0 million years until the late middle Pleistocene when it became extinct2-4. Its demise is enigmatic considering that it was one of the few Asian great apes to go extinct in the last 2.6 million years, whereas others, including orangutan, survived until the present5. The cause of the disappearance of G. blacki remains unresolved but could shed light on primate resilience and the fate of megafauna in this region6. Here we applied three multidisciplinary analyses-timing, past environments and behaviour-to 22 caves in southern China. We used 157 radiometric ages from six dating techniques to establish a timeline for the demise of G. blacki. We show that from 2.3 million years ago the environment was a mosaic of forests and grasses, providing ideal conditions for thriving G. blacki populations. However, just before and during the extinction window between 295,000 and 215,000 years ago there was enhanced environmental variability from increased seasonality, which caused changes in plant communities and an increase in open forest environments. Although its close relative Pongo weidenreichi managed to adapt its dietary preferences and behaviour to this variability, G. blacki showed signs of chronic stress and dwindling populations. Ultimately its struggle to adapt led to the extinction of the greatest primate to ever inhabit the Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingqi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
- School of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
| | - Kira E Westaway
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
- School of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
| | - Simon Haberle
- School of Culture, History and Languages, ANU College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Juliën K Lubeek
- School of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Marian Bailey
- GARG, Southern Cross University, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Russell Ciochon
- Department of Anthropology and Museum of Natural History, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Mike W Morley
- College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Patrick Roberts
- isoTROPIC Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany
- School of Social Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Jian-Xin Zhao
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Mathieu Duval
- National Research Centre on Human Evolution CENIEH, Burgos, Spain
- Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution (ARCHE), Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Anthony Dosseto
- Wollongong Isotope Geochronology Laboratory, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Yue Pan
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Sue Rule
- School of Culture, History and Languages, ANU College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Wei Liao
- Institute of Cultural Heritage, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Grant A Gully
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Mary Lucas
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany
| | - Jinyou Mo
- Natural History Museum of Guangxi, Nanning, China
| | - Liyun Yang
- Chongzuo Zhuang Ethnological Musuem, Chongzuo, China
| | - Yanjun Cai
- Institute of Global Environmental Change, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Institute of Cultural Heritage, Shandong University, Qingdao, China.
| | - Renaud Joannes-Boyau
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
- GARG, Southern Cross University, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia.
- Palaeo-Research Institute, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa.
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5
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Kubat J, Paterson R, Patramanis I, Barker G, Demeter F, Filoux A, Kullmer O, Mackie M, Marques-Bonet T, Huong NTM, Tuan NA, Pheng S, Rippengal J, Schrenk F, Souksavatdy V, Tshen LT, Wattanapituksakul A, Wang W, Zanolli C, Cappellini E, Bacon AM. Geometric morphometrics and paleoproteomics enlighten the paleodiversity of Pongo. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0291308. [PMID: 38100471 PMCID: PMC10723683 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0291308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Pleistocene Pongo teeth show substantial variation in size and morphology, fueling taxonomic debates about the paleodiversity of the genus. We investigated prominent features of the enamel-dentine-junction junction (EDJ)-phylogenetically informative internal structures-of 71 fossil Pongo lower molars from various sites by applying geometric morphometrics and conducted paleoproteomic analyses from enamel proteins to attempt to identify extinct orangutan species. Forty-three orangutan lower molars representing Pongo pygmaeus and Pongo abelii were included for comparison. The shape of the EDJ was analyzed by placing five landmarks on the tip of the main dentine horns, and 142 semilandmarks along the marginal ridges connecting the dentine horns. Paleoproteomic analyses were conducted on 15 teeth of Late Pleistocene Pongo using high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry. The geometric morphometric results show variations in EDJ shape regarding aspects of the height and position of the dentine horns and connecting ridges. Despite the issue of molar position and sample size, modern molars are distinguished from fossil counterparts by their elongated tooth outline and narrowly positioned dentine horns. Proteomic results show that neither a distinction of P. pygmaeus and P. abelii, nor a consistent allocation of fossil specimens to extant species is feasible. Based on the EDJ shape, the (late) Middle to Late Pleistocene Pongo samples from Vietnam share the same morphospace, supporting the previous allocation to P. devosi, although substantial overlap with Chinese fossils could also indicate close affinities with P. weidenreichi. The hypothesis that both species represent one chronospecies cannot be ruled out. Two fossil specimens, one from Tam Hay Marklot (Laos, Late Pleistocene), and another from Sangiran (Java, Early to Middle Pleistocene), along with some specimens within the Punung sample (Java), exhibit affinities with Pongo abelii. The Punung fossils might represent a mix of early Late Pleistocene and later specimens (terminal Pleistocene to Holocene) related to modern Pongo. The taxonomy and phylogeny of the complete Punung sample needs to be further investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jülide Kubat
- CNRS, BABEL, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
- Department of Palaeoanthropology, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Ryan Paterson
- Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Graeme Barker
- McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Fabrice Demeter
- Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- UMR 7206 Eco Anthropologie, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Arnaud Filoux
- Palaeontological Research and Education Centre, Mahasarakham University, Mahasarakham, Thailand
| | - Ottmar Kullmer
- Department of Palaeoanthropology, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Meaghan Mackie
- Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Tomas Marques-Bonet
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (UPF-CSIC), PRBB, Barcelona, Spain
- Catalan Institution of Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Passeig de Lluís Companys, Barcelona, Spain
- CNAG-CRG, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Nguyen Thi Mai Huong
- Anthropological and Palaeoenvironmental Department, Institute of Archaeology, Ha Noi, Vietnam
| | - Nguyen Anh Tuan
- Anthropological and Palaeoenvironmental Department, Institute of Archaeology, Ha Noi, Vietnam
| | - Sytha Pheng
- Royal University of Fine Arts, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Jessica Rippengal
- McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Friedemann Schrenk
- Department of Palaeoanthropology, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Viengkeo Souksavatdy
- Department of Heritage, Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, Vientiane, Lao People’s Democratic Republic
| | - Lim Tze Tshen
- Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | | | - Wei Wang
- Institute of Cultural Heritage, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
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6
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Xing S, Zanolli C, Zhang Y. Introduction to special issue: Pleistocene hominid diversity and evolution in Asia-A tribute to Pan Lei. J Hum Evol 2023; 182:103416. [PMID: 37598633 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2023.103416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Song Xing
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China.
| | - Clément Zanolli
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, MCC, PACEA, UMR 5199, 33600 Pessac, France.
| | - Yingqi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
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7
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Pan Y, Zhang Y, Yang L, Takai M, Harrison T, Westaway K, Jin C. Preliminary description of a late Middle Pleistocene mammalian fauna prior to the extinction of Gigantopithecus blacki from the Yixiantian Cave, Guangxi ZAR, South China. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2023. [PMID: 37515385 DOI: 10.1002/ar.25200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, nearly 20 cave sites with rich assemblages of mammalian fossils have been found and excavated in the Chongzuo area, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. Their ages are distributed throughout the entire Pleistocene Epoch. These discoveries have greatly facilitated our understanding of the evolution of the Stegodon-Ailuropoda fauna and the environmental context of human evolution in southern China. Here, we present a preliminary report on a diverse late Middle Pleistocene mammalian fauna from the Yixiantian Cave in southern China, which is a typical representative of the Stegodon-Ailuropoda fauna (sensu lato). The fossil mammals are represented by isolated dental remains only. In 2010 and 2011, two seasons of systematic excavations at the Yixiantian Cave yielded a total of 4,958 identifiable mammalian teeth. They were identified as belonging to 37 species and 6 orders of mammals. In addition, the tooth type of all the teeth representing each species was also determined where possible. A single fragmentary molar was identified as belonging to Gigantopithecus blacki, indicating that its population had declined sharply at this time and was on the brink of extinction. Description of the Yixiantian fauna will not only help better characterize the composition of the Stegodon-Ailuropoda fauna during the late Middle Pleistocene, but also clarify our understanding of the paleoenvironmental context at a time just prior to the extinction of G. blacki.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Pan
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yingqi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Liyun Yang
- Zhuang Ethnological Museum of Chongzuo, Chongzuo, China
| | - Masanaru Takai
- The Kyoto University Museum, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Terry Harrison
- Center for the Study of Human Origins, Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Kira Westaway
- Traps' Luminescence Dating Facility, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Changzhu Jin
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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8
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Liang H, Harrison T, Shao Q, Bahain JJ, Zhao J, Bae CJ, Liao W, Wang W. Middle Pleistocene Pongo from Ganxian Cave in southern China with implications for understanding dental size evolution in orangutans. J Hum Evol 2023; 178:103348. [PMID: 36966597 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2023.103348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Revised: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
The Pongo fossil record of China extends from the Early Pleistocene to the Late Pleistocene, but to date, no late Middle Pleistocene samples of Pongo with precise absolute dating have been identified in southern China. Here, we report the recovery of 106 fossil teeth of Pongo from Ganxian Cave in the Bubing Basin, Guangxi, southern China. We dated the speleothems using Uranium-series and dated the two rhinoceros teeth using coupled electron spin resonance/Uranium-series dating methods to between 168.9 ± 2.4 ka and 362 ± 78 ka, respectively. These dates are consistent with the biostratigraphic and magnetostratigraphic age estimates. We further describe the fossil teeth from Ganxian Cave and compare them metrically to samples of fossil Pongo (i.e., Pongo weidenreichi, Pongo duboisi, Pongo palaeosumatrensis, Pongo javensis, and Pongo sp.) from the Early, Middle, and Late Pleistocene and to extant Pongo (i.e., Pongo pygmaeus and Pongo abelii) from Southeast Asia. Based on overall dental size, a high frequency of lingual cingulum remnants on the upper molars, and a low frequency of moderate to heavy wrinkling on the molars, we attribute the Ganxian fossils to P. weidenreichi. Compared with Pongo fossils from other mainland Southeast Asia sites, those from Ganxian confirm that dental size reduction of Pongo occurred principally during the Early and Middle Pleistocene. From the Middle to Late Pleistocene, all teeth except the P3 show little change in occlusal area, indicating that the size of these teeth remained relatively stable over time. The evolutionary trajectory of the Pongo dentition through time may be more complex than previously thought. More orangutan fossils with precise dating constraints are the keys to solving this issue.
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9
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Liao W, Harrison T, Yao Y, Liang H, Tian C, Feng Y, Li S, Bae CJ, Wang W. Evidence for the latest fossil Pongo in southern China. J Hum Evol 2022; 170:103233. [PMID: 36030625 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Pongo fossils with precise absolute age brackets are rare, limiting our understanding of their taxonomy and spatiotemporal distribution in southern China during the Late Pleistocene. Twenty-four isolated teeth of fossil orangutans were recently discovered during excavations at Yicun Cave in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, southern China. Here, we dated the fossil-bearing layer using Uranium-series dating of the associated flowstone and soda straw stalactites. Our results date the Yicun orangutan fossils to between 66 ± 0.32 ka and 57 ± 0.26 ka; thus, these fossils currently represent the last appearance datum of Pongo in southern China. We further conducted a detailed morphological comparison of the Yicun fossil teeth with large samples of fossil (n = 2454) and extant (n = 441) orangutans from mainland and island Southeast Asia to determine their taxonomic position. Compared to other fossil and extant orangutan samples, the Yicun Pongo assemblage has larger teeth and displays greater variation in occlusal structure. Based on the high frequency of cingular remnants and light to moderate enamel wrinkling of the molars, we assigned the Yicun fossils to Pongo weidenreichi, a species that was widespread in southern China throughout the Pleistocene. Lastly, we used published stable carbon isotope data of Early to Late Pleistocene mammalian fossil teeth from mainland Southeast Asia to reconstruct changes in the paleoenvironment and to interpret dental size variation of Pongo assemblages in a broader temporal and environmental context. The carbon isotope data show that dental size reduction in Pongo is associated with environmental changes. These morphological changes in Pongo appear to coincide with the expansion of savannah biomes and the contraction of forest habitats from the Middle Pleistocene onward. The variation in dental size of forest-dwelling Pongo in mainland Southeast Asia may have resulted from habitat differentiation during the Pleistocene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Liao
- Institute of Cultural Heritage, Shandong University, 72 Jimo-Binhai Road, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Terry Harrison
- Center for the Study of Human Origins, Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, USA
| | - Yanyan Yao
- Institute of Cultural Heritage, Shandong University, 72 Jimo-Binhai Road, Qingdao 266237, China; Anthropology Museum of Guangxi, Nanning, 530012, China
| | - Hua Liang
- Institute of Cultural Heritage, Shandong University, 72 Jimo-Binhai Road, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Chun Tian
- Institute of Cultural Heritage, Shandong University, 72 Jimo-Binhai Road, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Yuexing Feng
- Radiogenic Isotope Facility, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Sheng Li
- No.3 Institute of Geological & Mineral Resources Survey of Henan Geological Bureau, Zhengzhou 450000, China
| | - Christopher J Bae
- Department of Anthropology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2424 Maile Way, 346 Saunders Hall, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA.
| | - Wei Wang
- Institute of Cultural Heritage, Shandong University, 72 Jimo-Binhai Road, Qingdao 266237, China.
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