1
|
Muttoni G, Kent DV. Hominin population bottleneck coincided with migration from Africa during the Early Pleistocene ice age transition. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2318903121. [PMID: 38466876 PMCID: PMC10990135 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2318903121] [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: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Two recently published analyses make cases for severe bottlenecking of human populations occurring in the late Early Pleistocene, one case at about 0.9 Mya based on a genomic analysis of modern human populations and the low number of hominin sites of this age in Africa and the other at about 1.1 Mya based on an age inventory of sites of hominin presence in Eurasia. Both models point to climate change as the bottleneck trigger, albeit manifested at very different times, and have implications for human migrations as a mechanism to elude extinction at bottlenecking. Here, we assess the climatic and chronologic components of these models and suggest that the several hundred-thousand-year difference is largely an artifact of biases in the chronostratigraphic record of Eurasian hominin sites. We suggest that the best available data are consistent with the Galerian hypothesis expanded from Europe to Eurasia as a major migration pulse of fauna including hominins in the late Early Pleistocene as a consequence of the opening of land routes from Africa facilitated by a large sea level drop associated with the first major ice age of the Pleistocene and concurrent with widespread aridity across Africa that occurred during marine isotope stage 22 at ~0.9 Mya. This timing agrees with the independently dated bottleneck from genomic analysis of modern human populations and allows speculations about the relative roles of climate forcing on the survival of hominins.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Muttoni
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra ‘Ardito Desio’, University of Milan, MilanI-20133, Italy
| | - Dennis V. Kent
- Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, NY10964
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ08854
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Foister TIF, Žliobaitė I, Wilson OE, Fortelius M, Tallavaara M. Homo heterogenus: Variability in early Pleistocene Homo environments. Evol Anthropol 2023; 32:373-385. [PMID: 37877200 DOI: 10.1002/evan.22005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023]
Abstract
To understand the ecological dominance of Homo sapiens, we need to investigate the origins of the plasticity that has enabled our colonization of the planet. We can approach this by exploring the variability of habitats to which different hominin populations have adapted over time. In this article, we draw upon and synthesize the current research on habitats of genus Homo during the early Pleistocene. We examined 121 published environmental reconstructions from 74 early Pleistocene sites or site phases to assess the balance of arguments in the research community. We found that, while grasslands and savannahs were prominent features of Homo habitats in the early Pleistocene, current research does not place early Pleistocene Homo, in any single environmental type, but in a wide variety of environments, ranging from open grasslands to forests. Our analysis also suggests that the first known dispersal of Homo out of Africa was accompanied by niche expansion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tegan I F Foister
- Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Indrė Žliobaitė
- Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Computer Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Finnish Museum of Natural History, LUOMUS, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Oscar E Wilson
- Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Mikael Fortelius
- Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Finnish Museum of Natural History, LUOMUS, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Miikka Tallavaara
- Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Introduction to special issue: The biotic context of the Early Pleistocene hominins from Dmanisi (Georgia, southern Caucasus). J Hum Evol 2023; 174:103278. [PMID: 36384082 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
|
4
|
Ferring R, Oms O, Nomade S, Humphrey JD, Tappen M, Coil R, Shelia T, Crislip P, Chagelishvili R, Kiladze G, Guillou H, Lordkipanidze D. Early Pleistocene stratigraphy, sedimentary environments, and formation contexts at Dmanisi in the Georgian Caucasus. J Hum Evol 2022; 172:103254. [PMID: 36116183 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2021] [Revised: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The Early Pleistocene site of Dmanisi is now well known for its large number of fossils of early Homo erectus as well as associated artifacts and faunal remains, recovered mainly in pipe-related geologic features. Testing in the M5 unit 100 m to the west of the main excavations revealed a thick stratigraphy with no evidence of pipes or gullies, indicating that the geologic record at Dmanisi included spatially distinct sedimentary environments that needed further investigation. Here we report the results of a geoarchaeological program to collect data bearing on contexts and formation processes over a large area of the promontory. That work has defined over 40,000 m2 of in situ deposits with artifacts and faunas. Stratum A ashes bury the uppermost Mashavera Basalt, which we have dated to 1.8 Ma in the M5 block. The Stratum A deposits contain stratified occupations that accumulated quickly and offer good potential for recovery of in situ materials. Stratum B1 deposits above the A/B unconformity include all of the pipe and gully facies at Dmanisi, reflecting a brief but very intense phase of geomorphic change. Those deposits contain the majority of faunas and all of the hominin fossils. B1 slope facies offer excellent formation contexts away from the piped area, and all B1 deposits are sealed by Stratum B2 over the whole promontory. Strata B2 to B5 register a return to slope facies, with no further evidence of pipes or gullies. Those deposits also present excellent contexts for recovery of in situ occupations. Overall, Dmanisi's geologic history preserves an exceptional record of the activities and environmental context of occupations during the first colonization of Eurasia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Reid Ferring
- Department of Geography and the Environment, 1155 Union Circle, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76208, USA.
| | - Oriol Oms
- Department of Geology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Sebastien Nomade
- Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environment LSCE/IPSL, UMR CEA-CNRS-UVSQ 8212 et Université Paris-Saclay, CEA Saclay, Bat 714, Orme des Merisiers, 91191 Gif sur Yvette, France
| | - John D Humphrey
- Department of Geosciences, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia
| | - Martha Tappen
- Department of Anthropology, University of Minnesota, 395 Humphrey Center, 301 19th Ave. South, Minneapolis, MN 55755, USA
| | - Reed Coil
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Nazarbayev University, 53 Kabanbay Batyr Ave, Nur-Sultan 010000, Kazakhstan
| | - Teona Shelia
- Georgian National Museum, 3/10 Shota Rustaveli Avenue, Tbilisi 0105, Georgia
| | - Peter Crislip
- Department of Geography and the Environment, 1155 Union Circle, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76208, USA
| | | | - Gocha Kiladze
- Georgian National Museum, 3/10 Shota Rustaveli Avenue, Tbilisi 0105, Georgia
| | - Hervé Guillou
- Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environment LSCE/IPSL, UMR CEA-CNRS-UVSQ 8212 et Université Paris-Saclay, CEA Saclay, Bat 714, Orme des Merisiers, 91191 Gif sur Yvette, France
| | - David Lordkipanidze
- Georgian National Museum, 3/10 Shota Rustaveli Avenue, Tbilisi 0105, Georgia
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Evolution of the Family Equidae, Subfamily Equinae, in North, Central and South America, Eurasia and Africa during the Plio-Pleistocene. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:biology11091258. [PMID: 36138737 PMCID: PMC9495906 DOI: 10.3390/biology11091258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Revised: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Studies of horse evolution arose during the middle of the 19th century, and several hypotheses have been proposed for their taxonomy, paleobiogeography, paleoecology and evolution. The present contribution represents a collaboration of 19 multinational experts with the goal of providing an updated summary of Pliocene and Pleistocene North, Central and South American, Eurasian and African horses. At the present time, we recognize 114 valid species across these continents, plus 4 North African species in need of further investigation. Our biochronology and biogeography sections integrate Equinae taxonomic records with their chronologic and geographic ranges recognizing regional biochronologic frameworks. The paleoecology section provides insights into paleobotany and diet utilizing both the mesowear and light microscopic methods, along with calculation of body masses. We provide a temporal sequence of maps that render paleoclimatic conditions across these continents integrated with Equinae occurrences. These records reveal a succession of extinctions of primitive lineages and the rise and diversification of more modern taxa. Two recent morphological-based cladistic analyses are presented here as competing hypotheses, with reference to molecular-based phylogenies. Our contribution represents a state-of-the art understanding of Plio-Pleistocene Equus evolution, their biochronologic and biogeographic background and paleoecological and paleoclimatic contexts.
Collapse
|
6
|
Palmqvist P, Rodríguez-Gómez G, Bermúdez de Castro JM, García-Aguilar JM, Espigares MP, Figueirido B, Ros-Montoya S, Granados A, Serrano FJ, Martínez-Navarro B, Guerra-Merchán A. Insights on the Early Pleistocene Hominin Population of the Guadix-Baza Depression (SE Spain) and a Review on the Ecology of the First Peopling of Europe. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.881651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The chronology and environmental context of the first hominin dispersal in Europe have been subject to debate and controversy. The oldest settlements in Eurasia (e.g., Dmanisi, ∼1.8 Ma) suggest a scenario in which the Caucasus and southern Asia were occupied ∼0.4 Ma before the first peopling of Europe. Barranco León (BL) and Fuente Nueva 3 (FN3), two Early Pleistocene archeological localities dated to ∼1.4 Ma in Orce (Guadix-Baza Depression, SE Spain), provide the oldest evidence of hominin presence in Western Europe. At these sites, huge assemblages of large mammals with evidence of butchery and marrow processing have been unearthed associated to abundant Oldowan tools and a deciduous tooth of Homo sp. in the case of BL. Here, we: (i) review the Early Pleistocene archeological sites of Europe; (ii) discuss on the subsistence strategies of these hominins, including new estimates of resource abundance for the populations of Atapuerca and Orce; (iii) use cartographic data of the sedimentary deposits for reconstructing the landscape habitable in Guadix-Baza; and (iv) calculate the size of the hominin population using an estimate of population density based on resource abundance. Our results indicate that Guadix-Baza could be home for a small hominin population of 350–280 individuals. This basin is surrounded by the highest mountainous reliefs of the Alpine-Betic orogen and shows a limited number of connecting corridors with the surrounding areas, which could have limited gene flow with other hominin populations. Isolation would eventually lead to bottlenecks, genetic drift and inbreeding depression, conditions documented in the wild dog population of the basin, which probably compromised the viability of the hominin population in the medium to long term. This explains the discontinuous nature of the archeological record in Guadix-Baza, a situation that can also be extrapolated to the scarcity of hominin settlements for these ancient chronologies in Europe.
Collapse
|