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Martin N, Thibeault A, Varadzinová L, Ambrose SH, Antoine D, Brukner Havelková P, Honegger M, Irish JD, Osypiński P, Usai D, Vanderesse N, Varadzin L, Whiting RJ, Velemínský P, Crevecoeur I. From hunter-gatherers to food producers: New dental insights into the Nile Valley population history (Late Paleolithic-Neolithic). AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2024; 184:e24948. [PMID: 38733278 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study presents biological affinities between the last hunter-fisher-gatherers and first food-producing societies from the Nile Valley. We investigate odontometric and dental tissue proportion changes between these populations from the Middle Nile Valley and acknowledge the biological processes behind them. MATERIALS AND METHODS Dental remains of 329 individuals from Nubia and Central Sudan that date from the Late Pleistocene to the mid-Holocene are studied. Using 3D imaging techniques, we investigated outer and inner metric aspects of upper central incisors, and first and second upper molars. RESULTS Late Paleolithic and Mesolithic foragers display homogeneous crown dimensions, dental tissue proportions, and enamel thickness distribution. This contrasts with Neolithic trends for significant differences from earlier samples on inner and outer aspects. Finally, within the Neolithic sample differences are found between Nubian and Central Sudanese sites. DISCUSSION Substantial dental variation appears to have occurred around 6000 bce in the Nile Valley, coinciding with the emergence of food-producing societies in the region. Archeological and biological records suggest little differences in dietary habits and dental health during this transition. Furthermore, the substantial variations identified here would have happened in an extremely short time, a few centuries at most. This does not support in situ diet-related adaptation. Rather, we suggest these data are consistent with some level of population discontinuity between the Mesolithic and Neolithic samples considered here. Complex settlement processes could also explain the differences between Nubia and Central Sudan, and with previous results based on nonmetric traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Martin
- PACEA, UMR 5199, Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Ministère de la Culture, Pessac, France
| | - Adrien Thibeault
- PACEA, UMR 5199, Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Ministère de la Culture, Pessac, France
| | - Lenka Varadzinová
- Czech Institute of Egyptology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Stanley H Ambrose
- Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Daniel Antoine
- Department of Egypt and Sudan, The British Museum, London, UK
| | - Petra Brukner Havelková
- Czech Institute of Egyptology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
- Department of Anthropology, Natural History Museum, National Museum, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Matthieu Honegger
- Institut d'Archéologie, University of Neuchâtel, Hauterive, Switzerland
| | - Joel D Irish
- Research Centre in Evolutionary Anthropology and Paleoecology, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Piotr Osypiński
- Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poznan, Poland
| | - Donatella Usai
- Centro Studi Sudanesi e Sub-Sahariani ONLUS, Strada Canizzano, Treviso, Italy
| | - Nicolas Vanderesse
- PACEA, UMR 5199, Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Ministère de la Culture, Pessac, France
| | - Ladislav Varadzin
- Institute of Archaeology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | | | - Petr Velemínský
- Department of Anthropology, Natural History Museum, National Museum, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Isabelle Crevecoeur
- PACEA, UMR 5199, Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Ministère de la Culture, Pessac, France
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Patel VK, Kuttippurath J, Kashyap R. Rise in water vapour driven by moisture transport facilitates water availability for the greening of global deserts. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 946:174111. [PMID: 38908582 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Revised: 06/12/2024] [Accepted: 06/16/2024] [Indexed: 06/24/2024]
Abstract
There are substantial changes in the global drylands owing to climate change and anthropogenic activities. However, this aspect is not adequately explored in the context of recent climate change and global warming. Therefore, we analyse the role of water vapour in driving precipitation and corresponding surface greenness in the global deserts using satellite measurements. Statistical techniques such as partial correlation and Randon Forest (RF) are employed to understand the relationship among the physical processes that drive water availability for desert greening. Our analysis shows that water vapour is relatively lower (<25 kg/m2) in the deserts than rest of the globe, but comparable to the polar and high-altitude regions. Among the deserts, Thar (25 kg/m2) and Sahara (15-20 kg/m2) show higher water vapour, in contrast to the American and Gobi deserts (<10 kg/m2). Trajectory analysis reveals that water vapour transport from the south Atlantic Ocean is very high (90 kg/m/s) to the Sahel region of Sahara. Similarly, water vapour comes from Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean to Thar, mainly during Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM). There is an increase in water vapour driven by a rise in moisture transport to the American, Arabian, Thar and Sub-Sahara deserts during the period 2003-2020. The rise in moisture transport and associated water vapour in the deserts enhance water availability through precipitation and soil moisture, influencing surface greenness, as illustrated by the partial correlation and RF analyses. Enhanced water vapour and water availability, together with anthropogenic activities such as agriculture and afforestation in the deserts drive greening, which is more pronounced in Thar and Sub-Sahara. This study, thus, reveals the role of atmospheric moisture in regulating the terrestrial water availability and surface greenness in the extreme arid regions on the earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- V K Patel
- CORAL, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India
| | - J Kuttippurath
- CORAL, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India.
| | - R Kashyap
- CORAL, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India
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Trauth MH, Asrat A, Fischer ML, Hopcroft PO, Foerster V, Kaboth-Bahr S, Kindermann K, Lamb HF, Marwan N, Maslin MA, Schaebitz F, Valdes PJ. Early warning signals of the termination of the African Humid Period(s). Nat Commun 2024; 15:3697. [PMID: 38714681 PMCID: PMC11076281 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47921-1] [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: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/10/2024] Open
Abstract
The transition from a humid green Sahara to today's hyperarid conditions in northern Africa ~5.5 thousand years ago shows the dramatic environmental change to which human societies were exposed and had to adapt to. In this work, we show that in the 620,000-year environmental record from the Chew Bahir basin in the southern Ethiopian Rift, with its decadal resolution, this one thousand year long transition is particularly well documented, along with 20-80 year long droughts, recurring every ~160 years, as possible early warnings. Together with events of extreme wetness at the end of the transition, these droughts form a pronounced climate "flickering", which can be simulated in climate models and is also present in earlier climate transitions in the Chew Bahir environmental record, indicating that transitions with flickering are characteristic of this region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin H Trauth
- University of Potsdam, Institute of Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany.
| | - Asfawossen Asrat
- Botswana University of Science and Technology, Department of Mining and Geological Engineering, Palapye, Botswana
- Addis Ababa University, School of Earth Sciences, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Markus L Fischer
- University of Potsdam, Institute of Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Peter O Hopcroft
- University of Birmingham, School of Geography, Earth & Environmental Sciences, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Verena Foerster
- University of Cologne, Institute of Geography Education, Cologne, Germany
| | | | - Karin Kindermann
- University of Cologne, Institute of Prehistoric Archaeology, Cologne, Germany
| | - Henry F Lamb
- Aberystwyth University, Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth, UK
- Trinity College Dublin, Botany Department, School of Natural Sciences, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Norbert Marwan
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Member of the Leibniz Association, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Mark A Maslin
- University College London, Geography Department, London, UK
| | - Frank Schaebitz
- University of Cologne, Institute of Geography Education, Cologne, Germany
| | - Paul J Valdes
- University of Bristol, Bristol Research Initiative for the Dynamic Global Environment, School of Geographical Sciences, Bristol, UK
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4
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Lu T, Zhang W, Abel C, Horion S, Brandt M, Huang K, Fensholt R. Changes in vegetation-water response in the Sahel-Sudan during recent decades. JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY. REGIONAL STUDIES 2024; 52:101672. [PMID: 38577223 PMCID: PMC10993624 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejrh.2024.101672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Revised: 12/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
Study region The Africa Sahel-Sudan region, defined by annual rainfall between 150 and 1200 mm. Study focus Understanding the mechanism of vegetation response to water availability could help mitigate the potential adverse effects of climate change on global dryland ecosystems. In the Sahel-Sudan region, spatio-temporal changes and drivers of the vegetation-water response remain unclear. This study employs long-term satellite water and vegetation products as proxies of water availability and vegetation productivity to analyze changes in vegetation-water sensitivity and the cumulative effect duration (CED) representing a measure of the legacy effect of the impact of water constraints on vegetation. A random forest model was subsequently used to analyze potential climatic drivers of the observed vegetation response. New hydrological insights for the region During 1982-2016 we found a significant decrease (p < 0.05) in the sensitivity of vegetation productivity to water constraints in 26% of the Sahel-Sudan region, while 9% of the area showed a significantly increased sensitivity, mainly in the sub-humid zone. We further showed that CED significantly increased and decreased, respectively in around 9% of the study area in both cases. Our climatic driver attribution analysis suggested the existence of varying underlying mechanisms governing vegetation productivity in response to water deficit across the Sahel-Sudan dryland ecosystems. Our findings emphasize the need for diverse strategies in sustainable ecosystem management to effectively address these varying mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingting Lu
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Wenmin Zhang
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Christin Abel
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Stéphanie Horion
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Martin Brandt
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ke Huang
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Rasmus Fensholt
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Franks PJ, Herold N, Bonan GB, Oleson KW, Dukes JS, Huber M, Schroeder JI, Cox PM, Jones S. Land surface conductance linked to precipitation: Co-evolution of vegetation and climate in Earth system models. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2024; 30:e17188. [PMID: 38462677 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.17188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Vegetation and precipitation are known to fundamentally influence each other. However, this interdependence is not fully represented in climate models because the characteristics of land surface (canopy) conductance to water vapor and CO2 are determined independently of precipitation. Working within a coupled atmosphere and land modelling framework (CAM6/CLM5; coupled Community Atmosphere Model v6/Community Land Model v5), we have developed a new theoretical approach to characterizing land surface conductance by explicitly linking its dynamic properties to local precipitation, a robust proxy for moisture available to vegetation. This will enable regional surface conductance characteristics to shift fluidly with climate change in simulations, consistent with general principles of co-evolution of vegetation and climate. Testing within the CAM6/CLM5 framework shows that climate simulations incorporating the new theory outperform current default configurations across several error metrics for core output variables when measured against observational data. In climate simulations for the end of this century the new, adaptive stomatal conductance scheme provides a revised prognosis for average and extreme temperatures over several large regions, with increased primary productivity through central and east Asia, and higher rainfall through North Africa and the Middle East. The new projections also reveal more frequent heatwaves than originally estimated for the south-eastern US and sub-Saharan Africa but less frequent heatwaves across east Europe and northeast Asia. These developments have implications for evaluating food security and risks from extreme temperatures in areas that are vulnerable to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter J Franks
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Nicholas Herold
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Gordon B Bonan
- National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Keith W Oleson
- National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Jeffrey S Dukes
- Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Matthew Huber
- Department of Earth, Atmosphere and Planetary Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
| | - Julian I Schroeder
- Cell and Developmental Biology Department, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Peter M Cox
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Simon Jones
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
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6
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Surizon GM, Geffen E, Roll U, Gafny S, Perl RGB. The phylogeography of Middle Eastern tree frogs in Israel. Sci Rep 2024; 14:2788. [PMID: 38307905 PMCID: PMC10837426 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-52700-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Western Palearctic treefrogs of the genus Hyla provide an example of a morphologically and ecologically cryptic group. Up to three distinct Hyla species have been proposed as resident in Israel and this number has consistently been subject to taxonomical debates. Here, we analyzed 16S rRNA and COI gene fragments of 658 individuals sampled at 47 pools in nine regions across Israel and the West Bank in order to resolve the taxonomic status of Hyla frogs. We generated both Bayesian and Maximum Likelihood phylogenies, and constructed time-calibrated trees to provide an evolutionary and historical context of sequence variations. We further applied SAMOVA as well as Monmonier's maximum-difference algorithm to study the genetic structure among populations and to identify potential zones acting as barriers to gene flow across locations. Our results revealed two distinct haplogroups for each gene fragment, with 95% CI divergence times dated from 8.9-17.1 Mya (16S) and 7.1-23.6 Mya (COI), respectively. SAMOVA and barrier analyses partitioned the populations into three groups. Our results highlight that, while there are probably only two Hyla species in Israel, one population of one of the species might qualify as a separate evolutionarily significant unit. Our findings elucidate the taxonomic status of Hyla frogs in Israel and provide the basis for determining appropriate management and conservation priorities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gal Mesika Surizon
- Faculty of Marine Sciences, Ruppin Academic Center, 40297, Mikhmoret, Israel
| | - Eli Geffen
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Uri Roll
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes of Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 8499000, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
| | - Sarig Gafny
- Faculty of Marine Sciences, Ruppin Academic Center, 40297, Mikhmoret, Israel
| | - R G Bina Perl
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel.
- Department of Terrestrial Zoology, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325, Frankfurt, Germany.
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7
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Piwczyński M, Granjon L, Trzeciak P, Carlos Brito J, Oana Popa M, Daba Dinka M, Johnston NP, Boratyński Z. Unraveling phylogenetic relationships and species boundaries in the arid adapted Gerbillus rodents (Muridae: Gerbillinae) by RAD-seq data. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2023; 189:107913. [PMID: 37659480 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2023.107913] [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: 02/20/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/04/2023]
Abstract
Gerbillus is one of the most speciose genera among rodents, with ca. 51 recognized species. Previous attempts to reconstruct the evolutionary history of Gerbillus mainly relied on the mitochondrial cyt-b marker as a source of phylogenetic information. In this study, we utilize RAD-seq genomic data from 37 specimens representing 11 species to reconstruct the phylogenetic tree for Gerbillus, applying concatenation and coalescence methods. We identified four highly supported clades corresponding to the traditionally recognized subgenera: Dipodillus, Gerbillus, Hendecapleura and Monodia. Only two uncertain branches were detected in the resulting trees, with one leading to diversification of the main lineages in the genus, recognized by quartet sampling analysis as uncertain due to possible introgression. We also examined species boundaries for four pairs of sister taxa, including potentially new species from Morocco, using SNAPP. The results strongly supported a speciation model in which all taxa are treated as separate species. The dating analyses confirmed the Plio-Pleistocene diversification of the genus, with the uncertain branch coinciding with the beginning of aridification of the Sahara at the the Plio-Pleistocene boundary. This study aligns well with the earlier analyses based on the cyt-b marker, reaffirming its suitability as an adequate marker for estimating genetic diversity in Gerbillus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcin Piwczyński
- Department of Ecology and Biogeography, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Lwowska 1, PL-87-100 Toruń, Poland.
| | - Laurent Granjon
- CBGP, IRD, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Paulina Trzeciak
- Department of Ecology and Biogeography, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Lwowska 1, PL-87-100 Toruń, Poland
| | - José Carlos Brito
- CIBIO-InBio, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto, Campus de Vairão, Rua Padre Armando Quintas 7, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal; BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal; Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Madalina Oana Popa
- Department of Ecology and Biogeography, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Lwowska 1, PL-87-100 Toruń, Poland; "Stejarul" Research Centre for Biological Sciences, National Institute of Research and Development for Biological Sciences, Alexandru cel Bun 6, RO-610004, Piatra Neamţ, Romania
| | - Mergi Daba Dinka
- Department of Ecology and Biogeography, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Lwowska 1, PL-87-100 Toruń, Poland
| | - Nikolas P Johnston
- School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, 15 Broadway, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia; Centre for Sustainable Ecosystem Solutions, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Northfields Ave, Wollongong, NSW 2500, Australia
| | - Zbyszek Boratyński
- CIBIO-InBio, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto, Campus de Vairão, Rua Padre Armando Quintas 7, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal; BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal
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8
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Armstrong E, Tallavaara M, Hopcroft PO, Valdes PJ. North African humid periods over the past 800,000 years. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5549. [PMID: 37684244 PMCID: PMC10491769 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41219-4] [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: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The Sahara region has experienced periodic wet periods over the Quaternary and beyond. These North African Humid Periods (NAHPs) are astronomically paced by precession which controls the intensity of the African monsoon system. However, most climate models cannot reconcile the magnitude of these events and so the driving mechanisms remain poorly constrained. Here, we utilise a recently developed version of the HadCM3B coupled climate model that simulates 20 NAHPs over the past 800 kyr which have good agreement with NAHPs identified in proxy data. Our results show that precession determines NAHP pacing, but we identify that their amplitude is strongly linked to eccentricity via its control over ice sheet extent. During glacial periods, enhanced ice-albedo driven cooling suppresses NAHP amplitude at precession minima, when humid conditions would otherwise be expected. This highlights the importance of both precession and eccentricity, and the role of high latitude processes in determining the timing and amplitude of the NAHPs. This may have implications for the out of Africa dispersal of plants and animals throughout the Quaternary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward Armstrong
- Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Miikka Tallavaara
- Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Peter O Hopcroft
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Paul J Valdes
- School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Cabot Institute, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
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9
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L Rocha J, Silva P, Santos N, Nakamura M, Afonso S, Qninba A, Boratynski Z, Sudmant PH, Brito JC, Nielsen R, Godinho R. North African fox genomes show signatures of repeated introgression and adaptation to life in deserts. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:1267-1286. [PMID: 37308700 PMCID: PMC10527534 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02094-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Elucidating the evolutionary process of animal adaptation to deserts is key to understanding adaptive responses to climate change. Here we generated 82 individual whole genomes of four fox species (genus Vulpes) inhabiting the Sahara Desert at different evolutionary times. We show that adaptation of new colonizing species to a hot arid environment has probably been facilitated by introgression and trans-species polymorphisms shared with older desert resident species, including a putatively adaptive 25 Mb genomic region. Scans for signatures of selection implicated genes affecting temperature perception, non-renal water loss and heat production in the recent adaptation of North African red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), after divergence from Eurasian populations approximately 78 thousand years ago. In the extreme desert specialists, Rueppell's fox (V. rueppellii) and fennec (V. zerda), we identified repeated signatures of selection in genes affecting renal water homeostasis supported by gene expression and physiological differences. Our study provides insights into the mechanisms and genetic underpinnings of a natural experiment of repeated adaptation to extreme conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana L Rocha
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal.
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal.
- Department of Integrative Biology and Department of Statistics, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
| | - Pedro Silva
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Nuno Santos
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Mónia Nakamura
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Sandra Afonso
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Abdeljebbar Qninba
- Laboratory of Geophysics and Natural Hazards, Geophysics, Natural Patrimony and Green Chemistry Research Center (GEOPAC), Institut Scientifique, Mohammed V University of Rabat, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Zbyszek Boratynski
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Peter H Sudmant
- Department of Integrative Biology and Department of Statistics, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Center for Computational Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - José C Brito
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Rasmus Nielsen
- Department of Integrative Biology and Department of Statistics, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Center for Computational Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Raquel Godinho
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal.
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal.
- Department of Zoology, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park, South Africa.
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10
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Ait Brahim Y, Sha L, Wassenburg JA, Azennoud K, Cheng H, Cruz FW, Bouchaou L. The spatiotemporal extent of the Green Sahara during the last glacial period. iScience 2023; 26:107018. [PMID: 37416475 PMCID: PMC10320408 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Revised: 03/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The Sahara Desert, one of today's most inhospitable environments, has known periods of enhanced precipitation that supported pre-historic humans. However, the Green Sahara timing and moisture sources are not well known due to limited paleoclimate information. Here, we present a multi-proxy (δ18O, δ13C, Δ17O, and trace elements) speleothem-based climate record from Northwest (NW) Africa. Our data document two Green Sahara periods during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5a and the Early to Mid-Holocene. Consistency with paleoclimate records across North Africa highlights the east-west geographical extent of the Green Sahara, whereas millennial-scale North Atlantic cooling (Heinrich) events consistently resulted in drier conditions. We demonstrate that an increase in westerly-originating winter precipitation during MIS5a resulted in favorable environmental conditions. The comparison of paleoclimate data with local archaeological sequences highlights the abrupt climate deterioration and the decline in human density in NW Africa during the MIS5-4 transition, which suggests climate-forced dispersals of populations, with possible implications for pathways into Eurasia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yassine Ait Brahim
- International Water Research Institute, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Benguerir, Morocco
| | - Lijuan Sha
- Institute of Global Environmental Change, Xi’an Jiaotong Uniersity, Xi’an, China
| | - Jasper A. Wassenburg
- Center for Climate Physics, Institute for Basic Science, Busan, 46241, Republic of Korea
- Pusan National University, Busan, 46241, Republic of Korea
| | - Khalil Azennoud
- International Water Research Institute, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Benguerir, Morocco
| | - Hai Cheng
- Institute of Global Environmental Change, Xi’an Jiaotong Uniersity, Xi’an, China
| | - Francisco W. Cruz
- Instituto de Geociências, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Lhoussaine Bouchaou
- International Water Research Institute, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Benguerir, Morocco
- Laboratory of Applied Geology and Geo-Environmental, Ibn Zohr University, Agadir, Morocco
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11
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Cartereau M, Leriche A, Médail F, Baumel A. Tree biodiversity of warm drylands is likely to decline in a drier world. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2023; 29:3707-3722. [PMID: 37060269 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Warm drylands represent 19% of land surfaces worldwide and host ca. 1100 tree species. The risk of decline due to climate aridification of this neglected biodiversity has been overlooked despite its ecological and societal importance. To fill this gap, we assessed the risk of decline due to climate aridification of tree species in warm drylands based on spatialized occurrence data and climate models. We considered both species vulnerability and exposure, compared the risk of tree species decline across five bioregions and searched for phylogenetic correlates. Depending on the future climate model, from 44% to 88% of warm drylands' tree species will undergo climate aridification with a high risk of decline even under the most optimistic conditions. On a regional scale, the rate of species that will undergo climate aridification in the future varies from 21% in the Old World North, to 90% in Australia, with a risk of decline confirming the high level of risk predicted at the global scale. Using generalized linear mixed models, we found that, species more exposed to climate aridification will be more at risk, but also that species vulnerability is a key driver of their risk of decline. Indeed, the warm drylands specialist species will be less at risk due to climate aridification than species being marginal in warm drylands. We also found that the risk of decline is widespread across the main clades of the phylogeny and involves several evolutionary distinct species. Estimating a high risk of decline for numerous tree species in all warm drylands, including emblematic dryland endemics, our work warns that future increase in aridity could result in an extensive erosion of tree biodiversity in these ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Cartereau
- Aix Marseille Univ, Avignon Université, CNRS, IRD, IMBE, Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - Agathe Leriche
- Aix Marseille Univ, Avignon Université, CNRS, IRD, IMBE, Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - Frédéric Médail
- Aix Marseille Univ, Avignon Université, CNRS, IRD, IMBE, Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - Alex Baumel
- Aix Marseille Univ, Avignon Université, CNRS, IRD, IMBE, Aix-en-Provence, France
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12
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Muraina TO, Asenso Barnieh B, Jimoh SO, Olasupo IO, Bello SK, Usman S, Mudzengi CP, NourEldeen N, Abdul Aziz A, Anibaba QA. Grassland cover declined in Southern Africa but increased in other African subcontinents in early twenty-first century. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2023; 195:621. [PMID: 37106260 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-023-11160-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
The African continent has the most extensive grassland cover in the world, providing valuable ecosystem services. African grasslands, like other continental grasslands, are prone to various anthropogenic disturbances and climate, and require data-driven monitoring for efficient functioning and service delivery. Yet, knowledge of how the African grassland cover has changed in the past years is lacking, especially at the subcontinent level, due to lack of relevant long-term, Africa-wide observations and experiments. In this study, we used Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Land Cover Type (MCD12Q1) data spanning 2001 to 2017 to conduct land use land cover (LULC) change analyses and map grassland distribution in Africa. Specifically, we assessed the changes in grassland cover across and within African subcontinents over three periods (2001-2013, 2013-2017, and 2001-2017). We found that the African grassland cover was 16,777,765.5 km2, 16,999,468.25 km2, and 16,968,304.25 km2 in 2001, 2013, and 2017, respectively. There were net gain (1.32%) and net loss (- 0.19%) during 2001-2013 and 2013-2017 periods, respectively, and the annual rate of change during these periods were 0.11% and - 0.05%, respectively. Generally, the African grassland cover increased by 1.14% (0.07% per annum) over the entire study period (2001-2017) at the expense of forestland, cropland, and built-up areas. The East and West African grassland cover reduced by 0.07% (- 0.02% per annum) and 1.35% (- 0.34% per annum), respectively from 2013 to 2017 but increased in other periods. On the other hand, the grassland cover in North and Central Africa increased throughout the three periods while that of Southern Africa decreased over the three periods. Overall, the net gains in the grassland cover of other African subcontinents offset the loss in Southern Africa and promoted the overall gain across Africa. This study underscores the need for continuous monitoring of African grasslands and the causes of their changes for efficient delivery of ecosystem services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taofeek O Muraina
- Department of Animal Health and Production, Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology, P.M.B. 10, Igbo-Ora, Oyo State, Nigeria.
- Agriculture Research Group, Organization of African Academic Doctors, Off Kamiti Road, P.O Box 25305-00100, Nairobi, Kenya.
| | - Beatrice Asenso Barnieh
- Agriculture Research Group, Organization of African Academic Doctors, Off Kamiti Road, P.O Box 25305-00100, Nairobi, Kenya.
- Earth Observation Research and Innovation Centre (EORIC), University of Energy and Natural Resources, P. O. Box 214, Sunyani, Ghana.
| | - Saheed O Jimoh
- Agriculture Research Group, Organization of African Academic Doctors, Off Kamiti Road, P.O Box 25305-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
- Department of Botany, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
- Leadvert Limited, Abeokuta, 110124, Ogun State, Nigeria
| | - Ibraheem O Olasupo
- Agriculture Research Group, Organization of African Academic Doctors, Off Kamiti Road, P.O Box 25305-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
- Department of Crop Science, Sule Lamido University, Jigawa State, PMB 048, Kafin Hausa, Nigeria
| | - Suleiman K Bello
- Department of Arid Land Agriculture, Faculty of Meteorology, Environment and Arid Land Agriculture, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, 80200, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture/Institute for Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University, P.M.B. 1044, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria
| | - Samaila Usman
- Agriculture Research Group, Organization of African Academic Doctors, Off Kamiti Road, P.O Box 25305-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
- College of Grassland, Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China
| | - Clarice P Mudzengi
- Department of Livestock, Wildlife and Fisheries, Gary Magadzire School of Agriculture, Great Zimbabwe University, Masvingo, Zimbabwe
| | - Nusseiba NourEldeen
- Institute of Economics, Economic and Social Research Bureau, Khartoum, 11111, Sudan
| | - Ammar Abdul Aziz
- School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Quadri A Anibaba
- Department of Ecology, Institute of Dendrology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kornik, Poland
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13
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Guo Q, He Z, Wang Z. Long-term projection of future climate change over the twenty-first century in the Sahara region in Africa under four Shared Socio-Economic Pathways scenarios. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:22319-22329. [PMID: 36284044 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-23813-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Climate change affects air quality and people's health. Therefore, accurate prediction of future climate change is of great significance for human beings to better adapt and mitigate climate change. Using the projection simulation dataset of the CMIP6 multi-model ensemble, the future climate change in the Sahara region under the four scenarios (SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0, and SSP5-8.5) is analyzed. The results show that annual and seasonal average surface air temperature in the Sahara region will continue to rise throughout the twenty-first century relative to the baseline period 1995-2014 if greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations continue increasing. Under the four SSPs scenarios, the warming in the Sahara region will be more pronounced than in the whole world through the twenty-first century. The annual maximum temperature (TX), the annual minimum temperature (TN), the annual count of days with maximum temperature above 35 °C (TX 35), and the annual count of days with maximum temperature above 40 °C (TX 40) in the Sahara region will continue to increase until the end of the twenty-first century under the four scenarios. The results of climate change prediction can provide scientific reference for climate policy-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingchun Guo
- School of Geography and Environment, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng, 252000, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, 710061, China.
| | - Zhenfang He
- School of Geography and Environment, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng, 252000, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.
| | - Zhaosheng Wang
- National Ecosystem Science Data Center, Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
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14
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Armstrong McKay DI, Staal A, Abrams JF, Winkelmann R, Sakschewski B, Loriani S, Fetzer I, Cornell SE, Rockström J, Lenton TM. Exceeding 1.5°C global warming could trigger multiple climate tipping points. Science 2022; 377:eabn7950. [PMID: 36074831 DOI: 10.1126/science.abn7950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 255] [Impact Index Per Article: 127.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Climate tipping points occur when change in a part of the climate system becomes self-perpetuating beyond a warming threshold, leading to substantial Earth system impacts. Synthesizing paleoclimate, observational, and model-based studies, we provide a revised shortlist of global "core" tipping elements and regional "impact" tipping elements and their temperature thresholds. Current global warming of ~1.1°C above preindustrial temperatures already lies within the lower end of some tipping point uncertainty ranges. Several tipping points may be triggered in the Paris Agreement range of 1.5 to <2°C global warming, with many more likely at the 2 to 3°C of warming expected on current policy trajectories. This strengthens the evidence base for urgent action to mitigate climate change and to develop improved tipping point risk assessment, early warning capability, and adaptation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- David I Armstrong McKay
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.,Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.,Global Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.,Georesilience Analytics, Leatherhead, UK
| | - Arie Staal
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.,Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.,Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Jesse F Abrams
- Global Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | | | | | - Sina Loriani
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Ingo Fetzer
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.,Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sarah E Cornell
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.,Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Johan Rockström
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.,Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Potsdam, Germany
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15
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Pérez-Escobar OA, Tusso S, Przelomska NAS, Wu S, Ryan P, Nesbitt M, Silber MV, Preick M, Fei Z, Hofreiter M, Chomicki G, Renner SS. Genome sequencing of up to 6,000-yr-old Citrullus seeds reveals use of a bitter-fleshed species prior to watermelon domestication. Mol Biol Evol 2022; 39:6652436. [PMID: 35907246 PMCID: PMC9387916 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msac168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Iconographic evidence from Egypt suggests that watermelon pulp was consumed there as a dessert by 4,360 BP. Earlier archaeobotanical evidence comes from seeds from Neolithic settlements in Libya, but whether these were watermelons with sweet pulp or other forms is unknown. We generated genome sequences from 6,000- and 3,300-year-old seeds from Libya and Sudan, and from worldwide herbarium collections made between 1824 and 2019, and analyzed these data together with resequenced genomes from important germplasm collections for a total of 131 accessions. Phylogenomic and population-genomic analyses reveal that (1) much of the nuclear genome of both ancient seeds is traceable to West African seed-use “egusi-type” watermelon (Citrullus mucosospermus) rather than domesticated pulp-use watermelon (Citrullus lanatus ssp. vulgaris); (2) the 6,000-year-old watermelon likely had bitter pulp and greenish-white flesh as today found in C. mucosospermus, given alleles in the bitterness regulators ClBT and in the red color marker LYCB; and (3) both ancient genomes showed admixture from C. mucosospermus, C. lanatus ssp. cordophanus, C. lanatus ssp. vulgaris, and even South African Citrullus amarus, and evident introgression between the Libyan seed (UMB-6) and populations of C. lanatus. An unexpected new insight is that Citrullus appears to have initially been collected or cultivated for its seeds, not its flesh, consistent with seed damage patterns induced by human teeth in the oldest Libyan material.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sergio Tusso
- Faculty of Biology, Division of Genetics, University of Munich (LMU), 82152 Planegg- Martinsried, Germany
| | | | - Shan Wu
- Boyce Thompson Institute, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | | | - Mark Nesbitt
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, TW9 3AE, United Kingdom
| | - Martina V Silber
- Faculty of Biology, Systematic Botany and Mycology, University of Munich (LMU), 80638 Munich, Germany
| | - Michaela Preick
- Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Zhangjun Fei
- Boyce Thompson Institute, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.,USDA-ARS, Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Michael Hofreiter
- Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Guillaume Chomicki
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Bioscience, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, United Kingdom
| | - Susanne S Renner
- Faculty of Biology, Systematic Botany and Mycology, University of Munich (LMU), 80638 Munich, Germany.,Department of Biology, Washington University, Saint Louis, MO 63130, USA
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16
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Past 200 kyr hydroclimate variability in the western Mediterranean and its connection to the African Humid Periods. Sci Rep 2022; 12:9050. [PMID: 35641528 PMCID: PMC9156737 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-12047-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The Iberian Peninsula is located at the intersection between the subtropical and temperate climate zones and the paleoclimate records from this region are key to elucidate the varying humidity and changing dominance of atmospheric circulation patterns in the Mediterranean-North African region in the past. Here we present a quantitative hydroclimate reconstruction for the last ca. 200 kyr from southern Iberian Peninsula based on pollen data from the Padul lake sediment record. We use the newly developed Scale-normalized Significant Zero crossing (SnSiZer) method to detect not only the statistically significant precipitation changes but also to estimate the relative magnitude of these oscillations in our reconstruction. We identify six statistically significant main humid phases, termed West Mediterranean Humid Periods (WMHP 1–6). These humid periods correlate with other West/Central Mediterranean paleohydrological records, suggesting that similar climatic factors affected different areas of the Mediterranean. In addition, the WMPHs are roughly coeval with the African Humid Periods (AHPs) during high seasonality, suggesting the same North Atlantic ocean-atmospheric dynamics and orbital forcing as main drivers of both areas. In contrast, during low seasonality periods, the West Mediterranean still appears to be affected by the westerlies and the local Mediterranean rainfall systems with moderate-to-high precipitation, whereas West Africa was characterized by droughts.
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17
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Development of a Dust Source Map for WRF-Chem Model Based on MODIS NDVI. ATMOSPHERE 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos13060868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/10/2022]
Abstract
We present the development of a physically-based dust source map for the GOCART-AFWA dust module in WRF-Chem model. The new parameterization is based on MODIS-NDVI and an updated emission strength map is computed every 15 days from the latest satellite observations. Modeling simulations for the period April–May 2017 over the Mediterranean, north Africa, and the Middle East are compared with observations of AOD at 31 AERONET stations. The new module is capable of reproducing the dust sources at finer detail. The overall performance of the model is improved, especially for stronger dust episodes with AOD > 0.25. For this threshold the model BIAS decreases from −0.20 to −0.02, the RMSE from 0.38 to 0.30, the Correlation Coefficient improves from 0.21 to 0.47, the fractional gross error (FGE) from 0.62 to 0.40, and the mean fractional bias (MFB) from −0.49 to −0.08. Similar improvement is also found for the lower AOD thresholds (>0.0 and >0.1), especially for the stations in Europe, the Mediterranean, Sahel, the Middle East, and Arabian Peninsula, which are mostly affected by dust transport during the experimental period. An overprediction of AOD, compared to the original dust-source scheme, is found for some stations in the Sahara desert, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Iberian Peninsula. In total, 124 out of the 170 statistical scores that are calculated indicate improvement of model performance.
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18
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Walas Ł, Taib A. Environmental regionalization and endemic plant distribution in the Maghreb. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2022; 194:100. [PMID: 35032243 PMCID: PMC8761123 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-021-09707-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Clustering methods based on environmental variables are useful in the planning of conservation strategies for species and ecosystems. However, there is a lack of work on the regionalization of the vast space of North Africa and the distribution of plant species. The current lists of endemic plants are focused mostly on an occurrence at the country level and not on regions with different conditions. The aim of this work was to lay out an environmental scheme for northwest Africa and to collect data about the occurrence of endemic plants in this area. Clustering with 12 of 33 tested environmental rasters was performed to divide the Maghreb into environmental clusters. Then, a list of 1618 endemic plant taxa (1243 species and 375 subspecies) was prepared and their distribution in estimated environmental clusters was examined. Eleven clusters with different conditions were estimated. The main drivers of regionalization were temperature amplitude, precipitation seasonality, and precipitation of the warmest quarter. According to the occurrence of endemic plants, northwest Africa may be divided into three zones: Atlas, Mediterranean (two environmental clusters), and southern zone (eight environmental clusters). The presented results provide a good basis for understanding the spatial patterns of the Maghreb, including its environment and species diversity. A designed list of endemic plant species together with environmental data may facilitate the planning of future research in north Africa and arranging methods of biodiversity protection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Łukasz Walas
- Institute of Dendrology Polish Academy of Sciences, Parkowa 5, 62-035 Kórnik, Poland
| | - Asma Taib
- Ecole Nationale Supérieure Agronomique, El Harrach, Algeria
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19
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam T. Ford
- Department of Biology The University of British Columbia 1177 Research Road Kelowna British Columbia Canada
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20
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Bedair R, Ibrahim AA, Alyamani AA, Aloufi S, Ramadan S. Impacts of Anthropogenic Disturbance on Vegetation Dynamics: A Case Study of Wadi Hagul, Eastern Desert, Egypt. PLANTS 2021; 10:plants10091906. [PMID: 34579436 PMCID: PMC8466335 DOI: 10.3390/plants10091906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Revised: 08/27/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Irresponsible human interventions, encroachment of natural habitats, and climate change negatively affect wildlife. In this study, the effects of human influence on Wadi Hagul, an unprotected area in the north of the Egyptian Eastern Desert that has recently been subjected to blatant encroachments of vegetation, were studied. The most important of these threats is the construction of the new road Al-Galala-Wadi Hagul-Zafarana. In Wadi Hagul, 80 species are reported in this study; the most represented plant families are Asteraceae (15 species) and Brassicaceae (6 species). Perennial, chamaephyte and Saharo-Arabian species were recorded in the highest percentage. Detrended canonical correspondence analysis showed that latitude, longitude, altitude, silt, sand contents, pH, and CO32- content are the factors that have the highest effect on vegetation distribution in the studied stands. Several invasive and alien species such as Euphorbia prostrata have been listed; these species typically have a negative effect on native species. The Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI) indicated a decrease in plant cover during the study period, as compared to previous years. In 2013 and 2020, SAVI ranged from -0.02 to 0.42 and from -0.18 to 0.28, respectively. Recently, the violation and destruction of wildlife have increased, therefore, preserving it along with general biodiversity has become an urgent necessity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramadan Bedair
- Department of Botany and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Nasr City, Cairo 11884, Egypt;
| | - Amira A. Ibrahim
- Department of the Plant Protection and Biomolecular Diagnosis, Arid Lands Cultivation Research Institute (ALCRI), City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SARTA, City), New Borg El Arab City 21934, Egypt
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +20-106-667-7539
| | - Amal A. Alyamani
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Sciences, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia; (A.A.A.); (S.A.)
| | - Salman Aloufi
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Sciences, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia; (A.A.A.); (S.A.)
| | - Samah Ramadan
- Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, Egypt;
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21
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Irish JD, Usai D. The transition from hunting-gathering to agriculture in Nubia: dental evidence for and against selection, population continuity and discontinuity. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20210969. [PMID: 34102887 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Some researchers posit population continuity between Late Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers of the late Pleistocene and Holocene agriculturalists from Lower (northern) Nubia, in northeast Africa. Substantial craniodental differences in these time-successive groups are suggested to result from in situ evolution. Specifically, these populations are considered a model example for subsistence-related selection worldwide in the transition to agriculture. Others question continuity, with findings indicating that the largely homogeneous Holocene populations differ significantly from late Pleistocene Lower Nubians. If the latter are representative of the local populace, post-Pleistocene discontinuity is implied. So who was ancestral to the Holocene agriculturalists? Dental morphological analyses of 18 samples (1075 individuals), including one dated to the 12th millennium BCE from Al Khiday, near the Upper Nubian border, may provide an answer. It is the first Late Palaeolithic sample (n = 55) recovered within the region in approximately 50 years. Using the Arizona State University Dental Anthropology System to record traits and multivariate statistics to estimate biological affinities, Al Khiday is comparable to several Holocene samples, yet also highly divergent from contemporaneous Lower Nubians. Thus, population continuity is indicated after all, but with late Pleistocene Upper-rather than Lower Nubians as originally suggested-assuming dental traits are adequate proxies for ancient DNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel D Irish
- Research Centre in Evolutionary Anthropology and Palaeoecology, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK
| | - Donatella Usai
- Centro Studi Sudanesi e Sub-Sahariani ONLUS, Strada Canizzano, 128/D, 31100, Treviso, Italy
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22
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Abstract
The greening of the Sahara, associated with the African Humid Period (AHP) between ca. 14,500 and 5,000 y ago, is arguably the largest climate-induced environmental change in the Holocene; it is usually explained by the strengthening and northward expansion of the African monsoon in response to orbital forcing. However, the strengthened monsoon in Early to Middle Holocene climate model simulations cannot sustain vegetation in the Sahara or account for the increased humidity in the Mediterranean region. Here, we present an 18,500-y pollen and leaf-wax δD record from Lake Tislit (32° N) in Morocco, which provides quantitative reconstruction of winter and summer precipitation in northern Africa. The record from Lake Tislit shows that the northern Sahara and the Mediterranean region were wetter in the AHP because of increased winter precipitation and were not influenced by the monsoon. The increased seasonal contrast of insolation led to an intensification and southward shift of the Mediterranean winter precipitation system in addition to the intensified summer monsoon. Therefore, a winter rainfall zone must have met and possibly overlapped the monsoonal zone in the Sahara. Using a mechanistic vegetation model in Early Holocene conditions, we show that this seasonal distribution of rainfall is more efficient than the increased monsoon alone in generating a green Sahara vegetation cover, in agreement with observed vegetation. This conceptual framework should be taken into consideration in Earth system paleoclimate simulations used to explore the mechanisms of African climatic and environmental sensitivity.
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23
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De Frenne P, Lenoir J, Luoto M, Scheffers BR, Zellweger F, Aalto J, Ashcroft MB, Christiansen DM, Decocq G, De Pauw K, Govaert S, Greiser C, Gril E, Hampe A, Jucker T, Klinges DH, Koelemeijer IA, Lembrechts JJ, Marrec R, Meeussen C, Ogée J, Tyystjärvi V, Vangansbeke P, Hylander K. Forest microclimates and climate change: Importance, drivers and future research agenda. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2021; 27:2279-2297. [PMID: 33725415 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 42.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2020] [Revised: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2021] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Forest microclimates contrast strongly with the climate outside forests. To fully understand and better predict how forests' biodiversity and functions relate to climate and climate change, microclimates need to be integrated into ecological research. Despite the potentially broad impact of microclimates on the response of forest ecosystems to global change, our understanding of how microclimates within and below tree canopies modulate biotic responses to global change at the species, community and ecosystem level is still limited. Here, we review how spatial and temporal variation in forest microclimates result from an interplay of forest features, local water balance, topography and landscape composition. We first stress and exemplify the importance of considering forest microclimates to understand variation in biodiversity and ecosystem functions across forest landscapes. Next, we explain how macroclimate warming (of the free atmosphere) can affect microclimates, and vice versa, via interactions with land-use changes across different biomes. Finally, we perform a priority ranking of future research avenues at the interface of microclimate ecology and global change biology, with a specific focus on three key themes: (1) disentangling the abiotic and biotic drivers and feedbacks of forest microclimates; (2) global and regional mapping and predictions of forest microclimates; and (3) the impacts of microclimate on forest biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in the face of climate change. The availability of microclimatic data will significantly increase in the coming decades, characterizing climate variability at unprecedented spatial and temporal scales relevant to biological processes in forests. This will revolutionize our understanding of the dynamics, drivers and implications of forest microclimates on biodiversity and ecological functions, and the impacts of global changes. In order to support the sustainable use of forests and to secure their biodiversity and ecosystem services for future generations, microclimates cannot be ignored.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jonathan Lenoir
- UMR 7058 CNRS "Ecologie et Dynamique des Systèmes Anthropisés" (EDYSAN), Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, France
| | - Miska Luoto
- Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Brett R Scheffers
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | | | - Juha Aalto
- Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Weather and Climate Change Impact Research, Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Michael B Ashcroft
- Centre for Sustainable Ecosystem Solutions, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Ditte M Christiansen
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, and Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Guillaume Decocq
- UMR 7058 CNRS "Ecologie et Dynamique des Systèmes Anthropisés" (EDYSAN), Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, France
| | - Karen De Pauw
- Forest & Nature Lab, Ghent University, Gontrode, Belgium
| | - Sanne Govaert
- Forest & Nature Lab, Ghent University, Gontrode, Belgium
| | - Caroline Greiser
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, and Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Eva Gril
- UMR 7058 CNRS "Ecologie et Dynamique des Systèmes Anthropisés" (EDYSAN), Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, France
| | - Arndt Hampe
- INRAE, Univ. Bordeaux, BIOGECO, Cestas, France
| | - Tommaso Jucker
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - David H Klinges
- School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Irena A Koelemeijer
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, and Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Ronan Marrec
- UMR 7058 CNRS "Ecologie et Dynamique des Systèmes Anthropisés" (EDYSAN), Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, France
| | | | - Jérôme Ogée
- INRAE, Bordeaux Science Agro, ISPA, Villenave d'Ornon, France
| | - Vilna Tyystjärvi
- Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Weather and Climate Change Impact Research, Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Kristoffer Hylander
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, and Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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24
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Bova S, Rosenthal Y, Liu Z, Godad SP, Yan M. Seasonal origin of the thermal maxima at the Holocene and the last interglacial. Nature 2021; 589:548-553. [PMID: 33505038 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-03155-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2020] [Accepted: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Proxy reconstructions from marine sediment cores indicate peak temperatures in the first half of the last and current interglacial periods (the thermal maxima of the Holocene epoch, 10,000 to 6,000 years ago, and the last interglacial period, 128,000 to 123,000 years ago) that arguably exceed modern warmth1-3. By contrast, climate models simulate monotonic warming throughout both periods4-7. This substantial model-data discrepancy undermines confidence in both proxy reconstructions and climate models, and inhibits a mechanistic understanding of recent climate change. Here we show that previous global reconstructions of temperature in the Holocene1-3 and the last interglacial period8 reflect the evolution of seasonal, rather than annual, temperatures and we develop a method of transforming them to mean annual temperatures. We further demonstrate that global mean annual sea surface temperatures have been steadily increasing since the start of the Holocene (about 12,000 years ago), first in response to retreating ice sheets (12 to 6.5 thousand years ago), and then as a result of rising greenhouse gas concentrations (0.25 ± 0.21 degrees Celsius over the past 6,500 years or so). However, mean annual temperatures during the last interglacial period were stable and warmer than estimates of temperatures during the Holocene, and we attribute this to the near-constant greenhouse gas levels and the reduced extent of ice sheets. We therefore argue that the climate of the Holocene differed from that of the last interglacial period in two ways: first, larger remnant glacial ice sheets acted to cool the early Holocene, and second, rising greenhouse gas levels in the late Holocene warmed the planet. Furthermore, our reconstructions demonstrate that the modern global temperature has exceeded annual levels over the past 12,000 years and probably approaches the warmth of the last interglacial period (128,000 to 115,000 years ago).
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha Bova
- Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers, State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
| | - Yair Rosenthal
- Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers, State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.,Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Zhengyu Liu
- Atmospheric Science Program, Department of Geography, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Shital P Godad
- Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers, State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.,Department of Geosciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Mi Yan
- School of Geography, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China.,Open Studio for Ocean-Climate-Isotope Modeling, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
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25
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End of Green Sahara amplified mid- to late Holocene megadroughts in mainland Southeast Asia. Nat Commun 2020; 11:4204. [PMID: 32826905 PMCID: PMC7442841 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17927-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Between 5 and 4 thousand years ago, crippling megadroughts led to the disruption of ancient civilizations across parts of Africa and Asia, yet the extent of these climate extremes in mainland Southeast Asia (MSEA) has never been defined. This is despite archeological evidence showing a shift in human settlement patterns across the region during this period. We report evidence from stalagmite climate records indicating a major decrease of monsoon rainfall in MSEA during the mid- to late Holocene, coincident with African monsoon failure during the end of the Green Sahara. Through a set of modeling experiments, we show that reduced vegetation and increased dust loads during the Green Sahara termination shifted the Walker circulation eastward and cooled the Indian Ocean, causing a reduction in monsoon rainfall in MSEA. Our results indicate that vegetation-dust climate feedbacks from Sahara drying may have been the catalyst for societal shifts in MSEA via ocean-atmospheric teleconnections. The mid-Holocene has seen a number of climate shifts, which have been associated with societal changes. Here, the authors investigate in a centuries long megadrought in Southeast Asia during the mid-Holocene, possibly caused by the end of the Green Sahara period.
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26
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Drier tropical and subtropical Southern Hemisphere in the mid-Pliocene Warm Period. Sci Rep 2020; 10:13458. [PMID: 32778702 PMCID: PMC7417591 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-68884-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2020] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Thermodynamic arguments imply that global mean rainfall increases in a warmer atmosphere; however, dynamical effects may result in more significant diversity of regional precipitation change. Here we investigate rainfall changes in the mid-Pliocene Warm Period (~ 3 Ma), a time when temperatures were 2-3ºC warmer than the pre-industrial era, using output from the Pliocene Model Intercomparison Projects phases 1 and 2 and sensitivity climate model experiments. In the Mid-Pliocene simulations, the higher rates of warming in the northern hemisphere create an interhemispheric temperature gradient that enhances the southward cross-equatorial energy flux by up to 48%. This intensified energy flux reorganizes the atmospheric circulation leading to a northward shift of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone and a weakened and poleward displaced Southern Hemisphere Subtropical Convergences Zones. These changes result in drier-than-normal Southern Hemisphere tropics and subtropics. The evaluation of the mid-Pliocene adds a constraint to possible future warmer scenarios associated with differing rates of warming between hemispheres.
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