Chronology and Ecology of Late Pleistocene Megafauna in the Northern Willamette Valley, Oregon

Gilmour, Daniel J.

doi:10.15760/etd.416

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Overall, the specimens were in good condition based on visual criteria, and high collagen content (see isotopic analysis below) supports the conclusion that the specimens did not suffer from much post-depositional exposure and reworking. In short, the Willamette Valley megafaunal remains we studied do not reflect "kill sites" or other types of archaeological sites, but are in-situ remains of natural death and deposition of animals that once lived in the valley (Gilmour, 2011).…”

Section: Fossil Megafaunal Sites and Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chronology and Ecology of Late Pleistocene Megafauna in the Northern Willamette Valley, Oregon

et al. 2015

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Since the mid-19th century, western Oregon's Willamette Valley has been a source of remains from a wide variety of extinct megafauna. Few of these have been previously described or dated, but new chronologic and isotopic analyses in conjunction with updated evaluations of stratigraphic context provide substantial new information on the species present, timing of losses, and paleoenvironmental conditions. Using subfossil material from the northern valley, we use AMS radiocarbon dating, stable isotope (δ13C and δ15N) analyses, and taxonomic dietary specialization and habitat preferences to reconstruct environments and to develop a local chronology of events that we then compare with continental and regional archaeological and paleoenvironmental data. Analysis of twelve bone specimens demonstrates the presence of bison, mammoth, horse, sloth, and mastodon from ~ 15,000–13,000 cal yr BP. The latest ages coincide with changing regional climate corresponding to the onset of the Younger Dryas. It is suggested that cooling conditions led to increased forest cover, and along with river aggradation, reduced the area of preferred habitat for the larger bodied herbivores, which contributed to the demise of local megafauna. Archaeological evidence for megafauna–human interactions in the Pacific Northwest is scarce, limiting our ability to address the human role in causing extinction.

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Section: Fossil Megafaunal Sites and Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chronology and Ecology of Late Pleistocene Megafauna in the Northern Willamette Valley, Oregon

et al. 2015

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“…The δ 15 N values ranged from 6.44 to 10.12, average 7.93. Two individuals from the Willamette Valley, Oregon had δ 13 C values of-20.8 and-21 and δ 15 N values of 7.4 and 6.6 indicating they were feeding primarily on C3 vegetation in a palaeoenvironment of open grassland and sparse canopy (Gilmour et al, 2015). The inferred diet of P. harlani from Valsequillo, Mexico based on δ 13 C indicated that this individual was primarily a grazer (Pérez-Crespo et al, 2014), while two samples from Térapa, Sonora produced quite different δ 13 C values of −6.3 and −0.5 similar to other taxa from the site and supported the interpretation of a mosaic of habitats that supported a variety of herbivores with different dietary preferences.…”

Section: Paramylodon Harlanimentioning

confidence: 99%

Yukon to the Yucatan: Habitat partitioning in North American Late Pleistocene ground sloths (Xenarthra, Pilosa)

McDonald

2021

JPS

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The late Pleistocene mammalian fauna of North America included seven genera of ground sloth, representing four families. This cohort of megaherbivores had an extensive geographic range in North America from the Yukon in Canada to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico and inhabited a variety of biomes. Within this latitudinal range there are taxa with a distribution limited to temperate latitudes while others have a distribution restricted to tropical latitudes. Some taxa are better documented than others and more is known about their palaeoecology and habitat preferences, while our knowledge of the palaeoecology of taxa more recently discovered remains limited. In order to better understand what aspects of their palaeoecology allowed their dispersal from South America, long–term success in North America and ultimately the underlying causes for their extinction at the end of the Pleistocene more information is needed. A summary overview of the differences in the palaeoecology of the late Pleistocene sloths in North America and their preferred habitats is presented based on different data sources.

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“…The Columbia River would have provided an unimpeded passageway east through the Cascade Range onto the Columbia Plateau. There is little evidence of Clovis along the Columbia River itself, although the Willamette River drainage, the first major inland tributary of the Columbia River, has extensive evidence of megafauna remains (Gilmour et al 2015) and isolated Clovis points (Connolly 1994).…”

Section: North Pacific Coast Origin Of Clovis Technologymentioning

confidence: 99%

The geographic origin of Clovis technology: Insights from Clovis biface caches

Schroedl

2021

Plains Anthropologist

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Multiple hypotheses have been advanced for the geographic origin of the Clovis technocomplex. Several competing hypotheses are considered in relation to the distribution of Clovis caches. Clovis caching behavior is interpreted as a strategy for maximizing exploration and migration rather than an embedded strategy associated with an annual foraging round. Based on this analysis, it is hypothesized that the Clovis technocomplex may have originated along the North Pacific coast or south of the Cordilleran ice sheet in the Puget Lowland before rapidly spreading across the continent.keywords Paleoindian, fluting technology, Clovis cache, migration, Western North America, Clovis origins Clovis is the label used for the earliest widespread, identifiable prehistoric technocomplex south of the Late Pleistocene Cordilleran and Laurentide ice sheets in North America. The Clovis tradition is short-lived and currently dated from 13,250-12,700 cal BP (Goebel and Keene 2014; Stafford 2007, 2013). A variety of site types are associated with the Clovis tradition, including encampments, quarry sites, megafauna kill or butchering sites, and cache sites.The Clovis complex includes a well-developed bifacial lithic technology including projectile points, knives, gravers, and bifaces of various stages of manufacture

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Chronology and Ecology of Late Pleistocene Megafauna in the Northern Willamette Valley, Oregon

Cited by 5 publications

References 44 publications

Chronology and Ecology of Late Pleistocene Megafauna in the Northern Willamette Valley, Oregon

Chronology and Ecology of Late Pleistocene Megafauna in the Northern Willamette Valley, Oregon

Yukon to the Yucatan: Habitat partitioning in North American Late Pleistocene ground sloths (Xenarthra, Pilosa)

The geographic origin of Clovis technology: Insights from Clovis biface caches

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