Correcting temporal frequency distributions for taphonomic bias

Surovell, Todd A.; Finley, Judson Byrd; Smith, Geoffrey M.; Brantingham, P. Jeffrey; Kelly, Robert L.

doi:10.1016/j.jas.2009.03.029

Cited by 338 publications

(388 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Second, comparison of the frequencies through time of remains of species that are subject to similar preservation biases may reveal shifts in their relative abundance [63]. Genyornis newtoni was a flightless, ground-nesting bird with a distribution overlapping the emu Dromaius novaehollandiae, another flightless ground-nester.…”

Section: Trends In Megafaunal Abundancementioning

confidence: 99%

What caused extinction of the Pleistocene megafauna of Sahul?

et al. 2016

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During the Pleistocene, Australia and New Guinea supported a rich assemblage of large vertebrates. Why these animals disappeared has been debated for more than a century and remains controversial. Previous synthetic reviews of this problem have typically focused heavily on particular types of evidence, such as the dating of extinction and human arrival, and have frequently ignored uncertainties and biases that can lead to misinterpretation of this evidence. Here, we review diverse evidence bearing on this issue and conclude that, although many knowledge gaps remain, multiple independent lines of evidence point to direct human impact as the most likely cause of extinction.

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Section: Trends In Megafaunal Abundancementioning

confidence: 99%

What caused extinction of the Pleistocene megafauna of Sahul?

et al. 2016

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“…2). Given the progressive loss of materials through time, radiocarbon ages are expected to decrease nonlinearly with age from recent modes, producing a heavily right-skewed distribution (15,16). Even after correction for taphonomic bias, the CUSA and SA datasets form curves typical of this phenomenon.…”

Section: Spacings Analyses (mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This method produces both a likely date for extinction onset and an associated approximate 95% CI (confidence interval). For histogram creation, we first apply a jackknife method to identify optimal binning parameters for histogram creation (14) to create frequency distributions of calibrated radiocarbon dates, which are then corrected for taphonomic bias following Surovell et al (15). Taphonomic correction adjusts frequency distributions of radiocarbon dates to account for the loss of sedimentary contexts through time due to erosion and weathering.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Test of Martin’s overkill hypothesis using radiocarbon dates on extinct megafauna

Surovell

Pelton

Anderson-Sprecher

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Following Martin [Martin PS (1973) Science 179:969–974], we propose the hypothesis that the timing of human arrival to the New World can be assessed by examining the ecological impacts of a small population of people on extinct Pleistocene megafauna. To that end, we compiled lists of direct radiocarbon dates on paleontological specimens of extinct genera from North and South America with the expectation that the initial decline of extinct megafauna should correspond in time with the initial evidence for human colonization and that those declines should occur first in eastern Beringia, next in the contiguous United States, and last in South America. Analyses of spacings and frequency distributions of radiocarbon dates for each region support the idea that the extinction event first commenced in Beringia, roughly 13,300–15,000 BP. For the United States and South America, extinctions commenced considerably later but were closely spaced in time. For the contiguous United States, extinction began at ca. 12,900–13,200 BP, and at ca. 12,600–13,900 BP in South America. For areas south of Beringia, these estimates correspond well with the first significant evidence for human presence and are consistent with the predictions of the overkill hypothesis.

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“…14). The Surovell equation fitted to these data describes the rise to present of geological deposits (Surovell et al, 2009;Williams, 2012).…”

Section: How Many Megafauna Were There?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Ice-age megafauna in Arctic Alaska: extinction, invasion, survival

Mann

Groves

Kunz

et al. 2013

Quaternary Science Reviews

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Groves, Pamela; Kunz, Michael L.; Reanier, Richard E.; and Gaglioti, Benjamin V., "Ice-age megafauna in Arctic Alaska: extinction, invasion, survival" (2013 a b s t r a c tRadical restructuring of the terrestrial, large mammal fauna living in arctic Alaska occurred between 14,000 and 10,000 years ago at the end of the last ice age. Steppe bison, horse, and woolly mammoth became extinct, moose and humans invaded, while muskox and caribou persisted. The ice age megafauna was more diverse in species and possibly contained 6Â more individual animals than live in the region today. Megafaunal biomass during the last ice age may have been 30Â greater than present. Horse was the dominant species in terms of number of individuals. Lions, short-faced bears, wolves, and possibly grizzly bears comprised the predator/scavenger guild. The youngest mammoth so far discovered lived ca 13,800 years ago, while horses and bison persisted on the North Slope until at least 12,500 years ago during the Younger Dryas cold interval. The first people arrived on the North Slope ca 13,500 years ago. Bone-isotope measurements and foot-loading characteristics suggest megafaunal niches were segregated along a moisture gradient, with the surviving species (muskox and caribou) utilizing the warmer and moister portions of the vegetation mosaic. As the ice age ended, the moisture gradient shifted and eliminated habitats utilized by the dryland, grazing species (bison, horse, mammoth). The proximate cause for this change was regional paludification, the spread of organic soil horizons and peat. End-Pleistocene extinctions in arctic Alaska represent local, not global extinctions since the megafaunal species lost there persisted to later times elsewhere. Hunting seems unlikely as the cause of these extinctions, but it cannot be ruled out as the final blow to megafaunal populations that were already functionally extinct by the time humans arrived in the region.

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Correcting temporal frequency distributions for taphonomic bias

Cited by 338 publications

References 35 publications

What caused extinction of the Pleistocene megafauna of Sahul?

What caused extinction of the Pleistocene megafauna of Sahul?

Test of Martin’s overkill hypothesis using radiocarbon dates on extinct megafauna

Ice-age megafauna in Arctic Alaska: extinction, invasion, survival

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