Lothagam: a record of faunal change in the late Miocene of East Africa

Leakey, Meave G.; Feibel, Craig S.; Bernor, Raymond L.; Harris, John; Cerling, Thure E.; Stewart, Kathlyn M.; Storrs, Glenn W.; Walker, Alan; Werdelin, Lars; Winkler, Alisa J.

doi:10.1080/02724634.1996.10011339

Cited by 129 publications

(73 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…I have suggested that hominids moved south from Eurasia in response to global climate changes that produced more seasonal conditions in Eurasia toward the end of the Miocene [Begun (2001) based in part on Quade et al (1989), Leakey et al (1996), Cerling et al (1997) and many others]. This scenario seems to hold up reasonably well in the east.…”

Section: Eurasian Hominid Dispersals and Extinctionsmentioning

confidence: 81%

“…Among the more closed-setting mammals, hippos moved from Africa to Europe, and pigs of varying ecological preferences moved from Asia to Europe and Africa (Fortelius et al, 1996;van der Made, 1999). Small carnivores (mustelids, felids and viverrids), larger carnivores (ursids, hyaenids), porcupines, rabbits, and chalicotheres, most of which also prefer more closed settings, also dispersed from Eurasia to Africa (Leakey et al, 1996;Ginsburg, 1999;Heissig, 1999;van der Made, 1999;Winkler, 2002). In sum, phylogenetic analysis suggests that the ancestors of many African mammals had appeared in the Vallesian of Eurasia.…”

Section: Corroborating Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many taxa dispersed south into Africa as conditions continued to deteriorate, leading to the Messinian crisis; among these taxa were probably the ancestors of the African apes and humans. While the scenario that would have hominid ancestors leave Africa in the early Miocene only to return to Africa as hominines in the late Miocene may seem unnecessarily complicated, this is precisely what seems to have occurred in several mammalian lineages, including those represented by late Miocene African species of Orycteropus, several small carnivores, the hippo Hexaprotodon, and possibly the proboscideans Anancus, Deinotherium, and Choerolophodon (Leakey et al, 1996;Ginsburg, 1999;Heissig, 1999;van der Made, 1999;Boisserie et al, 2003;Werdelin, 2003). This number is likely to increase as our knowledge of fossil mammal lineages expands.…”

Section: Corroborating Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

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Sivapithecus is east and Dryopithecus is west, and never the twain shall meet

Begun

2005

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Sivapithecus and Dryopithecus are well-described Miocene hominids (great apes and humans), both known since the 19th century. Over the years these genera have been combined into one (Dryopithecus) or separated up to the subfamily level. Each have been dismissed as interesting side branches, hailed as direct ancestors, or recognized as sister clades to one or more clade of extant hominid. Here I argue that they are each stem taxa of the two living hominid clades Ponginae and Homininae. A famous poem by Rudyard Kipling tells the tale of a British and Afghan soldier whose differences (in ethnicity) obscure their similarities (in character). The relationship between Sivapithecus and Dryopithecus is similar. On the one hand, Sivapithecus is restricted to South Asia, has thickly enameled molars, robust jaws, and superficially baboon-like forelimbs; Dryopithecus is European, has thinly enameled molars and gracile jaws, with suspensory forelimbs. On the other hand, both are great apes, both had suspensory adaptations, large brains, and delayed development, and both are closely related to living hominids. Recognition of the likely relations of Sivapithecus and Dryopithecus provides insight into the causes, timing, and paleobiogeography of crown hominid origins.

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Section: Eurasian Hominid Dispersals and Extinctionsmentioning

confidence: 81%

Section: Corroborating Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Corroborating Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

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Sivapithecus is east and Dryopithecus is west, and never the twain shall meet

Begun

2005

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“…The genus Machairodus has been identified in Mio-Pliocene deposits at Lothagam (Leakey et al, 1996), Sahabi (Howell, 1987) and Langebaanweg (Hendey, 1974), while a skull from the Tunisian site of Ain Brimba referred to Machairodus africanus has been recovered from deposits thought to date between 3.5 and 2.0 Ma (petter and Howell, 1987). Work clearly needs to be done on the affinities of much of this material.…”

Section: The Machairodont Cats Of the African And European Plio-pleismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Africa, Dinofelis is first recorded at Lothagam (Leakey et al, 1996) and is then found at Langebaanweg (Hendey, 1974). The specific affinity of the latter material is unclear but it has been suggested that it is probably Dinofelis harlowi (Turner, 1990); Cooke (1991, 19) noted the similarities but suggested that 'the differences appear to warrant' specific separation.…”

Section: The Machairodont Cats Of the African And European Plio-pleismentioning

confidence: 99%

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Turner

Antón

1998

Estud. geol.

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Recent discussions of correlations between global climatic change and evolution of the African Plio-Pleistocene biota have revealed apparent discrepancies between the timing and significance of events recorded in different data sets. The most notable differences have occurred in relation to a major shift in the ratio of marine oxygen isotopes by 2.5 myr and claims for a causally related transition in the biota. Vegetational changes recorded in palaeosol stable isotope values suggest that the major increase in more open vegetation occurs later -1.7 myr. We investigate the problem with particular reference to events at 1.7 myr and the African extinctions of machairodont cats that take place in their aftermath, since extinctions of such eurytopic taxa are likely to mark significant changes in conditions. We compare the pattem of such extinctions with those of similar or identical taxa in Eurasia and the New World, and suggest that a major environmental change is clearly indicated in each case. It is likely that the African vegetational changes recorded -1.7 myr represent a terrestrial response to global climatic changes recorded in marine core records -1.9 myr. Key words: Climate, evolution, Plio-Pleistocene, machairodont cats, extinction,I', Afi'ica, Europe. RESUMENEstudios recientes sobre las correlaciones entre cambios clim<'iticos globales y la evolucion de la biota del Plio-Pleistoceno Africano han revelado aparentes discrepancias entre las fechas y la significacion de eventos registrados en distintas fuentes. Las diferencias mas notables se refieren a un importante cambio en la proporcion de isotopos de oxfgeno marinas hace 2,5 millones de afios, y a la posibilidad de una transicion biotica relacionada causalmente con dicho cambio. Cambios en la vegetacion detectados a traves de los valores de isotopos estables en los paleosuelos sugieren que el principal cambio hacia una vegetacion mas abierta ocurrio mas tarde, hace 1,7 millones de afios. Nosotros estudiamos el problema refiriendonos en particular a los eventos de hace 1,7 millones de afios, y a la extincion en Africa de los felidos con dientes de sable que se produce poco despues, puesto que las extinciones de taxones euritopicos como estos probablemente sefiala cambios significativos en las condiciones ambientales. Nosotros comparamos el patron de dichas extinciones con los de taxones semejantes 0 identicos, en Eurasia y America, y sugerimos que en cada caso hay claros indicios de importantes cambios ambientales. Es probable que los cambios en la vegetacion de Africa registrados hace 1,7 millones de afios representen una respuesta en el medio terrestre alas cambios clim<'iticos globales reflejados en el registro marino hace 1,9 millones de afios.

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Environmental hypotheses of hominin evolution

Potts

1998

Am. J. Phys. Anthropol.

414

208

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The study of human evolution has long sought to explain major adaptations and trends that led to the origin of Homo sapiens. Environmental scenarios have played a pivotal role in this endeavor. They represent statements or, more commonly, assumptions concerning the adaptive context in which key hominin traits emerged. In many cases, however, these scenarios are based on very little if any data about the past settings in which early hominins lived. Several environmental hypotheses of human evolution are presented in this paper. Explicit test expectations are laid out, and a preliminary assessment of the hypotheses is made by examining the environmental records of Olduvai, Turkana, Olorgesailie, Zhoukoudian, Combe Grenal, and other hominin localities. Habitat-specific hypotheses have prevailed in almost all previous accounts of human adaptive history. The rise of African dry savanna is often cited as the critical event behind the development of terrestrial bipedality, stone toolmaking, and encephalized brains, among other traits. This savanna hypothesis has been countered recently by the woodland/forest hypothesis, which claims that Pliocene hominins had evolved in and were primarily attracted to closed habitats. The ideas that human evolution was fostered by cold habitats in higher latitudes or by seasonal variations in tropical and temperate zones also have their proponents. An alternative view, the variability selection hypothesis, states that large disparities in environmental conditions were responsible for important episodes of adaptive evolution. The resulting adaptations enhanced behavioral versatility and ultimately ecological diversity in the human lineage. Global environmental records for the late Cenozoic and specific records at hominin sites show the following: 1) early human habitats were subject to large-scale remodeling over time; 2) the evidence for environmental instability does not support habitat-specific explanations of key adaptive changes; 3) the range of environmental change over time was more extensive and the tempo far more prolonged than allowed by the seasonality hypothesis; and 4) the variability selection hypothesis is strongly supported by the persistence of hominins through long sequences of environmental remodeling and the origin of important adaptations in periods of wide habitat diversity. Early bipedality, stone transport, diversification of artifact contexts, encephalization, and enhanced cognitive and social functioning all may reflect adaptations to environmental novelty and highly varying selective contexts.

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Lothagam: a record of faunal change in the late Miocene of East Africa

Cited by 129 publications

References 68 publications

Sivapithecus is east and Dryopithecus is west, and never the twain shall meet

Sivapithecus is east and Dryopithecus is west, and never the twain shall meet

Untitled

Environmental hypotheses of hominin evolution

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