Regional variation in the terminal Pleistocene and early Holocene radiocarbon record of eastern North America

Miller, D. E.; Gingerich, Joseph A. M.

doi:10.1016/j.yqres.2012.12.003

Cited by 41 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 65 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Miller andGingerich, 2013). To control for the shape of the calibration curve, a simulated dataset was produced with radiocarbon dates uniformly distributed across the study period.…”

Section: Periodmentioning

confidence: 99%

Upper Palaeolithic population histories of Southwestern France: a comparison of the demographic signatures of 14C date distributions and archaeological site counts

French

Collins

2015

Journal of Archaeological Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

a b s t r a c tRadiocarbon date frequency distributions and archaeological site counts are two popular proxies used to investigate prehistoric demography, following the assumption that variations in these data reflect fluctuations in the relative size and distribution of past populations. However, the two approaches are rarely applied to the same data-set and their applicability is heavily conditioned by the archaeological record in question, particularly research histories, agendas, and funding availability. In this paper we use both types of data to examine the population history of the Upper Palaeolithic hunteregatherers (~40 000e12 000 cal BP) of Southwestern France, comparing the demographic signatures generated.Both proxies produce similar signatures across the Upper Palaeolithic sequence of the region, strengthening the interpretation of relative demographic changes as the cause of the pattern. In particular, a marked population decline is seen in both datasets during the Late Gravettian (~28 000 cal BP), as well as a population increase in the Late Solutrean (~25 000 cal BP) supporting the notion that the region acted as a population refugium during the Last Glacial Maximum. Where the two proxies diverge in the demographic signatures they produce, the radiocarbon date distribution shows peaks compared to troughs in site counts; the opposite pattern expected given taphonomic issues surrounding cultural carbon. Despite differences in chronological resolution and sampling bias, our data suggest that the two proxies can be considered broadly equivalent; a finding which warrants the investigation of prehistoric demography in regions where either extensive survey data or radiometric dating programmes are unavailable. While some preliminary observations are made, the impact of changing mobility on diachronic patterns seen in both proxies remains, however, difficult to assess.

show abstract

“…Miller andGingerich, 2013). To control for the shape of the calibration curve, a simulated dataset was produced with radiocarbon dates uniformly distributed across the study period.…”

Section: Periodmentioning

confidence: 99%

Upper Palaeolithic population histories of Southwestern France: a comparison of the demographic signatures of 14C date distributions and archaeological site counts

French

Collins

2015

Journal of Archaeological Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Regional studies in North America have highlighted the impacts of environmental change on population size using these methods and documented the impact of human activities on the vegetation (1,(6)(7)(8)(9)(10). Although some studies have attempted to investigate between-region demographic changes for particular time periods (11) or map the point distribution for certain time intervals (3), the spatiotemporal distribution of demographic growth through the Holocene in North America after the arrival of humans has not been tracked at a continental scale.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatiotemporal distribution of Holocene populations in North America

Chaput

Kriesche

Betts³

et al. 2015

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

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

As the Cordilleran and Laurentide Ice Sheets retreated, North America was colonized by human populations; however, the spatial patterns of subsequent population growth are unclear. Temporal frequency distributions of aggregated radiocarbon (14C) dates are used as a proxy of population size and can be used to track this expansion. The Canadian Archaeological Radiocarbon Database contains more than 35,000 14C dates and is used in this study to map the spatiotemporal demographic changes of Holocene populations in North America at a continental scale for the past 13,000 y. We use the kernel method, which converts the spatial distribution of 14C dates into estimates of population density at 500-y intervals. The resulting maps reveal temporally distinct, dynamic patterns associated with paleodemographic trends that correspond well to genetic, archaeological, and ethnohistoric evidence of human occupation. These results have implications for hypothesizing and testing migration routes into and across North America as well as the relative influence of North American populations on the evolution of the North American ecosystem.

show abstract

“…There are few well-dated Clovis archaeological sites in the region so we modelled the late Clovis period boundary using the 14 C data set published by Waters & Stafford (2007) and augmented by new dates on eastern Clovis sites (Shawnee-Minisink, Paleo-Crossing, Sheriden Cave) (Gingerich 2007;Miller & Gingerich 2013). The extirpation of mastodons in the Midwest is not strongly related to human colonization because extinction post-dates all pre-Clovis and Clovis localities in the region.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The extirpation of mastodons in the Midwest is not strongly related to human colonization because extinction post-dates all pre-Clovis and Clovis localities in the region. There are few well-dated Clovis archaeological sites in the region so we modelled the late Clovis period boundary using the 14 C data set published by Waters & Stafford (2007) and augmented by new dates on eastern Clovis sites (Shawnee-Minisink, Paleo-Crossing, Sheriden Cave) (Gingerich 2007;Miller & Gingerich 2013). The modelled boundary for the end of the Clovis period (12 720-12 620 cal.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Late Pleistocene proboscidean population dynamics in the North American Midcontinent

Widga

Lengyel

Saunders

et al. 2017

Boreas

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Understanding megafaunal population dynamics is critical to testing and refining scenarios of how extinctions occurred during the terminal Pleistocene. Large-scale, collections-based, chronological and taphonomic analyses of midwestern Proboscidea suggest divergent population histories in mammoths and mastodons after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Although extinction of both taxa occurred in the very late Bølling-Allerød (B-A) or early Younger Dryas (YD), Mammuthus is dominant during the LGM with a decreasing presence in the region until extirpation. Mammut americanum however, is absent during the LGM but becomes the dominant taxon during the subsequent B-A. Trace and physical evidence of large carnivores in post-LGM proboscidean assemblages is extremely rare, suggesting apex predators had minimal impact on mammoth and mastodon populations at this time. The ultimate mechanism(s) of extinction remain unclear; however, the wide geographical distribution of late Mammut and an increase in the frequency of multi-animal death assemblages is consistent with a large, destabilized population experiencing periodic boom-bust cycling at the end of the B-A. We suggest this pattern is due to the collapse of trophic controls on proboscidean populations prior to the LGM and a subsequent system-wide shift from top-down to bottom-up regulatory mechanisms in Proboscidea.

show abstract

Regional variation in the terminal Pleistocene and early Holocene radiocarbon record of eastern North America

Cited by 41 publications

References 65 publications

Upper Palaeolithic population histories of Southwestern France: a comparison of the demographic signatures of 14C date distributions and archaeological site counts

Upper Palaeolithic population histories of Southwestern France: a comparison of the demographic signatures of 14C date distributions and archaeological site counts

Spatiotemporal distribution of Holocene populations in North America

Late Pleistocene proboscidean population dynamics in the North American Midcontinent

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About