Taphonomy of fossils from the hominin-bearing deposits at Dikika, Ethiopia

Thompson, Jessica C.; McPherron, Shannon P.; Bobe, René; Reed, Denné; Barr, W. Andrew; Wynn, Jonathan G.; Marean, Curtis W.; Geraads, Denis; Alemseged, Zeresenay

doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2015.06.013

Cited by 50 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 90 publications

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“…Increased faunivory has been linked to distinct human life-history patterns in Homo relative to other apes (Finch and Stanford, 2004; Schuppli et al, 2012) and to the social organization of human ancestors, including provisioning, sexual division of labor, and a greater reliance on home bases (Isaac, 1978; Rose and Marshall, 1996; Kaplan et al, 2000; Bunn, 2009). Though there is growing evidence for butchery of large animals using stone tools prior to the emergence of the genus Homo (McPherron et al, 2010; Harmond et al 2015; Thompson et al 2015), this is likely to have been preceded by predation on smaller game at frequencies or in ways that may not be discernable in the fossil and archaeological records, and so resembles in some ways the hunting patterns of chimpanzees (Stanford, 1996; Pruetz et al, 2015). Extinct hominins’ access to high-quality, monopolizable food resources such as meat is likely to have been socially mediated, as is the case for chimpanzees, bonobos and human foragers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reproductive state and rank influence patterns of meat consumption in wild female chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii)

O’Malley

Stanton

Gilby

et al. 2016

Journal of Human Evolution

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An increase in faunivory is a consistent component of human evolutionary models. Animal matter is energy- and nutrient-dense and can provide macronutrients, minerals, and vitamins that are limited or absent in plant foods. For female humans and other omnivorous primates, faunivory may be of particular importance during the costly periods of pregnancy and early lactation. Yet, because animal prey is often monopolizable, access to fauna among group-living primates may be mediated by social factors such as rank. Wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) across Africa habitually consume insects and/or vertebrates. However, no published studies have examined patterns of female chimpanzee faunivory during pregnancy and early lactation relative to non-reproductive periods, or by females of different rank. In this study, we assessed the influence of reproductive state and dominance rank on the consumption of fauna (meat and insects) by female chimpanzees of Gombe National Park, Tanzania. Using observational data collected over 38 years, we tested (a) whether faunivory varied by reproductive state, and (b) if high-ranking females spent more time consuming fauna than lower-ranking females. In single-factor models, pregnant females consumed more meat than lactating and baseline (meaning not pregnant and not in early lactation) females, and high-ranking females consumed more meat than lower-ranking females. A two-factor analysis of a subset of well-sampled females identified an interaction between rank and reproductive state: lower-ranking females consumed more meat during pregnancy than lower-ranking lactating and baseline females did. High-ranking females did not significantly differ in meat consumption between reproductive states. We found no relationships between rank or reproductive state with insectivory. We conclude that, unlike insectivory, meat consumption by female chimpanzees is mediated by both reproductive state and social rank. We outline several possible mechanisms for these patterns, relate our findings to meat-eating patterns in women from well-studied hunter-gatherer societies, and discuss potential avenues for future research.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reproductive state and rank influence patterns of meat consumption in wild female chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii)

O’Malley

Stanton

Gilby

et al. 2016

Journal of Human Evolution

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“…These would be said to occur across the period from about 3.5 Ma to 1.5 Ma, an enormous span of time. The earliest elements of this transition would be the appearance of stone tools at Lomekwi dated to 3.3 Ma [73]; others would include the first evidence for processing of animals using tools (3.4 Ma) [74,75]; the appearance of the genus Homo [50], or more precisely, phenotypes associated with the human lineage, namely larger brains, reduced post-canine dentition, less prognathic face and the development of distinctive supra-orbital tori. The early part of this transition (2.8-1.9 Ma) is variable [76], with different fossil groups displaying different elements of the traits that defined the new adaptive zone-very much a mosaic of trends rather than a simple trajectory.…”

Section: (C) a New Adaptive Zonementioning

confidence: 99%

Mosaic evolution and the pattern of transitions in the hominin lineage

Foley¹

2016

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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One contribution of 17 to a discussion meeting issue 'Major transitions in human evolution'.Subject Areas: evolution, palaeontology, behaviour Keywords: human evolution, mosaic evolution, major transitions, human evolutionary ecology, hominins, tempo and mode of evolution Humans are uniquely unique, in terms of the extreme differences between them and other living organisms, and the impact they are having on the biosphere. The evolution of humans can be seen, as has been proposed, as one of the major transitions in evolution, on a par with the origins of multicellular organisms or the eukaryotic cell (Maynard Smith & Szathmáry 1997 Major transitions in evolution). Major transitions require the evolution of greater complexity and the emergence of new evolutionary levels or processes. Does human evolution meet these conditions? I explore the diversity of evidence on the nature of transitions in human evolution. Four levels of transition are proposed-baseline, novel taxa, novel adaptive zones and major transitions-and the pattern of human evolution considered in the light of these. The primary conclusions are that changes in human evolution occur continuously and cumulatively; that novel taxa and the appearance of new adaptations are not clustered very tightly in particular periods, although there are three broad transitional phases (Pliocene, Plio-Pleistocene and later Quaternary). Each phase is distinctive, with the first based on ranging and energetics, the second on technology and niche expansion, and the third on cognition and cultural processes. I discuss whether this constitutes a 'major transition' in the context of the evolutionary processes more broadly; the role of behaviour in evolution; and the opportunity provided by the rich genetic, phenotypic (fossil morphology) and behavioural (archaeological) record to examine in detail major transitions and the microevolutionary patterns underlying macroevolutionary change. It is suggested that the evolution of the hominin lineage is consistent with a mosaic pattern of change.This article is part of the themed issue 'Major transitions in human evolution'.

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“…Recientemente, un nuevo programa experimental ha tratado de probar la escasa semejanza de las alteraciones de los fósiles con las morfologías generadas a partir de trampling mencionadas anteriormente (Thompson et al, 2015). De cualquier modo, las condiciones del descubrimiento plantean graves problemas contextuales y de interpretación, que difícilmente permiten considerar la viabilidad de Dikika.…”

Section: Discussionunclassified

Los orígenes de la tecnología a debate: una revisión de las primeras industrias líticas.

Cueva-Temprana

2016

pantarei

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Durante muchos años, la comunidad científica ha considerado la producción de artefactos líticos como privativa del género Homo. Sin embargo, recientes hallazgos realizados en yacimientos africanos han aportado unos resultados que parecen poner en duda esta cuestión, retrasando la cronología de aparición de las primeras industrias líticas hasta más allá de los 2.6 Ma. planteados por el yacimiento de Gona. A partir de una revisión de estos yacimientos, el presente trabajo pretende realizar una reflexión sobre la posible autoría de estas primeras tecnologías, enmarcadas en un contexto paleoantropológico de creciente complejidad, y quizás atribuibles a miembros de otros géneros. For many years, the scientific community has considered the production of lithic artifacts as a unique characteristic of the genus Homo. However, recent discoveries made in African sites have provided results that seem to put this issue in doubt, delaying the appearance time of the first stone industries to beyond the 2.6 Myr. posed by the deposits of Kada Gona. This paper aims to make a review on these sites, trying to consider the possible authorship of that early technologies, which are framed in a high complexity paleoanthropological context, and perhaps are attributable to members of other genres.

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Taphonomy of fossils from the hominin-bearing deposits at Dikika, Ethiopia

Cited by 50 publications

References 90 publications

Reproductive state and rank influence patterns of meat consumption in wild female chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii)

Reproductive state and rank influence patterns of meat consumption in wild female chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii)

Mosaic evolution and the pattern of transitions in the hominin lineage

Los orígenes de la tecnología a debate: una revisión de las primeras industrias líticas.

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