Quaternary

Fire and vegetation change during the Early Pleistocene in southeastern Australia

by Kale Sniderman

Quantitative reconstruction of Early Pleistocene climate in southeastern Australia and implications for atmospheric circulation

by Kale Sniderman

Early Pleistocene vegetation change in upland south-eastern Australia

by Kale Sniderman

Pleistocene palaeoecology and environmental change on the Darling Downs, southeastern Queensland, Australia

by Gilbert Price

Price, G.J., Sobbe, I.H., 2005. Pleistocene palaeoecology and environmental change on the Darling Downs, southeastern Queensland, Australia. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 51, 171-201.

A diverse Pleistocene fossil assemblage was recovered from a site (QML1396) exposed in the southern banks of Kings... more A diverse Pleistocene fossil assemblage was recovered from a site (QML1396) exposed in the southern banks of Kings Creek, Darling Downs, southeastern Queensland. The site includes both high-energy lateral channel deposits and low-energy vertical accretion deposits. The basal fossil-bearing unit is laterally extensive, fines upward and its geometry and sedimentary structures suggest deposition within a main channel. The coarse channel fill passes upward into overbank levee deposits made up of lenticular sandy-shelly strata alternating with muds. Several taphonomic biases relating to preservation of different faunal groups and skeletal elements was discerned. Biases may be related to fluvial sorting of the assemblage, but causes for differences between the preservation and accumulation of mammal versus non-mammal terrestrial vertebrates remain unclear. In general, the vertebrate material was accumulated and transported into the deposit from the surrounding proximal floodplain. The assemblage is composed of 44 species including molluscs, teleosts, anurans, chelids, squamates, and small and large-sized mammals. Palaeoenvironmental analysis suggests that a mosaic of habitats, including vine thickets, scrublands, open sclerophyllous woodlands interspersed with sparse grassy understories, and open grasslands, were present on the floodplain during the late Pleistocene. From sedimentological and ecological data, it is evident that increasing aridity during the late Pleistocene led to woodland and vine thicket habitat contraction, and grassland expansion on the floodplain. At present, there is no evidence to support the suggestion that the retraction of late Pleistocene Darling Downs habitats was due to anthropogenic factors.

Perameles sobbei sp. nov.(Marsupialia, Peramelidae), a Pleistocene bandicoot from the Darling Downs, south-eastern Queensland

by Gilbert Price

Price, G.J., 2002. Perameles sobbei sp. nov. (Marsupialia, Peramelidae), a Pleistocene bandicoot from the Darling Downs, south-eastern Queensland. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 48, 193-197.

Perameles sobbei sp. nov. is described from Pleistocene fluviatile sediments from King Creek on the eastern Darling... more Perameles sobbei sp. nov. is described from Pleistocene fluviatile sediments from King Creek on the eastern Darling Downs. Perameles sobbei falls within the size range of modern Perameles species, but its molar morphology indicates a closer affinity with the early Pliocene species, P. bowensis. Both species retain the plesiomorphic states of possessing straight cristid obliquas with closely approximated trigonid cuspids, and the synapomorphic state of the reduction of the hypoconulid on M3. However, the great size difference and slight molar morphology differences between the two are considered sufficient to warrant specific separation. Perameles sobbei sp. nov. is the third fossil Perameles species described and the first from Pleistocene deposits.

5. Climatic forcing for Pleistocene megafaunal extinction: evidence from eastern Australia

by Gilbert Price

Price, Gilbert J. (Invited speaker) 2007. Climatic forcing for Pleistocene megafaunal extinction: Evidence from eastern Australia. In: Cupper, M.L. and Gallagher, S.J. (Eds.) Selwyn Symposium 2007, Climate Change or Human Impact? Australia’s Megafaunal Extinction, Geological Society of Australia, Victoria Division, Extended Abstracts, 79: 25-29.

New records of Plio-Pleistocene koalas from Australia: palaeoecological and taxonomic implications

by Gilbert Price

Price, G.J., Zhao, J.-x., Feng, Y.-x., Hocknull, S.A., 2009. New records of Plio-Pleistocene koalas from Australia: palaeoecological and taxonomic implications. Records of the Australian Museum 61, 39-48.

Koalas (Phascolarctidae, Marsupialia) are generally rare components of the Australian fossil record. However, new... more Koalas (Phascolarctidae, Marsupialia) are generally rare components of the Australian fossil record. However, new specimens of fossil koalas were recovered during recent systematic excavations from several eastern Plio-Pleistocene deposits of Queensland, eastern Australia, including the regions of Chinchilla, Marmor and Mt. Etna. The new records are significant in that they extend the temporal and geographic range of Plio-Pleistocene koalas from southern and southeastern Australia, to northeastern central Queensland. We provide the first unambiguous evidence of koalas in the Pliocene Chinchilla Local Fauna (phascolarctid indet. and Ph. ?stirtoni): important additions to an increasingly diverse arboreal mammalian assemblage that also includes tree kangaroos. The persistence of koalas and local extinction of tree kangaroos in the Chinchilla region today suggests that significant habitat and faunal reorganization occurred between the Pliocene and Recent, presumably reflecting the expansion of open woodlands and grasslands. Other koala records from the newly U/Th-dated Middle Pleistocene Marmor and Mt. Etna fossil deposits (Phascolarctos sp. and Ph. ?stirtoni), along with independent palaeohabitat proxies, indicate the former presence of heterogeneous habitats comprised of rainforests, open woodlands and grasslands. The lack of such habitat mosaics in those regions today is likely the product of significant Middle Pleistocene climate change.

Bridgland, D.R., G. Philip, R. Westaway and M. White 2003. A long Quaternary terrace sequence in the Orontes River Valley, Syria: a record of uplift and of human occupation. Current Science 84: 1080-1089

by Graham Philip

Mapping in the Homs region of Syria has revealed a hitherto unrecognized staircase of at least 12 gravel terraces of... more Mapping in the Homs region of Syria has revealed a hitherto unrecognized staircase of at least 12 gravel terraces of the upper Orontes River. The terrace gravels overlie Pliocene lacustrine marl and have been calcareously cemented into conglomerates, sometimes interbedded with cemented fine-grained alluvium. A tentative dating scheme, based on modelling the regional-scale surface uplift that has driven fluvial incision of ~ 400 m since the latest Miocene, and incorporating correlation with the dated terraces in the valley of the middle Orontes using height above the river, envisages terrace formation spanning at least the last 1.2 Ma.

First record of fossil wood and phytolith assemblages of the Late Pleistocene in El Palmar National Park (Argentina). Journal of South American Earth Sciences 20: 33-43.

by Mariana Brea

Zucol, A. F.; M. Brea and A. Scopel

Two paleoxylologic assemblages and two phytolith assemblages were recovered from Late Pleistocene sediments of El... more Two paleoxylologic assemblages and two phytolith assemblages were recovered from Late Pleistocene sediments of El Palmar Formation. These deposits are found in outcrops along the western margin of the Uruguay River. The spectra of taxa obtained in both sets by different methods is complementary. The fossil remains are characterized in terms of floristic composition and paleoclimate. Seven families are recognized: Podostemaceae, Myrtaceae, Anacardiaceae, Mimosoideae, Arecaceae, Poaceace, and Cyperaceae. Sponge siliceous spicules also have been found in these assemblages. The state of preservation of the phytoliths and their weathering degree is analyzed. These studies can be used as a potential paleoecological tool for alluvial sediments. The comparison of fossil assemblages with modern analogs clarifies the paleoecological requirements and composition of two paleocommunities, one dominated by woody forests and the other by palms. The climatic conditions inferred from the reconstructed vegetation and sedimentary deposits indicate a temperate-warm, humid climate. The results constitute the first evidence of the floral diversity of the vegetation in El Palmar National Park during the Late Pleistocene.

Reply to the comment by C. Ravazzi on``Paleoclimatic record of the past 22,000 yr in Venice (Northern Italy): Biostratigraphic evidence and chronology''[Quaternary …

by Alberto Lezziero

Megafauna from the Late Pleistocene-Holocene deposits of the Upper Ribeira karst area, southeast Brazil

by Aline Marcele Ghilardi

Published in "Quaternary International", co-authored by Marcelo Adorna Fernandes and Maria Elina Bichuette
Download available in: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2011.04.018 / or send me an e-mail - alinemghilardi@yahoo.com.br

The carbonate caves of the Upper Ribeira Valley, southeastern São Paulo State, Brazil, preserve an abundant fossil... more The carbonate caves of the Upper Ribeira Valley, southeastern São Paulo State, Brazil, preserve an abundant fossil record of Pleistocene-Holocene South American megafauna. Nevertheless, in comparison with other localities of the country, its paleontological knowledge still can be considered sparse and in need of further research. This work presents an update taxonomic survey of the megafauna material collected since the beginning of the explorations in the area. Based on this, it discusses paleobiogeographic and paleoecological questions. The fossil megafauna of the Upper Ribeira karst region include: Eremotherium laurillardi, Nothrotherium maquinense, Lestodon armatus, Catonyx cuvieri, ‘Ocnopus gracilis’, Ahytherium aff. aureum, Glyptodon clavipes, G. reticulatus, Hoplophorus cf., Toxodon spp., Stegomastodon waringi, Equidae (Hippidion cf.), Tapirus terrestris, Panthera onca and Smilodon populator. Only P. onca and T. terrestris still remain in the region. Despite the occurrence of some typical taxa of the pampean paleobiogeographical province, the fossil assemblage recorded shows greater affinity to the mega-mammal community of the intertropical region. The ecology of species found suggests the previous occurrence of fairly different environmental settings than the existing one in the area. There were more temperate climates – both dry and wet – until the current mesophytic forest was finally established. The studied material does not show any kind of chrono-correlation, given the type of genesis of the cave accumulations. These fossils depict different faunistic moments related to climate changes during the Quaternary. To better understand the information provided by these deposits, efforts on dating and detailed taphonomic investigations should be conducted. The studies of the Quaternary fauna in the state of São Paulo fill an important gap in the intricate biogeographical history of the South American megafauna.

Analyse démographique des cohortes du cheval pléistocène moyen de Romain-la-Roche (Doubs, France)

by Philippe Fernandez

Cohorts demographic analysis of middle Pleistocene horses from Romain-la-Roche (Doubs, France).- A demographic... more Cohorts demographic analysis of middle Pleistocene horses from Romain-la-Roche (Doubs, France).- A demographic analysis of Equus achenheimensis corresponding to biozones MNQ 23 and 24 was carried out on the site of Romain-la-Roche starting from the abundant dental material of this Equid. The methodological aspects developed here are currently used in population dynamic studies and are applied in this particular swallow-hole palaeobiological context. In this study we first present material and methods which allow us to establish age-structure of horses in Romain-la-Roche. We then focus on a new demographic approach which combines life tables and projection matrix of Leslie. This allows us in the last part to characterize the status of the horse population of Romainla-
Roche. Our results clearly show decreasing, unbalanced and unstable age-structure. The different demographic parameters and the matrix model projection also state that the various cohorts of horses from Romain-la-Roche could not have constituted a viable and perennial population in time. The constitution of the fossil deposit is difficult to understand, nevertheless bone material does not show any anthropic or animal trace. We thus do not retain the assumption of an accumulation related to Man or Carnivores predatory activity.

NOUVELLES DONNÉES SUR LA GRANDE FAUNE DE L’ÉEMIEN DANS LE SUD-EST DE LA FRANCE

by Philippe Fernandez

Erratum: Les Caprinae (Rupicaprini, Ovibovini, Ovini et Caprini) de la séquence pléistocène de Kozarnika (Bulgarie du Nord) : morphométrie, biochronologie et implications phylogéniques

by Philippe Fernandez

ÉTUDE PRÉLIMINAIRE DES GRANDS MAMMIFÈRES DU REPAIRE D’HYÈNES DE REDAKA II (BULGARIE DU NORD-OUEST) : PALÉONTOLOGIE, PALÉOÉCOLOGIE ET TAPHONOMIE

by Philippe Fernandez

Redaka II, Bulgaria, Hyena den, Palaeolithic, Upper Pleistocene, paleontology, palaeoecology, taphonomy

PRELIMINARY STUDY OF LARGE MAMMALS ON THE DISCOVERY OF HYENA DEN IN REDAKA II (NORTH OF BULGARIA): PALEONTOLOGY,... more PRELIMINARY STUDY OF LARGE MAMMALS ON THE DISCOVERY OF HYENA DEN IN REDAKA II (NORTH OF BULGARIA): PALEONTOLOGY, PALAEOECOLOGY AND TAPHONOMY
A preliminary paleontological, palaeoecological and taphonomical study of large mammals was undertaken on the first discovery of hyenaden in Bulgaria: Redaka II (North-West of Bulgaria). The upper Pleistocene sequence could correspond to the end of the isotopic stage 3. The
morphometric data of the large mammals were studied in a systematic way and allow on the base of the faunal spectrum, in comparison with other hyena den of Western Europe, a palaeoenvironenmental reconstitution; under relatively cold climate, associated to an open mixed vegetal cover,
steppic and wooded. At the same time, taphonomical observations were made systematically on all remains. Natural, animal and anthropic traces on bones suggest discontinuing and different occupations of the den by the carnivores and human groups. The latter left artefacts correlated to the middle Palaeolithic and to the upper Palaeolithic.

Les Caprinae (Rupicaprini, Ovibovini, Ovini et Caprini) de la séquence pléistocène de Kozarnika (Bulgarie du Nord) : morphométrie, biochronologie et implications phylogéniques

by Philippe Fernandez

Kozarnika, Bulgaria, MNQ 18, Pleistocene, Caprinae, morphometry, biochronology, phylogeny

The Caprinae (Rupicaprini, Ovibovini, Ovini and Caprini) of the pleistocene sequence of Kozarnika (North of Bulgaria)... more The Caprinae (Rupicaprini, Ovibovini, Ovini and Caprini) of the pleistocene sequence of Kozarnika (North of Bulgaria) :
morphometry, biochronology and phylogenic implications.- A paleontological study of Caprinae (Rupicaprini, Ovibovini, Ovini
and Caprini) was undertaken on the anthropic site of Kozarnika (Bulgaria). The sequence covers the whole Pleistocene and the base could correspond to the MNQ 18. The morphometric data of Caprinae were studied in a systematic way and the biochronological and phylogenic aspects of some taxa of this subfamily were considered in comparison with the main sites of western and eastern Europe. Thanks to a new method founded on the chronological extension of the large mammals from the biostratigraphic units B2-2, B2-1, B1, A2 and A1 of Kozarnika, we estimated their probability of being associated to the mammalian biozones defined by Guerin (1980, 1982, 1988). Thus, the sequence of Kozarnika constitutes one of the fundamental biostratigraphic stakes for the large mammals of the Balkans. The older levels are correlated to the beginning of the Lower Pleistocene that is to say the MNQ 18.

Comparative Morphology and Paleobiology of Middle Pleistocene Human Remains From the Bau De L'Aubesier, Vaucluse, France

by Philippe Fernandez

human paleontology paleopathology Neandertals Archaic Homo Europe

The discovery of later Middle Pleistocene human remains from the Bau de l’Aubesier, France reinforces an evolutionary... more The discovery of later Middle Pleistocene human remains from the Bau de l’Aubesier, France reinforces an evolutionary model of the gradual accumulation of Neandertal-derived facial and dental features during the Middle Pleistocene of the northwestern Old World. The pronounced maxillary incisor beveling of Aubesier 4 helps to extend the antiquity of nondietary use of the anterior dentition. The interproximal ‘‘toothpick’’ groove on the Aubesier
10 molar increases the sample for these lesions. The pathological loss of the mandibular dentition of Aubesier 11 indicates advanced antemortem masticatory impairment, at a level previously undocumented before the Late Pleistocene. These remains support a view of later Middle Pleistocene humans able to support debilitated individuals despite the considerable use of their bodies to accomplish routine activities.

Applying dynamics and comparing life tables for Pleistocene Equidae in anthropic (Bau de l’Aubesier, Combe-Grenal) and carnivore (Fouvent) contexts with modern feral horse populations (Akagera, Pryor Mountain)

by Philippe Fernandez

Middle Palaeolithic; Life tables; Horse mortality; Archaeological and actual contexts

In this study, we propose a method based on life tables currently used in population dynamics and ecology to compare... more In this study, we propose a method based on life tables currently used in population dynamics and ecology to compare the mortality curves of Equidae from anthropic and carnivore fossil assemblages with those from modern populations. The combined analysis of frequency ( fx) with various ecological parameters such as mortality rate (qx), survival rate (lx), fecundity rate (mx), and killing factor (kx), established for each age class, allows us to characterize the stability of fossil populations. These ecological parameters, developed in demography, correspond to many curves and constitute a complementary approach to interpret the two main mortality models, attritional and catastrophic, often evoked in zooarchaeology. The age structures of fossil horses from the
anthropic sites of Bau de l’Aubesier (Vaucluse, France) and Combe-Grenal (Dordogne, France) and the hyena den of Fouvent (Haute-Saoˆ ne, France) are compared to typical catastrophic modern populations of Equidae from the National Park of Akagera (Rwanda). We also used data collected by the Bureau of Land Management for present day feral horses from Pryor Mountain (Montana, USA) which constitutes a reliable referential of a stable living population. The characterization of age structures in those different contexts is discussed as well as the impact of Neanderthals and hyenas on fossil assemblages.

An ancient continuous human presence in the Balkans and the beginnings of human settlement in western Eurasia: A Lower Pleistocene example of the Lower Palaeolithic levels in Kozarnika cave (North-western Bulgaria)

by Philippe Fernandez

Mortality Curves for Horses From the Middle Palaeolithic Site of Bau De L'Aubesier (Vaucluse, France): Methodological, Palaeo-Ethnological, and Palaeo-Ecological …

by Philippe Fernandez

Horse teeth; Age determination; Mortality curves; Neandertal strategies

A new methodology for estimating the age of death of horse, based on the degree of hypsondonty, has been established... more A new methodology for estimating the age of death of horse, based on the degree of hypsondonty, has been established using the dental material of Equus mosbachensis, Equus cf. taubachensis, and Equus sp., which were hunted from the Mousterian levels of the Bau de l’Aubesier at Monieux (Vaucluse, France). Our model is based on a regression analysis of curvilinear type, and allows the precise determination of age classes intervals and the distribution of estimated ages, by systematically taking into account the
standard deviation. These estimates were tested from all the paired teeth of horses belonging to the same individuals, from the sites of Bau de l’Aubesier and of Jaurens at Nespouls (Corre`ze, France). The age structures of the horses of Bau de l’Aubesier were compared in the different levels of the sequence with their frequencies, survival rates, and mortality rates corresponding to as many curves as often used in population ecology and demographics. The different age classes of a present-day natural African population (Equus burchelli boehmi), the individuals having died accidentally
in the National Park of Akagera (Rwanda) following a bush fire, provide an interesting comparative catastrophic model with regard to the population dynamics, and permit us to evaluate the impact of Neandertals on the Equidae fossils of Bau de l’Aubesier. Our assemblage clearly indicates in the lower layers, a systematic selection of adult horses, as opposed to the upper sequence where juveniles and adults dominate. Ecological factors, such as seasonal migratory phenomena and herd gathering, which characterise many large size species are also tackled and could explain the high proportion of adults in French Middle Palaeolithic sites where
horses were preferentially hunted.