TY - JOUR
T1 - Ecological stability of Late Pleistocene-to-Holocene Lesotho, southern Africa, facilitated human upland habitation
AU - Patalano, Robert
AU - Arthur, Charles
AU - Carleton, William Christopher
AU - Challis, Sam
AU - Dewar, Genevieve
AU - Gayantha, Kasun
AU - Gleixner, Gerd
AU - Ilgner, Jana
AU - Lucas, Mary
AU - Marzo, Sara
AU - Mokhachane, Rethabile
AU - Pazan, Kyra
AU - Spurite, Diana
AU - Morley, Mike W.
AU - Parker, Adrian
AU - Mitchell, Peter
AU - Stewart, Brian A.
AU - Roberts, Patrick
PY - 2023/4/20
Y1 - 2023/4/20
N2 - Investigation of Homo sapiens’ palaeogeographic expansion into African mountain environments are changing the understanding of our species’ adaptions to various extreme Pleistocene climates and habitats. Here, we present a vegetation and precipitation record from the Ha Makotoko rockshelter in western Lesotho, which extends from ~60,000 to 1,000 years ago. Stable carbon isotope ratios from plant wax biomarkers indicate a constant C3-dominated ecosystem up to about 5,000 years ago, followed by C4 grassland expansion due to increasing Holocene temperatures. Hydrogen isotope ratios indicate a drier, yet stable, Pleistocene and Early Holocene compared to a relatively wet Late Holocene. Although relatively cool and dry, the Pleistocene was ecologically reliable due to generally uniform precipitation amounts, which incentivized persistent habitation because of dependable freshwater reserves that supported rich terrestrial foods and provided prime locations for catching fish.
AB - Investigation of Homo sapiens’ palaeogeographic expansion into African mountain environments are changing the understanding of our species’ adaptions to various extreme Pleistocene climates and habitats. Here, we present a vegetation and precipitation record from the Ha Makotoko rockshelter in western Lesotho, which extends from ~60,000 to 1,000 years ago. Stable carbon isotope ratios from plant wax biomarkers indicate a constant C3-dominated ecosystem up to about 5,000 years ago, followed by C4 grassland expansion due to increasing Holocene temperatures. Hydrogen isotope ratios indicate a drier, yet stable, Pleistocene and Early Holocene compared to a relatively wet Late Holocene. Although relatively cool and dry, the Pleistocene was ecologically reliable due to generally uniform precipitation amounts, which incentivized persistent habitation because of dependable freshwater reserves that supported rich terrestrial foods and provided prime locations for catching fish.
KW - Archaeology
KW - Climate-change impacts
KW - Palaeoecology
KW - Plant ecology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85153876112&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/s43247-023-00784-8
DO - 10.1038/s43247-023-00784-8
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85153876112
SN - 2662-4435
VL - 4
JO - Communications Earth and Environment
JF - Communications Earth and Environment
M1 - 129
ER -