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Woody cover and hominin environments in the past 6 million years

Author

Listed:
  • Thure E. Cerling

    (University of Utah)

  • Jonathan G. Wynn

    (University of South Florida)

  • Samuel A. Andanje

    (Kenya Wildlife Service, PO Box 40241-00100 Nairobi, Kenya)

  • Michael I. Bird

    (James Cook University)

  • David Kimutai Korir

    (Kenya Wildlife Service, PO Box 40241-00100 Nairobi, Kenya)

  • Naomi E. Levin

    (Johns Hopkins University)

  • William Mace

    (University of Utah)

  • Anthony N. Macharia

    (University of Utah)

  • Jay Quade

    (University of Arizona)

  • Christopher H. Remien

    (University of Utah)

Abstract

The role of African savannahs in the evolution of early hominins has been debated for nearly a century. Resolution of this issue has been hindered by difficulty in quantifying the fraction of woody cover in the fossil record. Here we show that the fraction of woody cover in tropical ecosystems can be quantified using stable carbon isotopes in soils. Furthermore, we use fossil soils from hominin sites in the Awash and Omo-Turkana basins in eastern Africa to reconstruct the fraction of woody cover since the Late Miocene epoch (about 7 million years ago). 13C/12C ratio data from 1,300 palaeosols at or adjacent to hominin sites dating to at least 6 million years ago show that woody cover was predominantly less than ∼40% at most sites. These data point to the prevalence of open environments at the majority of hominin fossil sites in eastern Africa over the past 6 million years.

Suggested Citation

  • Thure E. Cerling & Jonathan G. Wynn & Samuel A. Andanje & Michael I. Bird & David Kimutai Korir & Naomi E. Levin & William Mace & Anthony N. Macharia & Jay Quade & Christopher H. Remien, 2011. "Woody cover and hominin environments in the past 6 million years," Nature, Nature, vol. 476(7358), pages 51-56, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:476:y:2011:i:7358:d:10.1038_nature10306
    DOI: 10.1038/nature10306
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    Cited by:

    1. Gallagher, Andrew, 2013. "Stature, body mass, and brain size: A two-million-year odyssey," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 11(4), pages 551-562.
    2. Daniel A. Lauer & A. Michelle Lawing & Rachel A. Short & Fredrick K. Manthi & Johannes Müller & Jason J. Head & Jenny L. McGuire, 2023. "Disruption of trait-environment relationships in African megafauna occurred in the middle Pleistocene," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-15, December.
    3. Kelley A. Crews & Kenneth R. Young, 2013. "Forefronting the Socio-Ecological in Savanna Landscapes through Their Spatial and Temporal Contingencies," Land, MDPI, vol. 2(3), pages 1-20, September.
    4. Kenneth R. Young, 2023. "Reflections on the Dynamics of Savanna Landscapes," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-12, September.
    5. Marcelo Sthel & José Glauco Tostes & Juliana Tavares, 2013. "Sustainable Complex Triangular Cells for the Evaluation of CO 2 Emissions by Individuals instead of Nations in a Scenario for 2030," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 5(5), pages 1-16, May.

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