Micromammal and macromammal stable isotopes from a MIS 6 fossil hyena den (Pinnacle Point site 30, south coast, South Africa) reveal differences in relative contribution of C4 grasses to local and regional palaeovegetation on the Palaeo-Agulhas Plain

QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS

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Article

Williams, Hope M.¹  Lee-Thorp, Julia A.²  Matthews, Thalassa³  Marean, Curtis W.^4,5 

[1] Arizona State Univ, Sch Human Evolut & Social Change, POB 872402, Tempe, AZ 85287 USA

[2] Univ Oxford, Sch Archaeol, Res Lab Archaeol & Hist Art, 1-2 South Parks Rd, Oxford OX1 3TG, England

[3] Iziko Museums South Africa, Ctr Excellence Palaeontol, 25 Queen Victoria St, ZA-8000 Cape Town, South Africa

[4] Nelson Mandela Univ, African Ctr Coastal Palaeosci, ZA-6031 Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa

[5] Arizona State Univ, Sch Human Evolut & Social Change, Inst Human Origins, POB 872402, Tempe, AZ 85287 USA

关键词: Africa;    South Africa;    Cape floral region;    Palaeo-Agulhas plain;    Pleistocene;    Marine isotope stage 6;    Micromammal;    Macromammal;    Radiogenic isotopes;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106201

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

Proxy records dating to marine isotope stage 6 on the south coast of South Africa are rare. This study presents integrated micromammal and macromammal stable isotope palaeoenvironmental proxy data from one of the few MIS 6 fossil occurrences in the region, a fossil brown hyena (Parahyena brunnea) den, Pinnacle Point 30 (PP30). Two predators with significantly different foraging ranges aggregated the large and small mammal components of the PP30 fossil assemblage. The large mammal specimens were brought to PP30 by Parahyena brunnea with an expansive daily foraging radius that focused on the Palaeo-Agulhas Plain. The micromammal taxa were deposited at the site primarily by the spotted eagle owl, Bubo africanus, with a foraging radius of similar to 3 km, and would have sampled the ecotone between the Palaeo-Agulhas Plain and the Cape coastal lowlands. The large and small mammal components of the PP30 assemblage thus sample palaeovegetation at different geographic scales; micromammal stable isotope data act as a proxy for local conditions, while macromammal data integrate information at a broader scale. Comparison of the stable carbon isotope data obtained from the micromammal and macromammal fossil specimens suggests that these two assemblage components intersected vegetation with differing proportions of C-4 grasses. Micromammal delta C-13 proxy data indicates that, immediately local to the site, a C-3 dominated vegetation was present, while the large mammal delta C-13 proxy data shows evidence of a vegetation community with a greater C-4 grass component that likely occurred somewhat more distant from the site itself on the Palaeo-Agulhas Plain. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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