Integrating multidisciplinary tools to study Plio-Pleistocene paleoecology of early hominins from the Omo Valley, Ethiopia

整合多学科工具研究埃塞俄比亚奥莫山谷上新世-更新世早期古人类的古生态学esenay Alemseged，加利福尼亚科学院技术描述：本研究旨在解决理解早期古人类古生物学的关键研究问题之一：生态变化在早期人类主要适应性发展中的作用是什么？pi将通过开发综合方法来解决这个广泛的问题，将含有古人类的Omo序列（由国际Omo研究探险队收集的古生物，IORE, 1966-1976）的新数据引入古生物数据库。从这些大型和系统收集的古动物数据库中获得的现有分类丰度数据将与来自稳定同位素和古动物群落生态形态特征的新的独立古生态数据相结合。人类和其他灵长类动物牙釉质的稳定同位素组成也将首次被分析。更广泛的意义和重要性：本研究的结果不仅将解决东非动物的古饮食和古生态问题，而且可能显著改变我们对埃塞俄比亚和肯尼亚的Omo-Turkana盆地400万至120万年前哺乳动物群落进化的理解，该盆地是早期人类进化研究最重要的盆地之一。这项研究还将为在Omo序列中发现的至少四种人类物种的饮食提供直接和新鲜的数据，并将更好地理解人类何时何地开始大量消耗来自热带稀树草原资源的食物。这项研究将继续美国学术机构与亚的斯亚贝巴的埃塞俄比亚国家博物馆之间的国际合作，该博物馆为埃塞俄比亚内外的公众宣传和教育提供了一个场所。这个项目的数据将纳入一个数据库系统，并通过几个渠道随时提供。该提案将为两名研究生提供研究生培训，整合几个研究领域：地质学，地球化学，古生物学和古人类学。研究结果将用于各种公共宣传渠道。

Integrating multidisciplinary tools to study Plio-Pleistocene paleoecology of early hominins from the Omo Valley, EthiopiaZeresenay Alemseged, California Academy of SciencesTechnical description:This study aims to address one of the key research questions for understanding the paleobiology of early hominins: what was the role of ecological change on the development of major early human adaptations? The PIs will address this broad question by developing integrative approaches to bring new data to the paleofaunal databases from the hominin-bearing Omo sequence (paleofauna collected by the The International Omo Research Expedition, IORE, 1966-1976). Existing taxonomic abundance data from these large and systematically collected paleofaunal databases will be integrated with new, independent paleoecological data from stable isotopes and ecomorphological features of the paleofaunal community. The stable isotopic composition of tooth enamel from hominins and other primates from this sequence will also be analyzed for the first time.Broader Significance and Importance:The results of this research will not only address questions of paleodiets and paleoecology of East African faunas, but may significantly transform our understanding of the the evolution of the mammalian community in the Omo-Turkana Basin of Ethiopia and Kenya from 4 to 1.2 million years ago, which is one of the most significant basins for early human evolutionary studies. This study will also provide direct and fresh data on the diets consumed by at least four hominin species encountered in the Omo sequence, and will better our understanding of when and where hominins first began to significantly consume foods derived from savanna resources. The research will continue international collaborations between US academic institutions and the National Museum of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa, which provides a venue for public outreach and education within Ethiopia and beyond. The data from this project will be incorporated into a database system, and made readily available via several outlets. This proposal will provide graduate training for two graduate students integrating several research communities: geology, geochemistry, paleontology, and paleoanthropology. The research results will be used in a variety of outlets for public outreach.