Doctoral Dissertation Research: Evaluating Seasonality and Migration as Ecological Drivers of Technological Transition in Human Evolutionary History

博士论文研究：评估季节性和迁移作为人类进化史上技术转型的生态驱动因素

• 批准号: 2234426
• 负责人: John Faith
• 金额: $ 3.07万
• 依托单位: University of Utah
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-02-01 至 2024-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2234426&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Evaluating; Seasonality

This interdisciplinary project integrates geochemistry, ecology, and archaeology to understand what drove the transition from the Middle Stone Age (MSA) to the Later Stone Age (LSA). This technological transition, which occurred around 50,000 years ago, is one of the most prominent behavioral changes observed in human evolutionary history. Possible environmental drivers of the MSA-LSA transition have been proposed, but establishing robust links between environmental and behavioral change has been challenging due to the lack of appropriate datasets. This project will quantify the degree of precipitation seasonality, dietary seasonality, and large animal movement through this key period while fostering research links and providing a foundation for undergraduate training in a collaborative environment. In addition to providing funding for the training of a graduate student in anthropology in the methods of empirical, scientific data collection and analysis, the project would enhance public understanding of science and the scientific method broadly disseminating its findings.The proposed project advances our understanding of the MSA-LSA transition by addressing the question: Did seasonal changes in resource availability influence human behavior across the MSA-LSA transition? Three objectives will be used to address this question through stable isotope analysis of serially-sampled fossil herbivore teeth from Pleistocene fossil sites: (i) using strontium isotopes to reconstruct Pleistocene migratory systems; (ii) using carbon and oxygen isotopes to evaluate how migration relates to precipitation and dietary seasonality; and (iii) assessing how seasonality and migration have shaped human foraging strategies and technological change during the last glacial period. Understanding the ecology of animals during glacial periods through these methods is essential to grasping the full picture of the evolutionary ecology of both living and extinct species, with implications for human evolution, biology, and conservation. Furthermore, this study will be the largest ever to evaluate serially-sampled strontium isotopes in this research context.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

这个跨学科的项目融合了地球化学、生态学和考古学，以了解是什么推动了从中石器时代(MSA)向晚期石器时代(LSA)的过渡。这一技术转变发生在大约5万年前，是人类进化史上观察到的最显著的行为变化之一。已经提出了MSA向LSA转变的可能的环境驱动因素，但由于缺乏适当的数据集，在环境变化和行为变化之间建立牢固的联系一直是具有挑战性的。该项目将量化降水季节性、饮食季节性和大型动物在这一关键时期的活动程度，同时培养研究联系，为本科生在协作环境中的培训提供基础。除了为人类学研究生在实证、科学数据收集和分析方法方面的培训提供资金外，该项目还将增强公众对科学的理解，以及广泛传播其发现的科学方法。拟议中的项目通过解决以下问题促进了我们对MSA-LSA过渡的理解：资源可获得性的季节性变化是否影响了MSA-LSA过渡期间的人类行为？将通过对来自更新世化石遗址的连续采样的草食动物化石牙齿的稳定同位素分析来解决这一问题：(1)使用锶同位素重建更新世迁徙系统；(2)使用碳和氧同位素评估迁徙如何与降水和食物季节性有关；(3)评估季节性和迁徙如何影响人类在上一次冰期的觅食策略和技术变化。通过这些方法了解冰川时期的动物生态学，对于全面掌握现存和灭绝物种的进化生态学，以及对人类进化、生物学和保护的影响是至关重要的。此外，这项研究将是迄今为止在本研究范围内评估连续采样锶同位素的最大规模的研究。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

项目成果

ISOTOPIC EVIDENCE OF SEASONALITY AND MIGRATION DURING THE LAST GLACIAL PERIOD OF KENYA

肯尼亚末次冰河期季节性和迁徙的同位素证据

• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: Society of Vertebrate Paleontology
• 作者: O'Brien, K.;Podkovyroff, K.;Fernandez, D. P.;Tryon, C. A.;Cerling, T. E.;Ashioya, L.;Faith, J. T.
• 通讯作者: Faith, J. T.

Migratory behavior in the enigmatic Late Pleistocene bovid Rusingoryx atopocranion

神秘的晚更新世牛科动物 Rusingoryx atopocranion 的迁徙行为

• DOI: 10.3389/fearc.2023.1237714
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology
• 作者: O'Brien, Kaedan;Podkovyroff, Katya;Fernandez, Diego P.;Tryon, Christian A.;Ashioya, Lilian;Faith, J. Tyler
• 通讯作者: Faith, J. Tyler