Palaeoecology and evolution of Pliocene-Pleistocene Turkana Basin molluscs: Implications for basin formation and the evolution of hominins in East Africa

上新世-更新世图尔卡纳盆地软体动物的古生态和进化：对盆地形成和东非古人类进化的影响

• 批准号: 48083393
• 负责人: Professor Dr. Matthias Glaubrecht
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Department of Geology and Soil Science
• 依托单位国家: 德国
• 项目类别: Research Grants
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 德国
• 起止时间: 2006-12-31 至 2011-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/48083393?language=en
• 关键词: Palaeoecology; evolution; Pliocene; Pleistocene; Turkana

The Turkana Basin in Northern Kenya and Ethiopia is among the most important places for hominin fossils in the world, particularly from the crucial period between 2.3 and 1.5 Ma, when climatic and environmental changes are supposed to be the driving force in the origin of the genus Homo and responsible for its migration out of Africa around 1.9 Ma. In contrast to hominin fossils, molluscs are very abundant in many shellbeds from the Pliocene and Pleistocene of the Turkana Basin. The goal of the project is to evaluate the evolution and palaeoecology of these molluscs, also in view of the possible relation between climatic and environmental changes and the evolution of hominins. The Turkana molluscs were debated in context with the theory of punctuated equilibrium. As we have suggested alternative hypotheses explaining the pattern of mollusc evolution in the Turkana Basin we here propose to test these hypotheses more rigorously. Accordingly, diversity and disparity of molluscs through time reflect environmental changes in the aquatic system (anagenesis) instead of cladogenesis (e.g. speciation). We plan to analyse relevant data in concert with sedimentological and taphonomical data based on field collections. We will also apply an actuopalaeontological approach utilizing molecular genetic data from a similar setting in Lake Malawi today. The eventual aim is to combine these data in an international collaboration with geological and geochemical data in order to reconstruct the hydrology of the Turkana Basin and the evolution of molluscs to gain a better understanding of the palaeoecology of hominins in Eastern Africa at a critical time in our origin

肯尼亚北部和埃塞俄比亚的图尔卡纳盆地是世界上人类化石最重要的地方之一，特别是在2.3到1.5 Ma之间的关键时期，当时的气候和环境变化被认为是人属起源的驱动力，并负责在1.9 Ma左右迁徙出非洲。与古人类化石相比，图尔卡纳盆地上新世和更新世的许多壳层中软体动物非常丰富。该项目的目标是评估这些软体动物的进化和古生态学，同时考虑到气候和环境变化与人类进化之间的可能关系。图尔卡纳软体动物在间断平衡理论的背景下进行了辩论。由于我们已经提出了解释图尔卡纳盆地软体动物进化模式的其他假设，我们在这里提议更严格地测试这些假设。因此，软体动物的多样性和差异随时间的变化反映了水生系统的环境变化（新生），而不是枝生（如物种形成）。我们计划结合现场收集的沉积学和地层学数据分析相关数据。我们还将应用一种实际病理学方法，利用来自马拉维湖类似环境的分子遗传数据。最终目标是在国际合作中将这些数据与地质和地球化学数据结合起来，以便重建图尔卡纳盆地的水文和软体动物的进化，以便更好地了解我们起源的关键时期东非人族的古生态学