scholarly journals Old wild wolves: ancient DNA survey unveils population dynamics in Late Pleistocene and Holocene Italian remains

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e6424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Maria Ciucani ◽  
Davide Palumbo ◽  
Marco Galaverni ◽  
Patrizia Serventi ◽  
Elena Fabbri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Genetic Variability ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Hypervariable Region ◽  
Chronological Period ◽  
Complex Population ◽  
The Last Glacial Maximum ◽  
Mitochondrial Clade ◽  
The Last Glacial

Background The contemporary Italian wolf (Canis lupus italicus) represents a case of morphological and genetic uniqueness. Today, Italian wolves are also the only documented population to fall exclusively within the mitochondrial haplogroup 2, which was the most diffused across Eurasian and North American wolves during the Late Pleistocene. However, the dynamics leading to such distinctiveness are still debated. Methods In order to shed light on the ancient genetic variability of this wolf population and on the origin of its current diversity, we collected 19 Late Pleistocene-Holocene samples from northern Italy, which we analyzed at a short portion of the hypervariable region 1 of the mitochondrial DNA, highly informative for wolf and dog phylogenetic analyses. Results Four out of the six detected haplotypes matched the ones found in ancient wolves from northern Europe and Beringia, or in modern European and Chinese wolves, and appeared closely related to the two haplotypes currently found in Italian wolves. The haplotype of two Late Pleistocene samples matched with primitive and contemporary dog sequences from the canine mitochondrial clade A. All these haplotypes belonged to haplogroup 2. The only exception was a Holocene sample dated 3,250 years ago, affiliated to haplogroup 1. Discussion In this study we describe the genetic variability of the most ancient wolf specimens from Italy analyzed so far, providing a preliminary overview of the genetic make-up of the population that inhabited this area from the last glacial maximum to the Middle Age period. Our results endorsed that the genetic diversity carried by the Pleistocene wolves here analyzed showed a strong continuity with other northern Eurasian wolf specimens from the same chronological period. Contrarily, the Holocene samples showed a greater similarity only with modern sequences from Europe and Asia, and the occurrence of an haplogroup 1 haplotype allowed to date back previous finding about its presence in this area. Moreover, the unexpected discovery of a 24,700-year-old sample carrying a haplotype that, from the fragment here obtained, falls within the canine clade A, could represent the oldest evidence in Europe of such dog-rich clade. All these findings suggest complex population dynamics that deserve to be further investigated based on mitochondrial or whole genome sequencing.

scholarly journals Population Dynamics in Italian Canids between the Late Pleistocene and Bronze Age

Genes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 1409
Author(s):  
Kyriaki Koupadi ◽  
Francesco Fontani ◽  
Marta Maria Ciucani ◽  
Elena Maini ◽  
Sara De Fanti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variability ◽  
Bronze Age ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Close Relationships ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Hypervariable Region ◽  
Northern Italy ◽  
European Regions ◽  
Hypervariable Region 1 ◽  
Dog Domestication

Dog domestication is still largely unresolved due to time-gaps in the sampling of regions. Ancient Italian canids are particularly understudied, currently represented by only a few specimens. In the present study, we sampled 27 canid remains from Northern Italy dated between the Late Pleistocene and Bronze Age to assess their genetic variability, and thus add context to dog domestication dynamics. They were targeted at four DNA fragments of the hypervariable region 1 of mitochondrial DNA. A total of 11 samples had good DNA preservation and were used for phylogenetic analyses. The dog samples were assigned to dog haplogroups A, C and D, and a Late Pleistocene wolf was set into wolf haplogroup 2. We present our data in the landscape of ancient and modern dog genetic variability, with a particular focus on the ancient Italian samples published thus far. Our results suggest there is high genetic variability within ancient Italian canids, where close relationships were evident between both a ~24,700 years old Italian canid, and Iberian and Bulgarian ancient dogs. These findings emphasize that disentangling dog domestication dynamics benefits from the analysis of specimens from Southern European regions.

Comparing a new paleomap of European loess landscapes to an atmospheric dust circulation model

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janina J. (Bösken) Nett ◽  
Frank Lehmkuhl ◽  
Erik J. Schaffernicht ◽  
Stephan Pötter ◽  
Philipp Schulte ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Last Glacial Maximum ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Glacial Maximum ◽  
Source Areas ◽  
Last Glacial ◽  
Potential Source ◽  
Aeolian Sediments ◽  
The Last Glacial Maximum ◽  
The Last Glacial

<p>Loess is an important archive of environmental change covering approximately 10% of the Earth’s terrestrial surface. Numerous studies have analyzed loess deposits and in particular loess-paleosol sequences. To analyze these sequences, it is important to know the spatial distribution of aeolian sediments, their location relative to potential source areas, and the geomorphology of the sink area. We investigated these aspects by compiling a new map of aeolian sediments in Europe using highly resolved geodata from 27 countries (Lehmkuhl et al., in press). To determine the most relevant factors for the European loess distribution, we further mapped potential source areas and divided the map into different facies domains. We analyzed the geomorphological and paleoenvironmental effects on the deposition and preservation of Late Pleistocene loess. Finally, the geodata-based results were compared with results obtained from high-resolved regional numerical climate-dust experiments for the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) in Europe, which were performed with the LGM-adapted Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem-LGM; Schaffernicht et al., 2020).  Complementing the mapping-based findings with the WRF-Chem-LGM experiments results in an improved understanding of the Late Pleistocene loess landscape in Europe.</p><p> </p><p>References:</p><p>Lehmkuhl, F., Nett, J.J., Pötter, S., Schulte, P., Sprafke, T., Jary, Z., Antoine, P., Wacha, L., Wolf, D., Zerboni, A., Hošek, J., Marković, S.B., Obreht, I., Sümegi, P., Veres, D., Zeeden, C., Boemke, B., Schaubert, V., Viehweger, J., Hambach, U. (in press). Loess landscapes of Europe – Mapping, geomorphology, and zonal differentiation. Earth-Science Reviews. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103496</p><p>Schaffernicht, E.J., Ludwig, P., Shao, Y., 2020. Linkage between dust cycle and loess of the last Glacial Maximum in Europe. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 20, 4969–4986. Doi:10.5194/acp-20-4969-2020.</p>

A Hypothesis for the Sawlike Pattern of World Sea-Level Fluctuations

1985 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 285-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. B. Kazanskiy
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Theoretical Curve ◽  
Ocean Water ◽  
Surface Evaporation ◽  
Sea Level Fluctuations ◽  
Two Parameters ◽  
Continental Glaciation ◽  
The Last Glacial Maximum ◽  
The Last Glacial

A theory of the world's sea-level fluctuations during late Pleistocene time, based on the analysis of the general equation of the mass balance between ocean water and inland water, suggests that the exchange of water masses between the ocean and the land, where at continental glaciation periods water is stored as ice, occurs only as a result of global climatic changes. The tectonic effect is considered insignificant for late Pleistocene time. The proposed theory explains the asymmetric character and the sawlike shape of the curve of the main cycles of sea-level fluctuations. The theory also makes it possible to construct a diagram of sea-level fluctuations from the last glacial maximum to the present time. This diagram is governed by two parameters, the amount of the average “effective” evaporation from the world's ocean surface (evaporation minus rainfall) and the rate of the sea-level rise at the present time. The resulting theoretical curve agrees well with known estimates of sea level within the time span being considered. The comparison of the theoretical curve with these estimates eliminates the apparent discrepancy between data obtained by different methods: measurements of old coastline and the isotopic composition of bottom sediments.

Sedimentary conditioning of a rocky strait during the Holocene transgression: Ría de Ferrol (NW Spain)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soledad García-Gil ◽  
Víctor Cartelle ◽  
Castor Muñoz-Sobrino ◽  
Natalia Martínez-Carreño ◽  
Iria García-Moreiras
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Nw Spain ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Incised Valley ◽  
Sedimentary Evolution ◽  
Holocene Transgression ◽  
The Last Glacial Maximum ◽  
The Last Glacial

<p>Understanding coastal responses to relative sea level rise is key to be able to plan for future changes and develop a suitable managing strategy. The sedimentary record of the Late-Pleistocene and Holocene transgression provides a natural laboratory to study the long-term changes induced in coastal landscapes by the rapid sea level rise. As sea level rises, coastal morphology continually adapts towards equilibrium changing the landscape and reshaping the distribution of sedimentary environments.<br>The Ría de Ferrol is a confined tide-dominated incised valley located in the mesotidal passive Atlantic margin of western Galicia (NW Spain).  A multidisciplinary approach was used to identify the elements of sedimentary architecture within its sedimentary record since the Last Glacial Maximum. The sedimentary evolution was reconstructed combining seismic and sedimentary facies analysis with radiocarbon, geochemical and pollen data.<br>The Ría de Ferrol is characterised by a particular morphology with a rock-incised narrow channel in the middle of the basin (the Ferrol Strait) connecting an inner shallower sector with an outer deeper sector. The inner sector is characterised by low energetic conditions and is where the main fluvial inputs occur. The outer sector is connected to the shelf.<br>The main factor influencing the sedimentary evolution of the Ría de Ferrol incised valley was Late Pleistocene and Holocene sea-level rise. However, this evolution was modulated by the antecedent morphology, particularly once the middle strait became flooded during the Holocene transgression. Three main phases of evolution are distinguished: a fluvial valley drained by a braided river system, a tide-dominated estuary and a shallow marine basin (ria).<br>During the lowstand of the Last Glacial Maximum (ca 20 kyr BP), the ria was a fluvial valley whose sediments are mainly preserved in the inner sector. Sediments cores recovered sediments from ponds and stagnant areas, dated to be older than 10790-11170 cal yr BP.<br>During the Holocene, the basin turned into a tide-dominated estuary whose facies distribution was conditioned by the strait. The strait acted as a rock-bounded tidal inlet enhancing tidal erosion and deposition at both ends, where an ebb-tidal delta and tidal sandbanks appear. At this time, extensive tidal flats occupied most of the inner sector, dissected by estuarine channels of varied dimensions. Radiocarbon data showed ages from 8610-8910 to 5760-5940 cal yr BP.<br>An erosive episode is identified after 6 cal kyr BP with the formation of a ravinement surface. Wave and tidal energy were split by the middle strait. A wave ravinement surface is identified in the outer sector, while a coetaneous tidal ravinement surface occurs in the inner sector.<br>Slow sea-level rise after ca 4 ka BP finally forced rivers to retreat to the present position, causing the dispersion of their energy and leading to the final evolution of the area into a fully marine system.</p>

Problems in the Stone Age of South-East Asia

1993 ◽  
Vol 59 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. E. G. Reynolds
Keyword(s):  
East Asia ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
South East Asia ◽  
Site Location ◽  
Land Area ◽  
Dominant Characteristic ◽  
The Last Glacial Maximum ◽  
The Last Glacial

Whilst research has shown many faults with the Movius scheme of a Middle Pleistocene group of Chopper/Chopping tool industries in South-East Asia, it remains a fact that pebble tool industries are still the dominant characteristic of the South-East Asian record. Exploration has now revealed hundreds of Late Pleistocene and Holocene sites in Mainland South-East Asia and these are archaeologically very different from cave sites in Europe. Further problems exist with the current nomenclature of later industries, such as the Hoabinhian and the Neolithic, for there is a large amount of overlap between such assemblages. Should such factors as economy, site location, etc. be used to assist clarification of such problems?This paper outlines some of these issues and reveals that the pebble tool tradition as it is widely known in South-East Asia is a relatively recent phenomenon dating back to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). A possible reason for the change from flake to pebble tool industrial types and in the visibility of sites is the environmental changes and rise in sea level which submerged over half the available land area in the region during the Late Pleistocene. An existing broad spectrum system of exploitation was likely to have been intensified as a result of this.

Wetter or colder during the Last Glacial Maximum? Revisiting the pluvial lake question in southwestern North America

2004 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 280-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsten M. Menking ◽  
Roger Y. Anderson ◽  
Nabil G. Shafike ◽  
Kamran H. Syed ◽  
Bruce D. Allen
Keyword(s):  
Last Glacial Maximum ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Annual Runoff ◽  
Glacial Maximum ◽  
Water Runoff ◽  
Last Glacial ◽  
Pleistocene Climate ◽  
Surface Water Runoff ◽  
The Last Glacial Maximum ◽  
The Last Glacial

Well-preserved shorelines in Estancia basin and a relatively simple hydrologic setting have prompted several inquiries into the basin's hydrologic balance for the purpose of estimating regional precipitation during the late Pleistocene. Estimates have ranged from 86% to 150% of modern, the disparity largely the result of assumptions about past temperatures. In this study, we use an array of models for surface-water runoff, groundwater flow, and lake energy balance to examine previously proposed scenarios for late Pleistocene climate. Constraints imposed by geologic evidence of past lake levels indicate that precipitation for the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) may have doubled relative to modern values during brief episodes of colder and wetter climate and that annual runoff was as much as 15% of annual precipitation during these episodes.

scholarly journals Exploring the phylogeography and population dynamics of the giant deer ( Megaloceros giganteus ) using Late Quaternary mitogenomes

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1950) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alba Rey-Iglesia ◽  
Adrian M. Lister ◽  
Paula F. Campos ◽  
Selina Brace ◽  
Valeria Mattiangeli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Last Glacial Maximum ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Glacial Maximum ◽  
Climatic Fluctuations ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Last Glacial ◽  
The Last Glacial Maximum ◽  
The Last Glacial

Late Quaternary climatic fluctuations in the Northern Hemisphere had drastic effects on large mammal species, leading to the extinction of a substantial number of them. The giant deer ( Megaloceros giganteus ) was one of the species that became extinct in the Holocene, around 7660 calendar years before present. In the Late Pleistocene, the species ranged from western Europe to central Asia. However, during the Holocene, its range contracted to eastern Europe and western Siberia, where the last populations of the species occurred. Here, we generated 35 Late Pleistocene and Holocene giant deer mitogenomes to explore the genetics of the demise of this iconic species. Bayesian phylogenetic analyses of the mitogenomes suggested five main clades for the species: three pre-Last Glacial Maximum clades that did not appear in the post-Last Glacial Maximum genetic pool, and two clades that showed continuity into the Holocene. Our study also identified a decrease in genetic diversity starting in Marine Isotope Stage 3 and accelerating during the Last Glacial Maximum. This reduction in genetic diversity during the Last Glacial Maximum, coupled with a major contraction of fossil occurrences, suggests that climate was a major driver in the dynamics of the giant deer.

Late Pleistocene environments of the Bighorn Basin, Wyoming-Montana, USA

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Thomas A. Minckley ◽  
Mark Clementz ◽  
Marcel Kornfeld ◽  
Mary Lou Larson ◽  
Judson B. Finley
Keyword(s):  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Younger Dryas ◽  
Ecological Change ◽  
Bighorn Basin ◽  
Bulk Organic Matter ◽  
Intermontane Basins ◽  
The Last Glacial Maximum ◽  
The Last Glacial

Abstract Limited numbers of high-resolution records predate the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) making it difficult to quantify the impacts of environmental changes prior to peak glaciation. We examined sediments from Last Canyon Cave in the Pryor Mountains of Montana and Wyoming to construct a >45 ka environmental record from pollen and stable isotope analysis. Artemisia pollen was hyper-abundant at the beginning of the record. Carbon isotope values of bulk organic matter (>40 ka) showed little variation (-25.3 ± 0.4‰) and were consistent with a arid C3 environment, similar to today. After 40 cal ka BP, Artemisia pollen decreased as herbaceous taxa increased toward the LGM. A significant decrease in δ13C values from 40–30 cal ka BP (~1.0‰) established a new baseline (-26.6 ± 0.2‰), suggesting cooler, seasonally wetter conditions prior to the LGM. These conditions persisted until variation in δ13C values increased significantly with post-glacial warming, marked by two spikes in values at 14.4 (-25.2‰) and 13.5 cal ka BP (-25.4‰) before δ13C values dropped to their lowest values (-26.9 ± 0.2‰) at the onset of the Younger Dryas (12.8 ka). These results provide insights into late Pleistocene conditions and ecological change in arid intermontane basins of the Rocky Mountains.

Coastal occupation and foraging during the last glacial maximum and early Holocene at Waterfall Bluff, eastern Pondoland, South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 97 ◽  
pp. 1-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erich C. Fisher ◽  
Hayley C. Cawthra ◽  
Irene Esteban ◽  
Antonieta Jerardino ◽  
Frank H. Neumann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Continental Shelf ◽  
Last Glacial Maximum ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Marine Fish ◽  
Hunter Gatherers ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Last Glacial ◽  
The Last Glacial Maximum ◽  
The Last Glacial

AbstractWaterfall Bluff is a rock shelter in eastern Pondoland, South Africa, adjacent to a narrow continental shelf that limited coastline movements across glacial/interglacial cycles. The archaeological deposits are characterized by well-preserved stratigraphy, faunal, and botanical remains alongside abundant stone artifacts and other materials. A comprehensive dating protocol consisting of 5 optically stimulated luminescence ages and 51 accelerator mass spectrometry 14C ages shows that the record of hunter-gatherer occupations at Waterfall Bluff persisted from the late Pleistocene to the Holocene, spanning the last glacial maximum and the transition from the Pleistocene to the Holocene. Here, we provide detailed descriptions about the sedimentary sequence, chronology, and characteristics of the archaeological deposits at Waterfall Bluff. Remains of marine mollusks and marine fish also show, for the first time, that coastal foraging was a component of some hunter-gatherer groups’ subsistence practices during glacial phases in the late Pleistocene. The presence of marine fish and shellfish further demonstrates that hunter-gatherers selectively targeted coastal resources from intertidal and estuarine habitats. Our results therefore underscore the idea that Pondoland's coastline remained a stable and predictable point on the landscape over the last glacial/interglacial transition being well positioned for hunter-gatherers to access resources from the nearby coastline, narrow continental shelf, and inland areas.

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