Expansion Of Grasslands Research Articles

Holocene changes in climate and land use drove shifts in the diversity of testate amoebae in a subalpine pond

Testate amoebae that inhabit peat are sensitive indicators of water table position. In this study, we used testate amoebae in sediments from a mire in the western Alps (Lac du Thyl) to: (1) reconstruct the hydrology of the site over the last 7,000 years, (2) determine how hydrological changes affected testate amoebae diversity and (3) infer past trophic state shifts. The study site is located in one of the driest valleys of the Alps and is thus very sensitive to hydrological changes. Our study revealed that the water table depth increased (dry conditions) between 5,800 and 4,000 cal year BP. This triggered establishment of a Sphagnum-type peat and acidic conditions from 5,700 to 4,000 cal year BP. These processes were independent of ongoing transformations of the terrestrial vegetation and soil in the catchment area. After 1,690 cal year BP, the depth to the water table decreased (wetter conditions) and a minerotrophic fen developed. At the same time, the diversity of testate amoebae increased, probably as a result of deforestation that supported the expansion of grassland. Climate and land use were apparently more important factors controlling the lake hydrology than were changes in vegetation and soil in the catchment. Testate amoebae diversity was linked to land cover. Changes in pH were controlled indirectly by external forcing (climate), but more directly by fluctuations in the level of the water table (internal forcing) and autogenous expansion of Sphagnum.

Northeast African vegetation change over 12 m.y.

Intense debate surrounds the evolution of grasses using the C 4 (Hatch-Slack) photosynthesis pathway and the emergence of African grasslands, often assumed to be one and the same. Here, we bring new insights with the combination of plant leaf wax carbon isotopic composition (δ 13 C wax ) and pollen data from marine sediments of the Gulf of Aden (northeast Africa), which show that C 4 biomass increases were not necessarily associated with regional grassland expansion. We find broadly opposing trends toward more enriched δ 13 C wax values and decreased grass pollen proportions between 12 and 1.4 Ma. This apparently contradictory evidence can be reconciled if a greater proportion of the Late Miocene northeast African landscape were covered by C 3 grasses than previously thought, such that C 4 grasses and shrubs replaced a C 3 ecosystem including trees and productive grasslands. In addition, δ 13 C wax and pollen both indicate that true rainforests were unlikely to have been extensive in northeast Africa at any time in the last 12 m.y., although seasonally dry forests were a significant component of the regional landscape since the Late Miocene. Here, we extend regionally integrative marine archives of terrestrial vegetation back to 12 Ma, and we evaluate them in the context of an updated compilation of pedogenic carbonate δ 13 C values from East African Rift strata. We identify two distinct phases of increasing C 4 biomass between 11 and 9 Ma (with a reversal by 4.3 Ma) and then a re-expansion between 4.3 and 1.4 Ma; surprisingly, neither was associated with grassland expansion.

Ecosystem variability and early human habitats in eastern Africa

The role of savannas during the course of early human evolution has been debated for nearly a century, in part because of difficulties in characterizing local ecosystems from fossil and sediment records. Here, we present high-resolution lipid biomarker and isotopic signatures for organic matter preserved in lake sediments at Olduvai Gorge during a key juncture in human evolution about 2.0 Ma--the emergence and dispersal of Homo erectus (sensu lato). Using published data for modern plants and soils, we construct a framework for ecological interpretations of stable carbon-isotope compositions (expressed as δ(13)C values) of lipid biomarkers from ancient plants. Within this framework, δ(13)C values for sedimentary leaf lipids and total organic carbon from Olduvai Gorge indicate recurrent ecosystem variations, where open C(4) grasslands abruptly transitioned to closed C(3) forests within several hundreds to thousands of years. Carbon-isotopic signatures correlate most strongly with Earth's orbital geometry (precession), and tropical sea-surface temperatures are significant secondary predictors in partial regression analyses. The scale and pace of repeated ecosystem variations at Olduvai Gorge contrast with long-held views of directional or stepwise aridification and grassland expansion in eastern Africa during the early Pleistocene and provide a local perspective on environmental hypotheses of human evolution.

Crop Productivity and the Global Livestock Sector: Implications for Land Use Change and Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The livestock sector accounts for 30% of global land area and is a major driver of land use change. The price reductions generated by crop yield increases should, ceteris paribus, encourage farmers to replace some of the grass in ruminant rations with crops. This would lead to land sparing and related carbon dioxide emission reductions in regions where the feed productivity per unit of area is higher for cropland than for grassland. Six land cover types are distinguished in GLOBIOM: cropland, grassland, short rotation tree plantations, managed forest, unmanaged forest and other natural vegetation. Depending on the relative profitability of the individual activities, and on the inertia constraints, the model can switch from one land cover type to another. Comprehensive greenhouse gas accounting for agriculture and land use change is implemented in the model. Crop yield development will play a critical role in future land use dynamics. Indeed, it will determine the requirements for additional cropland, and also have a strong impact on grassland expansion.

The fossil history of Grévy's zebra (Equus grevyi) in equatorial East Africa

AbstractAimWithin the last several decades, Grévy's zebra (Equus grevyi) has undergone a massive reduction in geographical range and population size, largely as the result of human impacts. To place its recent decline in a deeper prehistoric context, and to understand the factors mediating its range and abundance over geological time frames, this study examines the fossil history of Grévy's zebra in equatorial East Africa.LocationEquatorial East Africa.MethodsPresence/absence data for ungulates recovered from fossil sites spanning the last c. 400,000 years in Kenya and Ethiopia were compiled from the literature and from previously unreported palaeontological sites. Associations between Grévy's zebra and other taxa were examined using principal coordinates analysis and non‐random species pairs were identified using a Bayesian approach. Changes in rainfall were reconstructed using the average hypsodonty index of ungulate species from fossil assemblages.ResultsGrévy's zebra was common during dry phases of the Pleistocene and was found to the south and west of its historical range, coinciding with an expansion of arid grasslands. At the onset of the Holocene, Grévy's zebra was extirpated from southern Kenya and almost completely disappeared from the fossil record. Grévy's zebra was associated with several specialized grazers that became extinct by the end of the Pleistocene. These extinctions and the decline of Grévy's zebra from the Pleistocene to the Holocene are explained by increased precipitation and the consequent loss of arid grasslands at the Pleistocene–Holocene transition. Grévy's zebra is never associated with domestic livestock, unlike the widespread plains zebra.Main conclusionsGrévy's zebra thrived in equatorial East Africa during periods of the Pleistocene when environmental conditions favoured an expansion of arid grasslands. Environmental change across the Pleistocene–Holocene transition contributed to decreases in the range size and abundance of Grévy's zebra, setting the stage for the anthropogenic decline observed in recent decades. The spread of pastoralists in the middle Holocene may have additionally contributed to its prehistoric decline. Contemporary climate change warrants further consideration in planning for the long‐term survival of Grévy's zebra.

Herbivore–vegetation feedbacks can expand the range of savanna persistence: insights from a simple theoretical model

Theoretical models of tree–grass coexistence in savannas have focused primarily on the role of resource availability and fire. It is clear that herbivores heavily impact vegetation structure in many savannas, but their role in driving tree–grass coexistence and the stability of the savanna state has received less attention. Theoretical models of tree–grass dynamics tend to treat herbivory as a constant rather than a dynamic variable, yet herbivores respond dynamically to changes in vegetation structure in addition to modifying it. In particular, many savannas host two distinct herbivore guilds, grazers and browsers, both of which have the potential to exert profound effects on tree/grass balance. For example, grazers may indirectly favor tree recruitment by suppressing the destructive effects of fire, and browsers may facilitate the expansion of grassland by reducing the competitive dominance of trees. We use a simple theoretical model to explore the role of grazer and browser dynamics on savanna vegetation structure and stability across fire and resource availability gradients. Our model suggests that herbivores may expand the range of conditions under which trees and grasses are able to stably coexist, as well as having positive reciprocal effects on their own niche spaces. In addition, we suggest that given reasonable assumptions, indirect mutualisms can arise in savannas between functional groups of herbivores because of the interplay of consumption and ecosystem feedbacks.

Investigating Temporal Patterns of a Native Bee Community in a Remnant North American Bunchgrass Prairie using Blue Vane Traps

Native bees are important ecologically and economically because their role as pollinators fulfills a vital ecosystem service. Pollinators are declining due to various factors, including habitat degradation and destruction. Grasslands, an important habitat for native bees, are particularly vulnerable. One highly imperiled and understudied grassland type in the United States is the Pacific Northwest Bunchgrass Prairie. No studies have examined native bee communities in this prairie type. To fill this gap, the bee fauna of the Zumwalt Prairie, a large, relatively intact remnant of the Pacific Northwest Bunchgrass Prairie, was examined. Native bees were sampled during the summers of 2007 and 2008 in sixteen 40-ha study pastures on a plateau in northeastern Oregon, using a sampling method not previously used in grassland studies—blue vane traps. This grassland habitat contained an abundant and diverse community of native bees that experienced marked seasonal and inter-annual variation, which appears to be related to weather and plant phenology. Temporal variability evident over the entire study area was also reflected at the individual trap level, indicating a consistent response across the spatial scale of the study. These results demonstrate that temporal variability in bee communities can have important implications for long-term monitoring protocols. In addition, the blue vane trap method appears to be well-suited for studies of native bees in large expanses of grasslands or other open habitats, and may be a useful tool for monitoring native bee communities in these systems.

Disentangling dispersal, vicariance and adaptive radiation patterns: A case study using armyworms in the pest genus Spodoptera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Thanks to the recent development of integrative approaches that combine dated phylogenies with models of biogeographic evolution, it is becoming more feasible to assess the roles of dispersal and vicariance in creating complex patterns of geographical distribution. However, the historical biogeography of taxa with good dispersal abilities, like birds or flying insects, still remains largely unknown because of the lack of complete phylogenies accompanied by robust estimates of divergence times. In this study, we investigate the evolution and historical biogeography of the globally distributed pest genus Spodoptera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) using complete taxon sampling and an extensive set of analyses. Through the analysis of a combined morphological and molecular dataset, we provide the first robust phylogenetic framework for this widespread and economically important group of moths. Historical biogeography approaches indicate that dispersal events have been the driving force in the biogeographic history of the group. One of the most interesting findings of this study is the probable occurrence of two symmetric long-distance dispersal events between the Afrotropical and the Neotropical region, which appear to have occurred in the late Miocene. Even more remarkably, our dated phylogenies reveal that the diversification of the clade that includes specialist grass feeders has followed closely the expansion of grasslands in the Miocene, similar to the adaptive radiation of specialist grazing mammals during the same period.

The Evolution and Paleobiogeography of Flying Squirrels (Sciuridae, Pteromyini) in Response to Global Environmental Change

Flying squirrels are strictly arboreal squirrels adopting a special gliding form of locomotion. This group of animals has a long history that has mirrored the vicissitude of forests. The discrepancy in the distribution between fossils and extant species indicates a mysterious evolution history requiring further exploration. This study compiles the worldwide fossils of Pteromyini to the species level in order to reproduce the spatiotemporal distribution pattern of flying squirrels and deduce the ancestral distribution according to dispersal-vicariance analysis of a phylogeny of the extant species. In addition, we reconstruct the paleoenvironmental background and find that flying squirrels probably originated in the Oligocene–Miocene transition from Europe and immediately dispersed to Asia and North America. Influenced by glaciation, CO2 reduction, geologic movements and the Paratethys retreat, the Northern Hemisphere underwent climate deterioration and grassland expansion during the late Miocene, and thus the diversity of Pteromyini dramatically decreased. The uplift of the Tibet Plateau in addition to the strengthened Asian monsoons intensified the aridity in central Asia, but brought sufficient water to the densely forested regions of South and Southeast Asia. These forests are likely both refugia and diversification center for flying squirrels during glacial periods in the Quarternary. The subsequent connection and separation events among these heterogeneous habitats has probably been a driving force in the speciation of flying squirrels. Based on this work, we predict a bleak future for the flying squirrels, one which is closely associated with the fate of forests in Asia.

Fire and fire‐adapted vegetation promoted C4 expansion in the late Miocene

Large proportions of the Earth's land surface are covered by biomes dominated by C(4) grasses. These C(4)-dominated biomes originated during the late Miocene, 3-8 million years ago (Ma), but there is evidence that C(4) grasses evolved some 20 Ma earlier during the early Miocene/Oligocene. Explanations for this lag between evolution and expansion invoke changes in atmospheric CO(2), seasonality of climate and fire. However, there is still no consensus about which of these factors triggered C(4) grassland expansion. We use a vegetation model, the adaptive dynamic global vegetation model (aDGVM), to test how CO(2), temperature, precipitation, fire and the tolerance of vegetation to fire influence C(4) grassland expansion. Simulations are forced with late Miocene climates generated with the Hadley Centre coupled ocean-atmosphere-vegetation general circulation model. We show that physiological differences between the C(3) and C(4) photosynthetic pathways cannot explain C(4) grass invasion into forests, but that fire is a crucial driver. Fire-promoting plant traits serve to expand the climate space in which C(4)-dominated biomes can persist. We propose that three mechanisms were involved in C(4) expansion: the physiological advantage of C(4) grasses under low atmospheric CO(2) allowed them to invade C(3) grasslands; fire allowed grasses to invade forests; and the evolution of fire-resistant savanna trees expanded the climate space that savannas can invade.

Plio-Pleistocene Climate and Faunal Change in Central Eastern Australia

Understanding the responses of Plio-Pleistocene terrestrial vertebrates to long-term trends in climate change in central eastern Australia has advanced considerably in recent years following the recovery and documentation of a series of remarkable fossil assemblages. The middle Pliocene Chinchilla Local Fauna of SE Queensland preserves a diverse suite of vertebrate taxa suggestive of a paleoenvironment consisting of wetlands, closed wet forest, open woodlands, and grasslands. Local extinctions of numerous arboreal and terrestrial woodland species suggest that significant faunal and habitat reorganization occurred between the Pliocene and Pleistocene, in part, reflecting the expansion of open woodlands and grasslands. Middle Pleistocene deposits in the Mt Etna region of central eastern Queensland contain extensive fossil assemblages of rainforest-adapted vertebrates dated >500–280 ka. Such faunal assemblages show remarkable long-term stability despite being subjected to numerous glacial-interglacial climatic shifts. However, sometime between 280–205 ka, a major faunal turnover/ extinction event occurred, where the previously dominant rainforest-adapted faunas gave way to xeric-adapted forms. Independent paleoclimatic records suggest that this shift was a result of increased climatic variability and weakened northern monsoons. Late Pleistocene deposits of the Darling Downs, SE Queensland, provide an important temporal extension to the Mt Etna region. Recent studies have demonstrated minimally, a three stage extinction of local megafauna (giant land mammals, birds and lizards). Associated radiometric and optical dating indicates that the progressive loss of megafauna from the region was initiated at least 75 kyr before the continental colonisation of humans. The progressive changes in megafaunal community dynamics were most likely driven by intense climatic changes (i.e., increased aridity) associated with the last glacial cycle. The potential role of humans in the final extinctions (posthuman colonisation) is unclear. However, if humans did

The Evolution of Defense Mechanisms Correlate with the Explosive Diversification of Autodigesting Coprinellus Mushrooms (Agaricales, Fungi)

Bursts of diversification are known to have contributed significantly to the extant morphological and species diversity, but evidence for many of the theoretical predictions about adaptive radiations have remained contentious. Despite their tremendous diversity, patterns of evolutionary diversification and the contribution of explosive episodes in fungi are largely unknown. Here, using the genus Coprinellus (Psathyrellaceae, Agaricales) as a model, we report the first explosive fungal radiation and infer that the onset of the radiation correlates with a change from a multilayered to a much simpler defense structure on the fruiting bodies. We hypothesize that this change constitutes a key innovation, probably relaxing constraints on diversification imposed by nutritional investment into the development of protective tissues of fruiting bodies. Fossil calibration suggests that Coprinellus mushrooms radiated during the Miocene coinciding with global radiation of large grazing mammals following expansion of dry open grasslands. In addition to diversification rate-based methods, we test the hard polytomy hypothesis, by analyzing the resolvability of internal nodes of the backbone of the putative radiation using Reversible-Jump MCMC. We discuss potential applications and pitfalls of this approach as well as how biologically meaningful polytomies can be distinguished from alignment shortcomings. Our data provide insights into the nature of adaptive radiations in general by revealing a deceleration of morphological diversification through time. The dynamics of morphological diversification was approximated by obtaining the temporal distribution of state changes in discrete traits along the trees and comparing it with the tempo of lineage accumulation. We found that the number of state changes correlate with the number of lineages, even in parts of the tree with short internal branches, and peaks around the onset of the explosive radiation followed by a slowdown, most likely because of the decrease in available niches.

Habitat selection by reintroduced guanacos (Lama guanicoe) in a heterogeneous mountain rangeland of central Argentina

Quebrada del Condorito National Park is located in the upper belt of the mountains of central Argentina and preserves a heterogeneous rangeland area. After the creation of the National Park, in 1996, domestic livestock were gradually removed to avoid soil loss and degradation due to overgrazing in this fragile ecosystem. Lack of large-scale herbivory allowed the expansion of tussock grasslands over grazing lawns. In 2007 a guanaco (Lama guanicoe) population was reintroduced; this large native herbivore, that had become extinct in the region was selected, because it is a low-impact grazer. Habitat selection by the guanaco population reintroduced to the National Park was studied. Seven habitat types previously defined for the region were considered, each one exhibiting a particular dominant plant growth form and different per cent cover of plant species. Guanacos made a positive selection of moist and dry grazing lawns, and avoided tussock grasslands and forests. The reintroduced guanacos selected landscapes with short plants and a high percentage of perennial graminoids and forbs, which are guanacos’ preferred food items. The results indicate that availability of forage of a nutritive value and dominant plant growth form largely explain habitat selection by guanaco in the National Park; this information can be useful for both the ongoing guanaco reintroduction project and the design of management strategies aimed at ecological restoration of this important rangeland region of central Argentina.

Evolution of Large Carnivores During the Mid-Cenozoic of North America: The Temnocyonine Radiation (Mammalia, Amphicyonidae)

This study describes and summarizes the Temnocyoninae (Mammalia, Carnivora), a subfamily of amphicyonid carnivores of considerable diversity and singular ecomorphology within Cenozoic faunas of North America. In temnocyonines, we see the first carnivorans to occupy an ecological niche as large cursorial predators. The subfamily is confined to the Arikareean NALMA, ranging in age from the latest early Oligocene to the early Miocene. Distributed from the Pacific Northwest to the Great Plains and Florida, there are four genera (Temnocyon, Mammacyon, Delotrochanter n. gen., Rudiocyon n. gen.) and 12 species, of which eight are newly described (Temnocyon subferox, T. fingeruti, T. macrogenys; Rudiocyon amplidens; Mammacyon ferocior; Delotrochanter petersoni, D. oryktes, D. major). Among the specimens examined are eight skulls, three with intact basicranial morphology that establish the presence of a plesiomorphic arctoid auditory region in the subfamily. Temnocyonine dentitions and postcranial skeletons reveal a blend of morphological characteristics not previously nor subsequently seen among the Carnivora. From a stem species, Temnocyon altigenis, there evolve both large hypercarnivorous (Temnocyon) and durophagous forms (Mammacyon, Delotrochanter); these genera share a derived dentition that defines the Temnocyoninae. Delotrochanter oryktes n. sp., an early Miocene species, was found in a den, suggesting a possible burrowing capability and sheltering of offspring.The John Day basin of Oregon and the central Great Plains (western Nebraska, southeast Wyoming) are the source of most temnocyonine fossils; a few have been found in southern California and Florida, indicative of a continent-wide distribution. Temnocyonines have often been confused with canids, however their basicranial anatomy places them securely within the Amphicyonidae. First discovered in the 1870s, only ∼30 individuals comprise the entire record of the subfamily. Many were found in proximity to radioisotopically calibrated tuffs and ignimbrites and/or were closely associated with mammals of established biochronologic age. Thus, most species can be placed in a temporal context. With rare exception, the fossils represent isolated occurrences, hence estimates of variation within a population are lacking.Cursorial postcranial features characterize several lineages (Mammacyon, Delotrochanter) and probably were present in other temnocyonines known only from dental remains. Late Oligocene Mammacyon ferocior and early Miocene Delotrochanter oryktes evolved uniquely configured crushing cheek teeth and cursorial limbs, combining distinctive dental and skeletal traits in a manner not seen in any living carnivore. These species are interpreted as large durophagous predators with craniodental characteristics that parallel living hyaenids (Crocuta crocuta) and postcranial adaptations approaching those of cursorial canids such as the wolf (Canis lupus). Expansion of semiarid grasslands and savanna during the late Oligocene and early Miocene in the central Great Plains seems to have favored the evolution of these wide-ranging durophagous amphicyonid carnivores.Analysis of the jaws of temnocyonines employing Therrien's method of beam analysis demonstrates pronounced bending strength focused beneath the crushing dental battery in the molar region. Similarly, the canines and mandibular symphysis manifest an ability to resist strong parasagittal, transverse, and torsional forces occurring during prey capture and feeding.Temnocyonines share a pronounced similarity in dentition with European haplocyonine beardogs, which doubtless are their sister group among the Amphicyonidae. Some haplocyonines also show cursorial tendencies. Examination of European material, however, reveals subtle dental distinctions indicating that the evolution of the two subfamilies proceeded separately yet in parallel in Europe and North America.

Two hundred years of environmental change in Picos de Europa National Park inferred from sediments of Lago Enol, northern Iberia

We present a study of two short sediment cores recovered from Lago Enol, in the Picos de Europa National Park, Cantabrian Mountains, northern Iberia. We inferred past climate conditions and anthropogenic impacts using geochemical and biological (pollen and diatoms) variables in the dated sequences, in conjunction with temperature and precipitation data collected since 1871 at meteorological stations in the region. The record provides evidence of environmental changes during the last 200 years. At the end of the Little Ice Age (~1800–1875 AD) the region was characterized by an open landscape. Long-term use of the area for mixed livestock grazing in the mountains, and cultivation of rye during the nineteenth century, contributed to the expansion of grassland at the expense of forest. Warmer temperatures since the end of the nineteenth century are inferred from a change in diatom assemblages and development of the local forest. Socioeconomic transformation during the twentieth century, such as livestock changes related to dairy specialization, planting of non-native trees, mining activities, and management of the national park since its creation in 1918, caused profound changes in the catchment and in the lake ecology. The last several decades (~1970–2007 AD) of the Lago Enol sediment record are strikingly different from previous periods, indicating lower runoff and increasing lake productivity, particularly since AD 2000. Today, the large number of tourists who visit the area cause substantial impacts on this ecosystem.

Palaeozoological insights into management options for a threatened mammal: southern Africa’s Cape mountain zebra (Equus zebra zebra)

AbstractAim Promoting population growth of genetically distinct subpopulations of Cape mountain zebra (Equus zebra zebra) is crucial to the survival of the subspecies. Several important Cape mountain zebra reserves are dominated by fynbos vegetation, and population growth is limited by a lack of grassland habitat. A fossil ungulate sequence spanning the last c. 18,000 years is examined to understand the long‐term history of this conservation challenge.Location Boomplaas Cave (BPA), South Africa.Methods The fossil sequence from BPA is examined to reconstruct ungulate community dynamics in relation to climate and vegetation change over the last 18,000 years.Results Ungulates from 18,000 to 12,000 years ago suggest an expansion of open grasslands that supported a grazing ecosystem dominated by an extinct caprine antelope and equid remains attributed to E. zebra and E. quagga. At the onset of the Holocene, the grazing ungulate community disappears and small browsers and mixed feeders dominate the assemblage, indicating the loss of open grassland vegetation. Several open‐habitat grazers go extinct at this time, and Equus persists at much lower abundances. This shift can be explained by global climate change across the Pleistocene–Holocene transition.Main conclusions The fossil sequence supports contemporary observations indicating that access to open grassland is crucial to maintaining large Cape mountain zebra subpopulations. Although fynbos is abundant throughout the historic range of the Cape mountain zebra, fossil evidence suggests that such vegetation is unlikely to support dense populations. It has been suggested that the acquisition of agricultural lands that were historically converted to open grasslands for livestock could promote Cape mountain zebra population growth. Results presented here support this management option, as the open grasslands in these converted landscapes likely approximate the vegetation structure during latest Pleistocene, when grasslands were widespread and grazing ungulates abundant.

Reconstructing landscape and vegetation through multiple proxy indicators: A geoarchaeological examination of the St. Louis site, Saskatchewan, Canada

AbstractThe St. Louis site, located in the Plains–Parkland transition zone along the South Saskatchewan River, in Saskatchewan, Canada, is a multiple‐component site consisting of stratified floodplain alluvium with multiple, weakly developed soils. Human occupation at the site spans the Late Paleoindian to Middle Precontact periods (10,000–5,000 14C yr B.P.), a time poorly represented archaeologically on the Northern Plains. The dearth of early–middle Holocene‐age archaeological sites is often attributed to reduced inhabitability of the Northern Plains during the Hypsithermal, a period of maximum aridity and limited water availability. Stable isotope and phytolith data from the site indicate increased temperatures during the Hypsithermal and an expansion of Northern Plains grasslands into north‐central Saskatchewan. Although characterized by increased xeric conditions, human occupation at the St. Louis site, as well as the predominance of C3 grasses, attests to the habitability of Northern Plains river systems during this time period. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Neogene palaeovegetation reconstruction based on the isotopic composition of pedogenic carbonates from Siwalik palaeosols, India

The Cenozoic Era constitutes a series of events resulting in long-term climatic cooling and drying. Establishing the synchroneity of palaeoecological events through floral and faunal changes in the proxy-records could help in documenting the factors responsible for this change in global climate. Based on pedological, palaeontological and isotopic evidences, various workers have well established the C 4 grassland expansion in different parts of the world during the Late Miocene. However, the causes of this worldwide C 4 grassland expansion during Late Miocene, followed by large-scale evolutionary changes in faunal communities, have remained controversial since its discovery. Resolution of such controversies ultimately lies in undertaking more detailed local palaeovegetational studies of Cenozoic sediments and subsequent correlation at regional scale. The aim of the present work was to extend this type of study in the Himalayan Cenozoic sediments of India and the results are then compared with other similar studies done in different parts of the world. Pedogenic carbonates in the Cenozoic Siwalik palaeosols in the Jammu region of the Ramnagar sub-basin have been studied for their carbon isotope ratios in order to reconstruct palaeovegetational changes during the Late Miocene. Our results through the carbon isotopic studies of three Indian Siwalik sections in the Ramnagar sub-basin across a lateral stretch of approximately 40–50 Km indicate that there was exclusive presence of C 3 vegetation pre-7 Ma and C 4 vegetation post-5 Ma with a narrow transition period of 2 Ma (i.e. 7–5 Ma) consisting of both C 3 and C 4 plants. The first appearance of C 4 plants took place at around 7 Ma and 6.8 Ma in the Jammu–Nandni and Samba–Mansar sections respectively. Our results are in conformity with the patterns of change in vegetation first documented in the Pakistan Siwalik and later in the Nepal Siwalik and other parts of the Indian Siwalik belt. In context of palaeovegetational reconstruction from carbon isotope studies, the present work provides a good opportunity for more studies on this topic in this region which could reveal important and significant information on past vegetation and climate history of the NW part of the foreland basin and consequently offers a good link to the extensive palaeovegetational and palaeoclimatic studies done in the Pakistan and Nepal Siwaliks.

The Mid-Miocene East African Plateau: a pre-rift topographic model inferred from the emplacement of the phonolitic Yatta lava flow, Kenya

Abstract High topography in the realm of the rifted East African Plateau is commonly explained by two different mechanisms: (1) rift-flank uplift resulting from mechanical and/or isostatic relaxation and (2) lithospheric uplift due to the impingement of a mantle plume. High topography in East Africa has far-reaching effects on atmospheric circulation systems and the amount and distribution of rainfall in this region. While the climatic and palaeoenvironmental influences of high topography in East Africa are widely accepted, the timing, the magnitude and this spatiotemporal characteristic of changes in topography have remained unclear. This dilemma stems from the lack of datable, geomorphically meaningful reference horizons that could unambiguously record surface uplift. Here, we report on the formation of high topography in East Africa prior to Cenozoic rifting. We infer topographic uplift of the East African Plateau based on the emplacement characteristics of the c. 300 km long and 13.5 Ma Yatta phonolitic lava flow along a former river valley that drained high topography, centred at the present-day rift. The lava flow followed an old riverbed that once routed runoff away from the eastern flank of the plateau. Using a compositional and temperature-dependent viscosity model with subsequent cooling and adjusting for the Yatta lava-flow dimensions and the covered palaeotopography (slope angle), we use the flow as a ‘palaeo-tiltmeter’. Based on these observations and our modelling results, we determine a palaeoslope of the Kenya dome of at least 0.2° prior to rifting and deduce a minimum plateau elevation of 1400 m. We propose that this high topography was caused by thermal expansion of the lithosphere interacting with a heat source generated by a mantle plume. Interestingly, the inferred Mid-Miocene uplift coincides with fundamental palaeoecological changes including the two-step expansion of grasslands in East Africa as well as important radiation and speciation events in tropical Africa.

A palaeoecological investigation into the role of fire and human activity in the development of montane grasslands in East Africa

Human activity has been widely implicated in the origin and expansion of montane grasslands in East Africa, yet little palaeoecological evidence exists to test whether these grasslands are natural or secondary. Pollen and charcoal data derived from two Holocene records in the Eastern Arc mountains of Tanzania are used as a case study to investigate the supposed secondary nature of montane grasslands in Africa. Fossil pollen data are used to detect vegetation change, and charcoal analysis is used to reconstruct fire history. The pollen data are characterised by stable proportions of local taxa suggesting permanence of grasslands throughout the past ~13,000 years. Recent increases in fire adapted taxa such as Morella point towards the development of a grassland/forest patch mosaic possibly associated with burning. However, robust evidence of human activity is absent from the records, which may be attributed to the late human occupation of the mountains. The records indicate long-term persistence of grasslands which, coupled with a lack of evidence of human activity, suggests that these grasslands are not secondary. These data support the hypothesis that grasslands are an ancient and primary component of montane vegetation in Africa, but that they experienced some expansion during the late Holocene as a result of changing fire regime.