Second Half Of Late Pleistocene Research Articles

ЭТАПЫ ФОРМИРОВАНИЯ ПЕРВОЙ НАДПОЙМЕННОЙ ТЕРРАСЫ р. ХОЙТО-АГА (ЗАБАЙКАЛЬСКИЙ КРАЙ) В РАЙОНЕ АРХЕОЛОГИЧЕСКОГО ПАМЯТНИКА ВЕРХНЕГО ПАЛЕОЛИТА САХЮРТА–1

Investigation of the 8–10 m high river terrace structure and composition was completed at the archaeological site in the lower Khoito-Aga river. Absolute age of the terrace was estimated using radiocarbon dates of alluvium and buried soils. The results were compared with regional studies of low terraces in the Zabaikalie. The terrace deposits formation stages during the second half of Late Pleistocene and Holocene were identified. The covering genetic complex sediments (2 m) include the Hobdori draw colluvial fan deposits, aeolian, aeolian– deluvial sands and sandy loams, soils. The Сhernozem soil (0.2 m) is recorded in the excavation top. According to archaeological data, it formed during the last ~4.5 kyr. At depths of 100–200 cm, an Early MIS 2 pedocomplex with two humic soil horizons (were dated ~23.4–21.3 kyr BP) was excavated. Soils formed during warm and moist climate stages when rates of exogenous processes were decreased. The completion of alluvium accumulation and terrace escarpment formation were dated ~30–29 kyr BP (MIS 3 and 2 boundary). Interlayed fine–grained and different–grained sands with grus, rubble, gravel alluvial (1.5 m) sediments separated by Late MIS 3 cultural horizons (0.15–0.25 m) with an age of ~ 32.5–31.7 kyr. Within archaeological site Sakhyurta–1 five cultural horizons (CH) were identified with 494 artifacts in total. The cultural horizons 1 and 2 associated with modern soil. The collection of artifacts corresponds to the archaeological sites of the Late Neolithic–Bronze age for Transbaikalia area (4.5–2 kyr BP). Cultural horizon 3 corresponds to the Early MIS 2 pedocomplex (23.4–21.3). СH 4 correlates with terrace alluvium top (31.7–30). СH 5 is associated with alluvial buried soil was dated ~32.5–31.7 kyr BP.

Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene climate changes and human habitation in the arctic Western Beringia based on revision of palaeobotanical data

Paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic changes at the transition from the Late Pleistocene to the Early Holocene in the arctic Western Beringia (AWB) appear to be extremely important for human habitation record of the area. To estimate that we used multiple paleoenvironmental proxy-data collected from different locations (n = 30) and archaeological data from radiocarbon-dated sites (n = 36). Based on correlations between pollen records and their radiocarbon chronology we combined paleoenvironmental data into single generalized sequence for the entire AWB compared to global temperature trend and placed archaeological data on the same time scale. General trend of paleoclimatic changes in the second half of Late Pleistocene is explored, in which the sequence of major climate changes within Marine Isotope Stages 3 and 2, and in the beginning of the Holocene are revealed. Climate changes and landscape evolution play as a key governing factor for the human population of the area since its initial phase. Human habitation is documented starting ca. 50,000 BP. Since then, AWB remains human populated but witnessed a number of cultural changes and intrusions before the present-day map of ethnic groups became finally formed. Repeated arrival of new population into AWB finds strong correlation with major paleogeographic events, both cold and warm, such as Last Glacial Maximum, Younger Dryas, and the onset of the Holocene. It is shown that human habitation had been consistently driven by various abiotic and biotic factors, that is, by complex interpaly of development in plant and faunistic associations, landscape evolution, tree line change, and climate-driven changes in spatiotemporal patterns of population dynamics in megaherbivores, especially mammoth.

About the Border between Two Phylogroups of the Common Hamster (Cricetus cricetus) (Cricetinae, Rodentia) [К вопросу о границе между двумя филогруппами обыкновенного хомяка (Cricetus cricetus) (Cricetinae, Rodentia)

The Common hamster ( Cricetus cricetus ) is the rodent with one of the largest range (6 million km 2 ). There were four phylogenetic lineages earlier recovered in Western Europe, Ukraine and Bryansk Province of Russia: “North”, “Рannonia”, E1 and E0. E1 was previously reported from South-Eastern Poland and Western Ukraine and never been found in sympatry with “Pannonia” although the closest distance between them was estimated as 20 km. The question is whether the sympatry of E1 and E0 phylogroups exists? Special survey was arranged across Moscow, Tula, Bryansk, Oryol, Kursk, Voronezh and Lipetsk provinces to get the answer. Sequence analysis of the mtDNA control region and the cyt b gene from the tissue samples was carried out in the common hamsters captured in these areas and their belonging to a certain phylogroup was determined. For the first time a case of sympatry was revealed – in the city ofMtsensk vicinity (Oryol province). Here we discovered hamsters the both lineages – E0 and E1 at the same habitat. Hypothetically E1/E0 ranges boundary runs from Ukrainian Sumy province to North-East by line dividing the Russian Kursk and Oryol provinces. The existence of subclades within both E1 and E0 phylogroups suggests that diversification of phylogenetic lineages of the Common hamster in Eastern Europe may result from not single but multiple climatic events during the second half of Late Pleistocene. The phylogeographic structure of the species inEastern Europe may be more complex than it currently known.