Vertebrate Taphonomy and Paleoecology of Lake-Margin Wetlands during Oldowan Times at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania

坦桑尼亚奥杜瓦伊峡谷奥杜旺时期湖滨湿地的脊椎动物埋藏学和古生态学

• 批准号: 0129812
• 负责人: Robert Blumenschine
• 金额: $ 1.2万
• 依托单位: Rutgers University New Brunswick
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2002
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2002-03-15 至 2003-02-28
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0129812&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Vertebrate; Taphonomy; Paleoecology; Lake; Margin

Under the direction of Dr. Robert Blumenschine, Mr. Jackson Njau will collect data for his doctoral dissertation. The goal of his research is to understand how early humans behaved and utilized the environment ca. 1.7 million years ago. For many years a multidisciplinary team jointly headed by Dr. Blumenschine has examined a single stratum representing a ca. 50,000 year interval at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania. The deposit contains early hominid stone tools as well as hominid and other faunal remains. It also offers a wealth of paleo-environmental data in the form of preserved animal tracks, fossil plant remains and geological and geochemical information. On this basis the team is working to reconstruct a detailed and accurate picture of the landscape and then to superimpose hominid-related remains on it. In this way one can gain insight into early human behavioral adaptations. Based on multiple lines of evidence the group knows that a significant portion of the region consisted of river and lake margin as well as other types of wetlands. However it lacks the ability to distinguish accurately among these. Mr. Njau will conduct a multipronged investigation to provide the necessary refinement. He will study a number of modern analog environments which range from alkaline lakeshore to spring fed marshes and in particular note the kinds of faunal assemblages associated with each. Since hippopotomi and crocodiles both modify such landscapes and predate on a wide range of species, they can leave a major mark. Mr. Njau will focus on both species and will conduct feeding experiments in which farm raised crocodile are provided with prey remains;their imprint on discarded bones noted. Mr. Njau will also examine prior excavated faunal assemblages from Olduvai to search for matches between experimental and observed patterns.This research is important for several reasons. It will provide a framework for an improved understanding of hominid behavior at one of the most important prehistoric sites in Africa. It will also yield modern analog data which are directly relevant to a wide range of paleoecological and archaeological questions. The award also provides a promising young scientist.

在 Robert Blumenschine 博士的指导下，Jackson Njau 先生将为他的博士论文收集数据。他的研究目标是了解早期人类如何行为和利用环境。 170万年前。多年来，由 Blumenschine 博士共同领导的多学科团队一直在研究代表约的单一层。坦桑尼亚奥杜瓦伊峡谷的间隔为 50,000 年。该矿床包含早期原始人类石器以及原始人类和其他动物遗骸。它还以保存的动物足迹、化石植物遗骸以及地质和地球化学信息的形式提供了大量的古环境数据。在此基础上，该团队正在努力重建一幅详细而准确的景观图，然后将与原始人类相关的遗骸叠加在上面。通过这种方式，人们可以深入了解早期人类的行为适应。根据多种证据，该小组知道该地区的很大一部分由河流和湖泊边缘以及其他类型的湿地组成。然而它缺乏准确区分这些的能力。 Njau 先生将进行多管齐下的调查，以提供必要的改进。他将研究许多现代模拟环境，从碱性湖岸到泉水沼泽，特别注意与每种环境相关的动物群落类型。由于河马和鳄鱼都改变了这些景观并捕食广泛的物种，因此它们可以留下重要的印记。 Njau 先生将重点关注这两个物种，并将进行喂养实验，向农场饲养的鳄鱼提供猎物残骸；在丢弃的骨头上留下它们的印记。 Njau 先生还将检查之前从奥杜瓦伊出土的动物群落，以寻找实验模式和观察到的模式之间的匹配。这项研究很重要，原因有几个。它将提供一个框架，以更好地了解非洲最重要的史前遗址之一的原始人类行为。它还将产生与广泛的古生态和考古问题直接相关的现代模拟数据。该奖项还提供了一位有前途的年轻科学家。