Doctoral Dissertation Research: Evaluating Seasonality and Migration as Ecological Drivers of Technological Transition in Human Evolutionary History

博士论文研究：评估季节性和迁移作为人类进化史上技术转型的生态驱动因素

• 批准号: 2234426
• 负责人: John Faith
• 金额: $ 3.07万
• 依托单位: University of Utah
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-02-01 至 2024-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2234426&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Evaluating; Seasonality

This interdisciplinary project integrates geochemistry, ecology, and archaeology to understand what drove the transition from the Middle Stone Age (MSA) to the Later Stone Age (LSA). This technological transition, which occurred around 50,000 years ago, is one of the most prominent behavioral changes observed in human evolutionary history. Possible environmental drivers of the MSA-LSA transition have been proposed, but establishing robust links between environmental and behavioral change has been challenging due to the lack of appropriate datasets. This project will quantify the degree of precipitation seasonality, dietary seasonality, and large animal movement through this key period while fostering research links and providing a foundation for undergraduate training in a collaborative environment. In addition to providing funding for the training of a graduate student in anthropology in the methods of empirical, scientific data collection and analysis, the project would enhance public understanding of science and the scientific method broadly disseminating its findings.The proposed project advances our understanding of the MSA-LSA transition by addressing the question: Did seasonal changes in resource availability influence human behavior across the MSA-LSA transition? Three objectives will be used to address this question through stable isotope analysis of serially-sampled fossil herbivore teeth from Pleistocene fossil sites: (i) using strontium isotopes to reconstruct Pleistocene migratory systems; (ii) using carbon and oxygen isotopes to evaluate how migration relates to precipitation and dietary seasonality; and (iii) assessing how seasonality and migration have shaped human foraging strategies and technological change during the last glacial period. Understanding the ecology of animals during glacial periods through these methods is essential to grasping the full picture of the evolutionary ecology of both living and extinct species, with implications for human evolution, biology, and conservation. Furthermore, this study will be the largest ever to evaluate serially-sampled strontium isotopes in this research context.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

这个跨学科项目将地球化学，生态学和考古学整合在一起，以了解是什么推动了从中石器时代（MSA）到后来的石器时代（LSA）的过渡。这种技术过渡发生在大约50，000年前，是人类进化史中观察到的最突出的行为变化之一。已经提出了MSA-LSA过渡的可能环境驱动因素，但是由于缺乏适当的数据集，建立环境和行为改变之间的牢固联系一直在挑战。该项目将在这个关键时期量化降水季节性，饮食季节性和大型动物运动的程度，同时促进研究链接并为协作环境中的本科培训提供基础。 In addition to providing funding for the training of a graduate student in anthropology in the methods of empirical, scientific data collection and analysis, the project would enhance public understanding of science and the scientific method broadly disseminating its findings.The proposed project advances our understanding of the MSA-LSA transition by addressing the question: Did seasonal changes in resource availability influence human behavior across the MSA-LSA transition?通过稳定的同位素分析，将使用三个目标来解决这个问题，从而对更新世化石位点的连续采样化石食草动物牙齿进行了序列采样：（i）使用跨跨同位素重建更新世的迁移系统； （ii）使用碳和氧同位素评估迁移与降水和饮食季节性的关系； （iii）评估季节性和迁移是如何塑造了最后一次冰川时期的人类觅食策略和技术变化。通过这些方法了解冰川期间动物的生态学对于掌握生物和灭绝物种的进化生态学的全部图景至关重要，这对人类的进化，生物学和保护具有影响。此外，这项研究将是有史以来最大的一项在本研究背景下评估串行采样的同位素。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是值得通过基金会的智力优点和更广泛的影响评估标准的评估值得支持的。

项目成果

Migratory behavior in the enigmatic Late Pleistocene bovid Rusingoryx atopocranion

神秘的晚更新世牛科动物 Rusingoryx atopocranion 的迁徙行为

• DOI: 10.3389/fearc.2023.1237714
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology
• 作者: O'Brien, Kaedan;Podkovyroff, Katya;Fernandez, Diego P.;Tryon, Christian A.;Ashioya, Lilian;Faith, J. Tyler
• 通讯作者: Faith, J. Tyler

ISOTOPIC EVIDENCE OF SEASONALITY AND MIGRATION DURING THE LAST GLACIAL PERIOD OF KENYA

肯尼亚末次冰河期季节性和迁徙的同位素证据

• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: Society of Vertebrate Paleontology
• 作者: O'Brien, K.;Podkovyroff, K.;Fernandez, D. P.;Tryon, C. A.;Cerling, T. E.;Ashioya, L.;Faith, J. T.
• 通讯作者: Faith, J. T.