The broad-spectrum adaptations of hominins in the later period of Late Pleistocene of China—Perspectives from the zooarchaeological studies

During the climatic fluctuations in the late Late Pleistocene, hominins in China had experienced some significant changes and adaptations in terms of subsistence strategies. Based on the zooarchaeological analyses of the faunal remains from the Shuidougou site of North China and the Ma'anshan site of South China, the present study demonstratively indicates that the broad-spectrum diet and its closely-related resource intensification for hominins were already at their places roughly at 33–35 cal ka BP. Compared to hominins of earlier period, who would have preferentially exploited large and medium-sized ungulates, hunter-gathers at later period had otherwise incorporated more small-sized animals(especially the quick ones, such as birds and hares) into their diet. Meanwhile, hominins of the later time had also greatly accelerated extractions and exploitations of the nutritional yields from the large and medium-sized animals. However, it seems clear from the current study that there was significant difference regarding the potential mechanisms for the broad-spectrum adaptations of hominins in the late Late Pleistocene of China.     

Geometric morphometric analysis of the early Pleistocene hominin teeth from Jianshi,Hubei Province,China

Although the early Pleistocene hominin fossils found in East Asia continent are widely recognized as the earliest hominins migrated from Africa, debates remain on the morphology and taxonomy of these fossils. In this study, dental crown shape of the three early Pleistocene hominin teeth (P³, M¹, and M₁) found in Jianshi, Hubei Province of China was analyzed by means of geometric morphometrics. The comparative samples of fossil hominins from Africa, Asia, and Europe as well as those of modern humans (N=257) were used. The results indicate that the contour, asymmetry, and cusp patterns of these three types of teeth differ obviously between the fossil hominins and modern humans. The crown shape of P³ in most fossil hominins including Australopithecus, African early Homo, and Asian Pleistocene hominins are asymmetric with their crown occlusal contours long and curving elliptic-shaped. The occlusal contour of the fossil hominin M¹ is symmetric and rectangle-shaped with no marked cusp protrusion. The crown shape of fossil M¹ is characterized by asymmetric contour with slightly projected metaconid and hypoconid. On the contrary, in modern Chinese and some European late Pleistocene hominins, the crowns of P³s show symmetric contours with buccal side wider than lingual side; the crown shape of M¹ is asymmetric with lingual cusp distal-placed, especially for hypoconid; the M₁ has symmetric and round crown contour. Our study reveals that Australopithecus has wide variations in its crown shape, whereas these dental morphospaces of Asian hominins are closely placed. The crown contour, symmetry, and cusp patterns of these three teeth of Jianshi hominin resemble those of Asian early and middle Pleistocene hominins. No marked difference in dental crown shape is shown between the Jianshi hominin and other Chinese Homo erectus, and there is also no evidence in support of the Jianshi hominin’s closeness to Australopithecus and African early Homo members.     

Longgudong,an Early Pleistocene site in Jianshi,South China,with stratigraphic association of human teeth and lithics

In this paper we report on Longgudong,an Early Pleistocene cave site in south China which was systematically excavated in 1999 and 2000,and where human teeth and associated stone artifacts were discovered within the same stratigraphic layer.The age of this site was estimated from faunal comparisons and palaeomagnetism and has been attributed to the Early Pleistocene,most probably the earlier Early Pleistocene.The human teeth from this site have been well studied.However,the stone artifacts are still unknown to most scholars.This paper thus presents an analysis of the lithics as the first firmly demonstrated stone tools associated with Early Pleistocene human fossils in south China.     

Pleistocene magnetochronology of the fauna and Paleolithic sites in the Nihewan Basin: Significance for environmental and hominin evolution in North China

The fluvio-lacustrine sequences in the Nihewan Basin of North China (known as the Nihewan Formation) are rich sources of Early Pleistocene Paleolithic sites and mammalian fossils (known as the Nihewan Fauna sensu lato), which offer an excellent opportunity to investigate the evolution of early humans and land mammals in East Asia. Also abundant mammalian fossils provide clues about the general environmental and climatic setting of early humans. Among the Nihewan Fauna (sensu lato), the Daodi Fauna is one of the most complete and oldest in the eastern Nihewan Basin: seven mammalian fossil-bearing layers in the Nihewan Formation have been described. Except for a biostratigraphy, however, precise age control on the Daodi Fauna has remained unavailable. Here we report a new magnetostratigraphic record that stringently constrains its age. The seven fossil-rich layers span an age range of ca 2.5–1.8 Ma between the Gauss–Matuyama boundary and the termination of the Olduvai polarity subchron. Combining our new and recently published paleomagnetic data, we further establish a Pleistocene magnetochronology of the fauna and Paleolithic sites in the Nihewan Basin. Age ranges of about 2.5–0.5 Ma for the faunas and 1.7–0.3 Ma for the Paleolithic sites are deduced, which span most of the Pleistocene. The chronological framework and calculated proportions of mammals that were adapted to different environments indicate that mixed settings of dominant grasslands and subordinate forests continued at least from 2.5 to 0.5 Ma for early human occupation in the basin, similar to the mixed open savannah and woodland habitats of early humans in Africa. The Nihewan hominins consistently adopted a simple Oldowan-like technology (i.e., Mode 1 core and flake technologies) from at least ca 1.7 to 0.3 Ma. A more advanced Acheulean technology (Mode 2) has not been found in the Nihewan Basin, although it started to emerge in the Bose Basin of South China at ca 0.8 Ma. This implies that multiple groups of hominins distinguished by differential stone-tool-making capabilities may have coexisted in China after 0.8 Ma.     

Human remains and the environment of Early Pleistocene in the Nihewan Basin

The Nihewan (Nihowan) Basin is well known in the world for producing abundant mammal fossils and paleoliths. As one issue of the program 搕he early hominid evolution and environmental background in East Asia?a biostratigraphic survey was made in July 2001, and a large number of mammal fossils were un-earthed and 5 lithic artifacts were recognized from the Majuangou gully in the Nihewan Basin, Hebei Prov-ince, North China. 1 Stratigraphic section The new site is located on the south bank…     

Ages of Liangshan Paleolithic sites in Hanzhong Basin,central China

Thermally transferred optically stimulated luminescence (TT-OSL) dating extends the age range beyond current limits of OSL dating in Chinese loess. In this study, we use a single-aliquot regenerative-dose procedure for TT-OSL protocol to date Yaochangwan and Hejialiang localities of loess-covered Liangshan Paleolithic sites in Hanzhong Basin, which is an important area for the study of Paleolithic industries during the middle Pleistocene in central China. The results suggest that buried culture layer at the Hejialiang locality is correlated with the last interglacial paleosol S1 in Chinese Loess Plateau, it is dated at 86.3 ± 6.4 ka. The Yaochangwan locality spans from approximate 600–100 ka and correlates with S5–S1 in the typical Chinese loess–paleosol sequences, respectively. These ages suggest that hominins already occupied the Hanzhong Basin since approximately 600 ka ago.     

甘肃陇中盆地会宁关公滩剖面磁性地层年代学研究

本文对陇中盆地会宁含小哺乳动物化石的关公滩剖面河湖相沉积序列进行了详细的岩石磁学和磁性地层学研究,磁化率各向异性结果表明关公滩剖面沉积物记录了典型的原生沉积组构,沉积物沉积以后几乎没有受到后期的扰动.最大磁化率主轴方向与现今的古水流流向基本一致,表明区域西高东低的地貌至少在中更新世早期已经形成.磁滞回线、等温剩磁获得曲线的矫顽力谱分析、三轴等温剩磁退磁曲线等岩石磁学结果显示：关公滩剖面河湖相沉积物的磁性矿物有磁铁矿、磁赤铁矿和赤铁矿,其中磁铁矿和赤铁矿是主要的剩磁载体,但其特征剩磁载体以赤铁矿为主.系统退磁结果显示,在大部分样品中,磁铁矿和赤铁矿均记录了几乎相同的特征剩磁的方向,整个剖面呈现单一的正极性.另外,关公滩剖面底部河湖相沉积物中产出丰富的小哺乳动物牙齿化石,经初步研究包括复齿鼠兔（Ochotonoides complicidens）、丁氏鼢鼠（Myospalax tingi）、方氏鼢鼠（Myospalax fontanieri）、变异仓鼠（Cricetinus varians）、大林姬鼠（Cricetinus varians）、复齿旱獭（Marmota complicidens）等六个种类,其中丁氏鼢鼠和复齿鼠兔是相对原始的种类,其时代跨越早更新世至中更新世早期,其他都是我国北方中、晚更新世常见的种类,该小哺乳动物化石组合性质表明其时代很可能为中更新世早期.因此,综合磁性地层学和小哺乳动物生物年代学结果,关公滩剖面记录了布容正极性时的沉积,剖面底部堆积及其哺乳动物群的时代应为中更新世早期.     

华北山地的水系变迁与新构造运动

华北山地的水系在第四纪有过重大变迁。其变过时段主要发生在早更新世早期和晚更新世早期，其次是早全新世和晚全新世。变迁方式主要是河流自下游面上游的溯源侵蚀袭夺，且袭夺点逐渐向下游移动；其次是断陷盆地的阻隔与诱导。变迁方向多是东西向河道袭夺南北向河道，使河流向东改道。目前许多河流仍处在进一步袭夺中，从而可看出，华北山地的水纱变迁严格受新构造运动控制，且以断块差异活动为主，水系变迁方向可能与青藏高原在第四纪强烈隆起和太行山，燕山在第四纪迅速抬升有关。     

Quaternary integrative stratigraphy and timescale of China

Quaternary strata in China mainly comprise continental deposits in a variety of depositional settings. The continental Quaternary in temperate northern China consists mainly of eolian and fluvio-lacustrine deposits; that in subtropical southern China, mainly of vermiculated red soils, cave/fissure deposits, and fluvio-lacustrine deposits; and that in the alpine Tibetan Plateau, mainly of fluvio-lacustrine and piedmont deposits. The marine Quaternary in China consists of detrital deposits and biogenic reef deposits. The integration of biostratigraphy, magnetostratigraphy, climatostratigraphy and an astronomically calibrated chronology has led to the establishment of high-precision climatochronostratigraphic timescales for the detrital marine Quaternary in the South China Sea and the loess-paleosol sequence in the Chinese Loess Plateau. Extremely high-precision230 Th dating has provided a high-precision absolute age model for cave stalagmites over the past 640000 years as well as highresolution oxygen isotope records representing orbital-to suborbital-scale climate changes. By combining magnetic stratigraphy and biostratigraphy, robust chronostratigraphic frameworks for non-eolian continental Quaternary deposits on the scale of Quaternary geomagnetic polarities have been established. The continental Pleistocene Series consists, from oldest to youngest,of the Nihewanian Stage of the Lower Pleistocene, the Zhoukoudianian Stage of the Middle Pleistocene, and the Salawusuan Stage of the Upper Pleistocene. Stages of the continental Holocene Series have not yet been established. This review summarizes recent developments in the Quaternary chronostratigraphy of representative Quaternary strata and associated faunas, and then proposes an integrative chronostratigraphic framework and a stratigraphic correlation scheme for Quaternary continental strata in China. In the near-future, it is hoped to establish not only a Chinese continental Quaternary climatochronostratigraphic chart on the scale of glacial-interglacial cycles but also a Quaternary integrative chronostratigraphic chart including both continental and marine strata in China.     

The loess record in southern Tajikistan and correlation with Chinese loess

In the present study, the Chashmanigar loess–soil sequence in southern Tajikistan is studied; this loess section has a paleomagnetic basal age of about 1.77 Myr. Magnetic susceptibility, color reflectance and grain size were systematically measured for closely spaced samples from the section. Paleosols consistently have a finer grain size distribution, higher magnetic susceptibility, redder color reflectance and lower dust sedimentation rate than loess horizons, suggesting a colder, drier and dustier environment during glacial periods than in interglacial periods. The grain size record was tuned to variations in obliquity and precession of the Earth’s orbit. The resulting magnetic susceptibility, grain size and color reflectance time series all show well-expressed astronomical periodicities during the Pleistocene. The mid-Pleistocene climate transition, characterized by a shift of dominant climatic periods from 41 kyr to 100 kyr at about 1.0–0.8 Myr, is clearly documented in these proxy records. Comparison of the Chashmanigar loess record with the Lingtai loess section in China and the ODP site 677 δ¹⁸O record shows that during the entire Pleistocene, the climate cycles recorded by the Central Asian loess can be well correlated to the Chinese loess and deep-sea oxygen isotope records. It is suggested that alternations of loess and soil horizons both in Central Asia and China could be basically forced by global ice volume variations, although different wind systems have controlled the Pleistocene loess transport and sedimentation in the two areas.     

青海湖晚更新世沉积物中胶黄铁矿的发现及其环境指示意义

对青海湖南盆沉积中心钻取的一根长18.6 m的高取芯率沉积岩芯(1F)进行磁化率测试显示,该岩芯在8.15～8.96 m和15.50～17.28m两沉积段具有非常高的磁化率.详细的岩石磁学测量和矿物分析表明这两段沉积物中有大量的胶黄铁矿存在,其磁畴特征主要以单畴(SD)为主,并显示少量超顺磁(SP)颗粒特征,这是导致磁...     

基于古地磁与~(230)Th定年的西沙西科1井乐东组生物礁沉积年代的初步研究

生物礁是重要的自然资源,在全球气候变化与碳循环中扮演了重要角色.磁性地层学是建立年代框架的有效手段,但是,由于生物礁沉积物中天然剩磁强度弱,南海地区生物礁的磁性地层学研究尚未很好展开.为此,本文利用西沙群岛西科1井乐东组生物礁沉积样品进行了详细的岩石磁学和磁性地层学研究.结果显示,西沙群岛乐东组记录了布容正极性时、奥杜维尔正极性时和松山负极性时.通过对比已有的钻孔资料,本文认为应基于岩石地层特征这一标准将西沙地区的乐东组埋深予以统一.在此基础上,综合磁性地层与~(230)Th定年结果,本文将乐东组的底界限定在~2.0 Ma.     

Human activity during the late Pleistocene in the Lop Nur region,northwest China: Evidence from a buried stone artifact

The Lop Nur region, in the east part of Tarim Basin, was an important transportation junction between west and east, north and south Eurasia. However, previous studies on prehistoric human activity have concentrated mostly on the Bronze Age, whereas that during the Stone Age remains largely unresearched. Here, we present a new direct evidence of human activity in the late Pleistocene, recorded on a grinding stone buried in a lacustrine sediment section of the Lop Nur region. The grain size distribution of the sediment section indicates that the site was probably in the center of a lake with weak hydrodynamic environment. Therefore, the stone artifact can only be carried to here by people instead of river and it was never move as soon as left here. Results of radiocarbon dating, the evident stratigraphic relations between the stone artifact and the sedimentary formation, indicate that the human activity could extend to approximately 13 ka BP. Furthermore, the results of starch-grain and use-wear analyses suggest that ancient humans gathered seeds of Triticeae, roots, and tubers and used the grinding stone to simply process selected plant as plant foodstuffs during this period. It implies that the environmental conditions in the river delta of the Lop Nur were inhabitable during the late Pleistocene.     

Carbon biogeochemistry of ground water, Guiyang, southwest China

Variations in the concentrations and isotopic compositions (delta13C(DIC)) of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) reflect contamination and biogeochemical cycling of the carbon in ground water. In order to understand contamination and biogeochemical cycling of DIC, we carried out research on the geochemistry of ground water of Guiyang, the capital city of Guizhou Province, China. Results show that ground water is mainly characterized by SO4.HCO3-Ca.Mg and HCO3-Ca.Mg chemical compositions. The hydrochemical characteristics of these types of water are mainly controlled by lithology of the aquifers. HCO3- is the dominant species of DIC in ground water and has lower concentrations and more negative values of delta13C(DIC) in the high-flow (summer monsoon) season, as compared to the low-flow season. This indicates that DIC is relatively enriched in carbon of biological origin in the high-flow season as compared to the low-flow season and that biological activities are the predominant control on shifts of stable carbon isotope values. The evidence that the delta13C(DIC) values of ground water decrease with increasing concentrations of anthropogenic species shows that the carbon isotopic composition of DIC can be a useful tracer of contamination, in addition to biogeochemical cycling of inorganic carbon in ground water. Results from this study show that ground water is impacted by significant levels of contamination from human activities, especially in the urban areas, as well as the northeast and west suburbs, in Guiyang city, southwest China.     

40Ar/39Ar and ESR/U-series dates for Guado San Nicola,Middle Pleistocene key site at the Lower/Middle Palaeolithic transition in Italy

The Middle Pleistocene archaeological site of Guado San Nicola was discovered in 2005 in a fossil fluvial terrace of the Volturno River, close to the village of Monteroduni, Molise, Italy. Palaeontological remains and lithic artefacts, including both handaxes and Levallois, discoid and opportunistic debitage, were recovered in fluvial and slope sediments rich in volcanoclastic materials. This site includes four distinct human occupation levels. In two of them both “shaping-façonnage” and “knapping-débitage” technologies are highlighted, placing this site at the Lower/Middle Palaeolithic transition.In the present study, geochronological analyses by ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar on single-crystal and ESR/U-series on teeth were performed to precise the chronological framework of the occupations. The ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar data obtained securely bracket the human occupation levels at the transition between the interglacial and glacial marine isotopic stages MIS 11 (i.e. 400 ± 9 ka) and MIS 10 (i.e. 345 ± 9ka). The weighted mean age obtained from ESR/U-series dating of six teeth (i.e. 364 ± 36 ka) is in very good agreement with the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar results. The radio-isotopic constraints we presented place the Guado San Nicola site as one of the earliest testimonies of Levallois debitage in Western Europe and confirm the potential and accuracy of paleo-dosimetric methods to date Middle Pleistocene sites.     

北部湾涠洲岛南湾火山砂岩捕虏体光释光(OSL)测年结果

涠洲岛是北部湾内的一座火山岛,火山活动初步可以分为早-中更新世和晚更新世2期。晚期南湾火山是典型的射气岩浆喷发成因的火山,文中报道了南湾火山的上、下2层火山碎屑岩中砂岩捕虏体的光释光(OSL)测年结果,提出南湾火山喷发时代为距今约3万年左右的晚更新世末期     

Subsistence strategies of prehistoric hunter-gatherers on the Tibetan Plateau during the Last Deglaciation

The study of prehistoric hunter-gatherer subsistence strategies on the Tibetan Plateau is important for understanding the mechanisms and processes of human adaption to high altitude environments.But to date,only a few Paleolithic sites have been found on the Tibetan Plateau with clear stratigraphy and reliable dating.These sites are mainly distributed in the Qinghai Lake Basin on the northeastern part of the plateau,and the sporadic fauna and flora remains excavated provide limited information about the subsistence strategies of hunter-gatherers.In 2014,relatively abundant animal remains were unearthed in the Lower Cultural Layer (LCL,15400-13100 cal yr BP) of the"151 site"located in the Qinghai Lake Basin,providing important information about human subsistence strategies on the Tibetan Plateau during the Last Deglaciation.Zooarchaeological analysis of these faunal remains indicates that hunter-gatherers at the"151 site"mainly targeted large ungulates of Bos and wild horse/ass,and only brought back the most nutritious parts of animal carcasses including upper and intermediate limb bones,heads,and trunks (ribs and vertebrae).People then processed and consumed the carcasses around single hearths.Our comprehensive analyses of contemporaneous sites in the Qinghai Lake Basin show that a subsistence strategy involving opportunistic hunting of ungulates,high mobility,and short occupation of campsites was used by terminal Pleistocene huntergatherers to adapt to the high-altitude environment on the Tibetan Plateau.This subsistence strategy may have been a first step of gradual hunter-gatherer adaptation to the extreme conditions on the Tibetan Plateau after the Last Glacial Maximum,and laid the foundation for the widespread distribution of hunter-gatherers on the plateau during the Holocene.     

Multiple evidences indicate no relationship between prehistoric disasters in Lajia site and outburst flood in upper Yellow River valley,China

All around the world, ancient legends exist about the Great Flood, and the influence of the Great Flood in human evolutionary history is a hotly debated topic. In China, the legend of the prehistoric Great Flood and Yu the Great’s flood control has a long history and is considered to be closely linked to the establishment of the Xia Dynasty. However, there is a lack of solid scientific evidence. Against this issue, some scholars have proposed that an earthquake around 1920 BCE in the Guanting Basin along the upper reaches of the Yellow River led to the creation of a lake by damming in the Jishi Gorge and that the outburst of water from that lake led to the massive flood in the Yellow River region. These studies provided new scientific evidence for the Chinese legend. In this paper, we date skeletal samples embedded in earthquake sand blasting from the Lajia site, analyze remains from natural disasters (such as earthquakes and floods) and also archaeological remains. In addition, we compared the skeletal samples dating with that of sediments from the dammed-up lake. Our results are inconsistent with those of previous scholars. The earthquake at the Lajia site occurred no earlier than 1800 BCE, and the dammed-up lake in Jishi Gorge had disappeared by 3600 BCE. Thus, the formation and outburst of the dammed lake, the sudden death of ancient humans at the Lajia site and the ancient earthquake were independent events occurring at different times. In addition, the massive flood in the upper reaches of the Yellow River did not actually happen. Thus, we argue against and invalidate the hypothesis that the massive flood was related to Yu the Great’s flood control and the establishment of the Xia Dynasty.     

Isotopic analysis of water sources of mountainous plant uptake in a karst plateau of southwest China

Ecosystem in the karst region of southwest China is very fragile due to a very limited amount of water storage for plant uptake in the thin and rocky soils underlain by rock fractures. Plants in these karst regions are thought to take water from the soils and shallow fractured rock zone (subcutaneous zone) as well. However, the role of subcutaneous water in maintaining karst vegetation remains unclear, and proportions of the water sources for plant uptake in different environment conditions are unknown. In this study, five typical species of plants at two sites were selected in a karst plateau of Qingzhen, central Guizhou Province of China. Proportions of the possible water sources contributed for the plant uptake from two soil layers and subcutaneous zone were determined on the basis of δD and δ¹⁸O values of plant stem water, soil water and subcutaneous water. The analysis reveals that most plants take water from the soil layers and the subcutaneous zone as well, but proportions of these water contributions for plant uptake vary seasonally and depend on site‐specific conditions and plant species. Plant uptake of the subcutaneous water for all species averages less than 30% of the total monthly amount in June and September, compared with more than 60% in dry December. Plants tend to take a larger proportion of water from the upper soil layer at the bush site than at the forest site in June and September (63 vs 28% in July; 66 vs 54% in September for all species in average). In December, however, 98% of water is taken from the subcutaneous zone at the bush site which is much greater than 68% at the forest site. Compared to deciduous arbor, evergreen shrub takes a greater proportion of subcutaneous water in the December drought. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

琼北地区晚更新世射气岩浆喷发初步研究

琼北地区晚更新世射气岩浆喷发形成众多的低平火山口 ,出露典型的基浪堆积物 ,在火口垣露头上可清晰地观察到大型低角度交错层理、板状层理和波状层理以及远源相的球粒状增生火山砾。玄武质岩浆在上升过程中遇水爆炸形成低平火山口及基浪堆积 ,为认识琼北地区新生代以来的火山活动规律和琼北 -雷南地区的构造环境 ,以及未来火山灾害预测提供了重要的依据