The ‘mosaic habitat’ concept in human evolution: past and present

The habitats preferred by hominins and other species are an important theme in palaeoanthropology, and the ‘mosaic habitat’ (also referred to as habitat heterogeneity) has been a central concept in this regard for the last four decades. Here we explore the development of this concept – loosely defined as a range of different habitat types, such as woodlands, riverine forest and savannah within a limited spatial area– in studies of human evolution in the last sixty years or so. We outline the key developments that took place before and around the time when the term ‘mosaic’ came to wider palaeoanthropological attention. To achieve this we used an analysis of the published literature, a study of illustrations of hominin evolution from 1925 onwards and an email survey of senior researchers in palaeoanthropology and related fields. We found that the term mosaic starts to be applied in palaeoanthropological thinking during the 1970’s due to the work of a number of researchers, including Karl Butzer and Glynn Isaac , with the earliest usage we have found of ‘mosaic’ in specific reference to hominin habitats being by Adriaan Kortlandt (1972). While we observe a steady increase in the numbers of publications reporting mosaic palaeohabitats, in keeping with the growing interest and specialisation in various methods of palaeoenvironmental reconstruction, we also note that there is a lack of critical studies that define this habitat, or examine the temporal and spatial scales associated with it. The general consensus within the field is that the concept now requires more detailed definition and study to evaluate its role in human evolution

High-resolution records of location and stratigraphic provenance from the rare earth element composition of fossil bones

Bone apatite acts as a natural, timed sampling device, scavenging trace elements from local pore waters over timescales of ca. 1–50 ka. The rare earth element (REE) and U/Th composition of fossil bones reflects associated pore water compositions during theperiod of recrystallisation. The REE composition of fossil bones is controlled by partitioning of REE between pore waters and particlesurfaces, and the REE composition of fossil bones reflects the REE composition of pore waters which vary spatially and temporally. Light REE are preferentially sorped onto particle surfaces, thus the high La/Yb values seen in many bones from coastal marine and aeolian environments are best explained by release of REE from light REE-enriched particles to local pore waters and subsequent immobilisation in recrystallising bones. The REE compositions of bones recovered from pedogenically altered diatomite sediments of the Olorgesailie Formation of southern Kenya vary over spatial scales of less than 10 m. Location accounts for 48% of the observed variation in bone chemistry and bones recovered from eight discrete excavations within the same time-equivalent stratigraphic layer can be assigned to their excavation location with >70% accuracy based on a discriminant analysis of REE, U, and Th composition. Despite this within-layer variation, bones recovered from different stratigraphic horizons within the Olorgesailie Formation can also be distinguished on the basis of their trace element composition. Bones recovered from four stratigraphic horizons spanning ca. 0.5 million years were assigned to their correct stratigraphic layer with >90% accuracy. Where sedimentological conditions are favourable, the trace element composition of fossil bone may be used to test stratigraphic provenance and burial location in excavated bone with a temporal resolution of <10 ka and a spatial resolution of <10 m. The trace element composition of fossil bone may also be used to investigate the accumulation history of vertebrate assemblages and to reconstruct pore water variability across land surfaces

Stratigraphy and remanence acquisition of a palaeomagnetic reversal in alluvial Siwalik rocks of Pakistan

A high-resolution record of a palaeomagnetic reversal is documented in Miocene alluvial rocks of Pakistan. We examined lateral variability of lithostratigraphy and palaeomagnetic stratigraphy through the same palaeomagnetic reversal in six correlated sections. Each section contains one or more palaeomagnetic sites with directions between fully reversed and fully normal. The position of the reversal illustrates local relief in the study area and the time-transgressive nature of certain stratigraphic units. Variability in the thickness of the transitional interval indicates contemporaneous variability in sediment accumulation rates. Different characteristics of palaeomagnetic remanence are associated with the depositional and post-depositional history of these sediments. Variability in patterns of remanence behaviour is the basis for inferences about post-depositional processes. We discuss two magnetic parameters that express coherency of palaeomagnetic samples—the maximum angle of deviation and the circular standard deviation. Of particular interest are samples with incoherent palaeomagnetic signals. The incoherency of samples is inversely correlated with the thickness of the transitional interval. A low rate of sediment accumulation, suggested by a thin transitional interval, may facilitate a prolonged period of remagnetization through pedogenic or hydrological processes. Alternatively, transition intervals, denned by coherent magnetization, may be thin as a result of pedogenically induced incoherency.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/71508/1/j.1365-3091.1988.tb01245.x.pd