Neanderthal biogeographic patterns over the Eemian-Weichsellian cycle
Recent research on Neanderthal extinction has considered the role of climatic and environmental changes during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 (ca. 59-25 ka BP). This thesis explores Late Pleistocene Neanderthal population trends and responses to climate change across four European study provinces and considers the role that climate and environmental change played in their extinction. It is argued that regional population histories are complex; phases of expansion and contraction occurred across a range of climate states. It is concluded that traditional nomenclature i.e. climate stages such as stadial and interstadial are unsatisfactory in themselves for understanding concepts such as migration, extinction and culture change. An alternative model termed condition: resource variation is set out in this thesis and its emergence rests principally on the observation that many faunal and floral configurations from the last glacial period have no exact analogies with modern fauna and flora. During the post-Eemian oscillations ecological disruption was restricted to the higher latitudes of Europe and coincided with a time when Neanderthal population levels were low. A further phase during MIS 3 resulted in ecological
Wood, Derek
Neanderthal biogeographic patterns over the Eemian-Weichsellian cycle. Recent research on Neanderthal extinction has considered the role of climatic and environmental changes during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 (ca. 59-25 ka BP). This thesis explores Late Pleistocene Neanderthal population trends and responses to climate change across four European study provinces and considers the role that climate and environmental change played in their extinction. It is argued that regional population histories are complex; phases of expansion and contraction occurred across a range of climate states. It is concluded that traditional nomenclature i.e. climate stages such as stadial and interstadial are unsatisfactory in themselves for understanding concepts such as migration, extinction and culture change. An alternative model termed condition: resource variation is set out in this thesis and its emergence rests principally on the observation that many faunal and floral configurations from the last glacial period have no exact analogies with modern fauna and flora. During the post-Eemian oscillations ecological disruption was restricted to the higher latitudes of Europe and coincided with a time when Neanderthal population levels were low. A further phase during MIS 3 resulted in ecological
neanderthal pattern cycle recent neanderthal extinction consider_role climatic environmental_change marine isotope stage mis explores late_pleistocene neanderthal population trend response climate_change across_four european study province considers_role climate environmental_change play extinction argue regional population history complex phase expansion contraction occur across range climate state conclude traditional nomenclature climate stage unsatisfactory concept migration extinction culture change alternative_model term condition resource variation set emergence rest principally observation many faunal configuration exact analogy modern fauna flora post ecological disruption restrict high europe coincide time neanderthal population_level low phase mis result ecological