Cette thèse propose de reconstituer l'histoire environnementale holocène du plateau du Béage en Ardèche (massif duMézenc, Massif Central, France). Ce travail repose sur l'étude des sédiments issus des tourbières de La Narce du Béage et de Pialeloup, mais aussi du marais de Pré-du-Bois et des séquences de la moyenne vallée du Gage. Notre approche vise (1) à caractériser le contenu paléoécologique des sédiments (macro-restes et palynologie), (2) à appréhender les évolutions du bassin versant via une analyse multi-proxies (susceptibilité magnétique, granulométrie,taux de matière organique, géochimie) et (3) à confronter ces éléments aux données locales et régionales disponibles.Durant !'Holocène ancien et moyen, des fluctuations locales d'humidité paraissent concomitantes de changements climatiques majeurs dans l'hémisphère nord (épisodes humides: 10400-10000, 9600-9100, 7900-7400, 6400-6000,5400-5000 cal. BP; secs: 10900-10500, 9900-9600 cal. BP; contrasté: 8500-8150 cal. BP). Cette analyse montre des impacts agro-pastoraux entre 6900 et 6450 cal. BP (Néolithique ancien), entre 5700 et 5200cal. BP (Néolithique moyen 2/récent) puis vers 4800 - 4100 cal. BP (Néolithique final). La pression anthropique s'intensifie entre 2400 et 1250 cal. BP (IVème s. av. J.-C.-Vlème s. apr. J.-C.). Le développement agricole médiéval s'opère à partir de 1050 cal. BP (Xème s.) : culture du seigle, cheptel ovin et bovin, productions de noix et de châtaignes à partir des XIIIème et XIVème s. L'érosion des versants semble aussi stimulée par la péjoration du Petit Âge Glaciaire (Xlllème-XVIIIème s.).Aux XIXème et XXème siècles, les activités d'élevage bovin perdurent mais la céréaliculture finit par disparaître. / This PhD thesis has resulted in the reconstruction of the holocene environmental history of the Béage plateau in Ardèche (massif du Mézenc, Massif Central, France). It focussed on the study of organic sediments from the La Narce du Béage and Pialeloup peatlands. Two complementary sites were also considered: the Pré-du-Bois swamp and the alluvial stratigraphies from the middle Gage valley. Our approach aimed (1) to perform a palaeoecological study of these sites (macrofossils and palynology); (2) to better understand watershed evolution thanks to multi-proxies analyses (magnetic susceptibility, grain size, organic matter content, geochemistry); (3) to compare these results with other local to regional data. During the Barly and the Middle Holocene, local humidity variations occuned concurrently with rapid climate changes(RCCs) recorded in the Northern Hemisphere (dry episodes: 10,900-10,500; 9,900-9,600; moist: 10,400-10,000;9,600-9,100; 7,900-7,400; 6,400-6,000 and 5,400-5,000 cal. BP; contrasted: 8,500-8,150 cal. BP). This study also allowed to identify agro-pastoral impacts around 6,900-6,450 cal. BP (Barly Neolithic), around 5, 700-5,000 cal. BP (Middle to Recent Neolithic) and close to 4,800-4,100 cal. BP (Final Neolithic). Anthropogenic impact got stronger between 2,400 and 1,250 cal. BP (IV'h century BC-Vlth century AD). A new stage of landscape management was recorded after 1,050 cal. BP (Xth century AD), involving rye cultivation, extensive livestock grazing(sheep and cattle) and fruit tree farming (walnut and chestnut: XIIIth-XIV'h centuries). Severe soil erosion occurred, alsodriven by the Little Ice Age deterioration (from the XIIlth to the XVth century AD). Finally, during the X!Xth and theXXth centuries cattle grazing remained strong, but cultivation ended due to demographic exodus during the xxth century.

Since the mid 19th century, the biogeography of island South-East Asia has been the subject of much study. Early researchers explained many of the species distribution patterns by the rise and fall of sea levels and land. This and the work of other researchers culminated in a theory that emphasized the role of Pleistocene sea level low stands in species evolution. With the advent of newly developed molecular techniques, however, it became clear that many species divergence events had taken place before the Pleistocene and a biogeographical theory focusing on Pleistocene sea level changes was inadequate. In this research, I have developed a new biogeographic model that explains present-day distribution patterns and evolutionary relationships between species. I use this new model to explain 10 ‘mammalian riddles’, i.e. evolutionary or distribution patterns in selected mammal species groups that could not be explained with the existing theories. I developed the new model by analyzing the geological literature for this region, and by mapping palaeogeographical and palaeoenvironmental changes for the last 20 million years. In addition I compiled information on the palaeontological record for the region and on divergence times between taxa using a molecular clock assumption. These phylogenetic data were compared with the palaeomaps to assess whether particular divergence events could be correlated with certain palaeogeographical or palaeoenvironmental changes. The combination of these two information sources has resulted in a much-improved understanding of mammalian evolution in island SE Asia. Using this model it is now possible to relate important palaeoenvironmental events, such as the Late Miocene cooling, an Early–Middle Pliocene highstand, or the emergence and submergence of a land bridge between the Malay Peninsula and Java to evolutionary changes in species. I test the accuracy of the new model by analysing the relationships within several mammal groups using craniometric and molecular analysis. The observed relationships and deduced timing of divergence between taxa could in many cases be explained by the model, which indicates that it is relatively accurate. In addition, with the new model I have been able to find solutions to most mammalian riddles, although these results require further testing. Overall, I therefore believe I have made a significant contribution to the biogeographical understanding of island SE Asia.

Ce travail propose une reconstitution de l'évolution de l'environnement de la plaine terminale de l'Eşen Çayı depuis le milieu de l'Holocène, avec une attention particulière pour l'environnement proche du sanctuaire du Létôon et de la cité de Xanthos, durant leur période d'occupation (du viie siècle av. J.-C. jusqu'à la période byzantine). La démarche retenue déploie trois approches. L'approche historique, d'abord, confronte les sources archéologiques, historiques, littéraires et géomorphologiques pour définir les enjeux de cette recherche et cerner les questions auxquelles elle doit répondre : l'objectif est de mieux comprendre les sociétés qui ont occupé cet espace et leur relation avec leur environnement. L'approche géo archéologique, ensuite, y répond en s'appuyant sur les données géophysiques (résistivité électrique) et l'analyse des séquences carottées (étude des sédiments, datations). Il apparaît qu'à l'époque de l'occupation des sites, les lagunes qui occupaient auparavant cet espace avaient laissé place à des marais. Un changement dans le tracé de l'Eşen Çayı (un bras du fleuve s'installe temporairement devant le Létôon) facilite l'accessibilité du site depuis la mer, mais l'alluvionnement et la mobilité fluviale qui en résultent mettent aussi en danger les édifices, dès le iiie siècle ap. J.-C. C'est seulement avec la mise en culture systématique de la plaine, durant la deuxième moitié du xxe siècle, que les marais disparaissent et que la plaine est assainie et drainée. L'approche patrimoniale, enfin, permet une réflexion épistémologique et empirique sur la communication des résultats en direction des archéologues commanditaires, du public de visiteurs des sites et des habitants de la plaine. Le concept de géomorphosite, qui fournit une profondeur temporelle à un site aux caractères géomorphologiques remarquables est sollicité pour définir la plaine de Xanthos comme un archéo-géomorphosite / This work reconstructs the changing environment of the plain of the Eşen Çayı from the mid-Holocene period, paying particular attention to the environment around the shrine of Letoon and the city of Xanthos, at the time of their occupation (from the seventh century BC until the Byzantine period). The subject is examined using three different approaches. First, the historical approach compares the archaeological, historical, literary and geomorphological sources to define the boundaries of this research and identify relevant issues : the aim is to better understand the societies which occupied this space and their relationship with the surrounding environment. The geoarchaeological approach then answers these questions, relying on geophysical data (electrical resistivity) and cored sequence analysis (study of sediments, dating). It seems that when the sites were inhabited, lagoons which formerly occupied this area had been replaced by swamps. A change in the flow of the Eşen Çayı (an arm of the river which moved temporarily towards the Letoon) allowed access to the site from the sea, but the buildings were threatened by the river's silting and consequent changes of course (around the third century AD). It is only with the systematic agricultural use of the plain, in the second half of the twentieth century, that the marshes disappeared and the plain was drained and reclaimed. Finally, the heritage approach allows an epistemological and empirical discussion of the communication of results to archaeologists, site visitors and inhabitants of the plain. The concept of geomorphosite, which provides time depth to a site with remarkable geomorphological character, is used to define the plain of Xanthos as an archaeo-geomorphosite

Jusqu'à récemment, l'essentiel de l'information sur les premiers ecosystèmes marins complexes provenait de gisements dits à préservation exceptionnelle, d'âge Cambrien, répartis à travers le globe. Leur caractéristique est de préserver des organismes faiblement sclérotisés, reflétant ainsi fidèlement les faunes de l'époque. Cependant, la découverte de tels sites dans l'Ordovicien inférieur du Maroc permet non seulement d'évaluer pour la première fois avec précision la biodiversité marine de cette époque mais aussi, à qualité de préservation égale, de comparer la vie marine cambrienne et ordovicienne. L'établissement d'un cadre biostratigraphique et envrionnemental précis des niveaux fossilifères a montré que la préservation exceptionnelle était restreinte au sein de deux intervalles stratigraphiquesresserrés datant du Trémadocien supérieur et du Floien moyen. Les donnéessédimentologiques ont mis en évidence un environnement de plateforme peu profond. Ces résultats étaient un prérequis à l'ouverture de fouilles systématiques permettant des analyses paléoécologiques qualitatives et quantitatives à haute résolution. Les résultats préliminairesindiquent l'existence probable de conditions environnementales inhospitalières, du moins temporairement, associées aux niveaux à préservation exceptionnelle. Elles ont également distingué des assemblages in situ (biocénoses) et des associations d'éléments transportés (taphocénoses). Parallèlement, de nouvelles données importantes sur la morphologie, l'écologie, et le mode de vie présumé chez certains groupes ont pu être acquises / Until recently, most of the information on the first complexe marine ecosystems came from Cambrian Konservat-Lagerstätten, distributed all over the world. Their particularity is to preserve a wide array of soft-bodied and lightly sklerotized organisms, accurately reflecting past communities. However, the discovery of such Lagerstätten in the Lower Ordovician ofMorocco offers unique insights into the first animal biodiversifications. Indeed, the Fezouata Shale does not only allow for the time to document Lower Ordovician marine communities, but also to draw comparisons between Cambrian and Ordovician marine realms with the same precision. The establishment of a sound biostratigraphic and palaeoenvironmentalframework for the fossiliferous localities demonstrated that exceptional preservation was restricted to two relatively narrow intervals: a 60-meter-thick late Tremadocian lower interval and a 15-meter-thick middle Floian one. Sedimentological data suggest relatively shallow offshore conditions. These results were a prerequistie to the opening of systematic excavation in order to perform high-resolution quantitative and qualitative palaeocological analyses. Preliminary results point to the likely occurrence of -at least temporarily- unhospitable environmental conditions associated with exceptional preservation. They also enabled the recognition of original in situ communities (biocoenoses) and time-averaged associations including transported elements (taphocoenoses). Simultaneously, important new data on the morphology, ecology and presumed mode of life of fossil groups have been collected

The palaeoenvironment from which early tetrapods emerged is crucial to comprehend in order to understand the mechanisms that drove and allowed the terrestrialization of vertebrates; one of the most important evolutionary ‘events’ in the history of animals. Nevertheless, much of the terrestrialization is shrouded in obscurity, inter alia, due to scarcity of early tetrapods in the fossil record. Each new discovery of anything linked to vertebrate terrestrialization is therefore of great importance. Here, I present new detailed analyses of the palaeoenvironmental conditions at the time of formation of the earliest (early Middle Devonian) tetrapod trackways found in the Zachełmie Quarry in the Holy Cross Mountains of southern Poland. The trackways are found in three horizons in a clay-rich dolomitic succession represented by the Lower Complex of the Wojciechowice Formation. This Lower Complex is composed of short shallowing upward sequences that often terminate with desiccation cracks and/or paleosols. Vertically fluctuating δ18O values in the complex suggest multiple episodes of closed hydrological systems. A model of ephemeral to perennial lakes in a terrestrial setting is therefore proposed. Such environment is in concordance with evidence of scarce bioturbation and a flourish of microbial communities that, in contrast to a normal marine setting, most likely represent an ecologically stressed ecosystem. Furthermore: non-marine rare earth element (REE) signals, desiccation events, fossils of green algae (charophytes), paleosol development, low energy cyclic deposits and general lack of marine taxa in the body and trace fossil records in this complex firmly establishes the interpretation of palustrine carbonates formed in a lacustrine-like setting. However, in the lower part of the complex, some highly fractioned marine fossils occur. These are suggested to have been transported during wash-up events which temporally places the setting in marine proximity. Seasons of monsoonal rainfall resulted in erosion and influx of detrital grains which is evidenced by fine planar lamination (of seasonal cyclicity) in most of the sediments and occasional occurrence of blackened clasts (and rain-drop imprints). Thus, none of the pre-existing palaeoenvironmental hypotheses of tetrapod emergence are in full concordance with the data from the Zachełmie Quarry. Instead, a new palaeoenvironment is proposed for the earliest tetrapods: schizohaline ephermal to perennial lakes with periodic desiccation. This infers that already in the early Middle Devonian, tetrapods had conquered the terrestrial realm and were perhaps already capable of terrestrial locomotion over quite substantial distances. / Däggdjur, reptiler, fåglar och amfibier utgör tillsammans en besläktad djurgrupp som kallas för tetrapoder (fyrfotingar). Deras gemensamma förfader härstammade från de lobfenade fiskarna men skiljde sig från dem genom att inneha utvecklade ben med tår istället för de ”köttiga” fenor som de lobfeniga fiskarna karaktäriseras av. Denna evolutionära nyhet tillät, tillsammans med en rad andra egenskaper (lungor, skydd för uttorkning av dermis etc.), att vertebrater helt och hållet kunde koloni-sera land. I och med att vår egen existens är en direkt följd av denna evolutionära händelse är detta ett hett forskningsämne inom evolutionsbiologin. Ändå är mycket fortfarande höljt i dunkel beträffande hur koloniseringen av land gick till och vad det var som drev denna utveckling eftersom övergången skedde under en, i geologisk mått, snabb tidsrymd. Dock har de sista årtiondena resulterat i flertalet nya fossilfynd av primitiva tetrapoder. Ett fynd som är speciellt spektakulärt eftersom det är den hittills äldsta efterlämningen av tetrapoder, är fotspår som uppenbart är gjorda av ett djur som hade ben och tår istället för fenor. Detta förvånade hela det vetenskapliga samfundet eftersom det innebar att vi (tetrapoderna) utvecklades tidigare än vad som var dittills trott och att vertebrat-koloniseringen av land förmodligen skedde flertalet miljoner år tidigare. Vad som också skiljer ett spårfossil från andra fossil är att de är spår av djuren från när och där de levde till skillnad från bara deras skelettdelar som oftast transporterats från där de dog och bara preserveras i speciella miljöer. Detta har jag utnyttjat i detta arbete för att försöka avgöra i vilken miljö de är avsatta i. Jag har analyserat de sedimentära bergarterna i stenbrottet i södra Polen med skärningen som innehåller de lagren i vilka fotspåren finns. Analyser av sällsynta jordartsmetaller från de tre lager där fotspår är tydliga, antyder en speciell avsättningsmiljö som inte liknar en typisk havsmiljö. I den undre delen av lagerföljden där de spårbärande lagren påträffats finns återkristalliserade saltkristaller, torkningssprickor och fossila jordar som indikerar korta respektive långvariga perioder av uttorkning. Andra fossil som i en normal marin miljö borde bevaras i en dolomitisk kalksten lyser med sin frånvaro och istället påfinns massiv koloni-sering av cyanobakterier. Detta brukar ske i speciella miljöer som avviker från vanlig marin komposi-tion, så som äldre sötvattensmiljöer eller laguner med hög salthalt, som därmed är ”svårbebodd” för djur som annars livnär sig på de fotosyntiserande bakterierna. Implikationen av mitt arbete är att tetrapoderna redan i tidig mellan Devon (ca 390 miljoner år sedan) inte bara hade utvecklat ben utan också att de kunde använda dem över landsträckor för att ta sig till, och mellan, kontinentala vatten. Detta är ännu en viktig pusselbit i pusslet som ämnar rekonstruera tetrapodernas (och vår egen) uppkomst.

La grotte de Tabon (Palawan, Philippines) est un site préhistorique majeur en Asie du Sud-Est. Elle a livré des fossiles d’Homo sapiens datant du Pléistocène supérieur, rares dans la région. Pourtant, son histoire demeure mal connue : d’importantes altérations physiques et chimiques compliquent la lecture de sa stratigraphie, tandis que des objets archéologiques sans contexte clair entravent l’élaboration d’une chronologie fiable. Cette étude jette un nouveau regard sur la grotte de Tabon à travers une approche pluridisciplinaire des sciences de la Terre. Elle explore notamment l’environnement et le climat des premiers hommes anatomiquement modernes dans la région. Les résultats mettent en lumière une période clef entre 40 et 33 ka BP, caractérisée par des climats plus secs, des paysages plus ouverts et une empreinte humaine marquée dans la grotte. Cette période a également été ponctuée par un court épisode d’humidité qui a laissé un spéléothème gypsifère étendu en guise de témoin. Dans l’avenir, de nouvelles approches, prenant en compte les contraintes particulières du site, pourraient permettre de souligner davantage la valeur scientifique et patrimoniale unique de la grotte de Tabon, une fenêtre sur les premiers périples de notre espèce à travers les archipels d’Asie du Sud-Est. / Tabon Cave (Palawan, Philippines) is a key prehistoric site in Southeast Asia, one of the few to have yielded Homo sapiens fossils from the Late Pleistocene. Its history remains poorly understood: heavy physical and chemical alterations have greatly complicated its stratigraphy, and contextually isolated archaeological finds hamper the construction of a clear chronology. This study reexamines Tabon Cave using a multi-pronged geosciences approach to explore environment, climate, and early modern human presence in the region. The results reveal a major period in the cave’s history between 40 and 33 ka BP, when drier climates, more open landscapes, and active human use of the cave were briefly spaced by a wet episode that left an extensive, gypsiferous speleothem. Future innovative research approaches spurred by the unique constraints of the site will undoubtedly further highlight the unique scientific and heritage value of Tabon Cave, a window into the earliest odysseys of our species across the archipelagos of Southeast Asia.

The increased human impact on the environment and climate after the retreat of the Last Glacial has strengthened its importance in the region of Västernorrland where Mesolithic sites are evident. This study focuses on a multiproxy analysis, where archaeological and natural science methods are combined to test several techniques in a peat sample. The origin of the peat sample is coming from the formation of a postglacial kettle hole situated near to Mesolithic sites. The aim of this thesis is twofold. Firstly, to estimate the value and the weakness of each method as also the combination of multiple results. Secondly, to reconstruct the palaeoenvironment including the detection of possible indications from past cultures. To begin with, the peat sample was collected from a kettle hole near Lillsjön lake, see (fig. 1) in 2010. The total depth of the peat sample was 80 cm and after its sampling, it was placed in a cold storage room until the spring of 2019, when analysis was conducted. Initially, a theoretical background will be presented as well as information for the area of study in the section of Scientific background. Moreover, a short theory is going to be given for the formation of the landscapes in cold environments as also the validity of beetle fossils with examples from previous case studies. After the theory part, all the methods are specified with results and appropriate diagrams and tables. After the analysis, the discussion will follow by combining all the methods and give potential theories for the reconstruction of the palaeoenvironment. The discussion part is divided into smaller chapters and after the conclusion an appendix is given with fossil photographs that were taken during the identification, see (fig.15,16,17).

Les bois gorgés d’eau sont des découvertes rares en archéologie, du fait des conditions inhérentes à leur conservation. Quand ils nous parviennent, ils livrent de nombreuses données sur la place de ce matériau pour les populations anciennes.L’Auvergne est un contexte privilégié pour leur conservation. Des milliers de bois issus de découvertes fortuites ou de fouilles archéologiques sont datés du Néolithique à l’époque moderne, mais le corpus couvre surtout le Second âge du Fer jusqu’au Moyen Âge.La diversité des bois permet d’appréhender les différents usages selon leur destination respective. Le bon état de nombreux éléments renseigne de différentes étapes de façonnage de l’abattage de l’arbre à sa mise en œuvre.Chaque bois est détaillé spécifiquement par domaine et catégorie pour être comparé aux vestiges d’autres régions. L’approche technologique et typologique est traitée le plus exhaustivement possible.Le spectre taxonomique renseigne les pratiques de collecte et leur évolution sur un espace forestier impacté par l’homme.L’apport de la dendrochronologie renseigne les évolutions des approvisionnements, principalement pour la construction, et dégage certains traits des pratiques sylvicoles sur les peuplements forestiers exploités. / Waterlogged woods are rare discoveries in archeology because of the conditions inherent in their conservation. When they reach us, they give a lot of data on the importance of this material for past populations.Auvergne is a privileged context for their conservation. Thousands of woods from fortuitous discoveries or archaeological excavations are dated from the Neolithic to the modern era, however the corpus covers mostly the Second Iron Age until the Middle Ages.The diversity of the woods enables a better understanding of different uses according to their respective destination.The state of conservation of many elements gives information about the different stages of shaping, from the felling of the tree to its implementation.Each wood is detailed specifically by field and category to be compared with the remains of other regions. The technological and typological approach is treated as exhaustively as possible.Taxonomic diversity documents collection practices and their evolution in a forest area impacted by humans.The contribution of dendrochronology informs the evolutions of supplies, mainly for the construction, and releases certain features of the silvicultural practices in the exploited forest stands.

This PhD thesis is a commentary to the attached publications. The thesis deals with two microfossil groups Ostracoda and Foraminifera in the Upper Cretaceous of the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin. Contribution of these microfossils for biostratigraphy and application in palaeoenvironmental reconstruction with the modern approach is the main goal of this work. Basic ecology, biogeography and previous work in the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin is included. Studied fossil sites, methods, microfossil preservation and data evaluation are described below. Obtained palaeontological, geochemical and lithological data are interpreted in the context with available data from studied fossil sites. Ostracoda assemblage from Úpohlavy fossil site is correlated with the Ostracoda assemblage from Great Britain. The similarity of the Ostracoda taxa suggests a possible communication of compared areas. Thanks to this work, biostratigraphy occurrence of six Ostracoda species (Cythereloidea stricta, Nemoceratina (Pariceratina) montuosa, Cythereis ornatissima ornatissima, Phodeucythere cuneiformis, Pterygocythereis robusta a Bairdoppilata litorea) is extended to Upper Turonian. Taxonomical changes in studied ostracoda assemblage expressed by PSH hypothesis (Platycopid Signal Hypothesis) support previous palaeoenvironmental...

A new palaeopalynological investigation was conducted on 15 samples from four test-pits at the Gray Fossil Site (Bear Pit, Elephant Pit, Test Pit 2-2010, and Rhino Pit). In total, 50 morpho-species of miospores (including five species of spores, eight species of gymnosperm pollen, and 37 species of angiosperm pollen) and 18 morpho-species of freshwater algal micro-remains were identified. One new morphological species, related to zygospores of the Zygnemataceae, Stigmozygodites grayensis sp. nov., is proposed. The assemblage of fossil algae recovered provides insights into the palaeoenvironmental conditions of the uppermost (125 cm) part of the Gray Fossil Site sedimentary cover, deposited after the formation of a number of sinkholes, and the fill of the palaeosinkholes. Most of the algae identified prefer meso-to eutrophic conditions and are characteristic of stagnant to slowly flowing shallow fresh water. Therefore, the lacustrine fossiliferous sediments at the Gray Fossil Site represent pond deposits. The palaeopalynological analysis revealed differences in the composition of the miospore and algal assemblages of the pits studied, suggesting that the Test Pit 2-2010, Bear, and Elephant pits are similar and may have been formed in the same pond, while the presence of a higher percentage of algae in the Rhino Pit may indicate sedimentation in a separate water body.