Sahul, the combined landmass of Australia and New Guinea, provides a record of behavioural modernity extending over at least the last 50,000 years. Colonised solely by anatomically and behaviourally modern humans, this continent provides an alternative record in the investigation of behavioural modernity to the extensively studied Middle Stone Age African and Upper Palaeolithic Eurasian archaeological records. In the past, the archaeological record of behavioural modernity in Sahul has been described as simple, sparse and essentially different to those records of Africa and Eurasia. These differences have been attributed to either low population densities during the Pleistocene or the loss of behavioural ‘traits’ on the journey from Africa to Sahul. While a number of studies have been undertaken, no single researcher has attempted to investigate the role of taphonomy and sampling on the representation of behavioural modernity in the archaeological record, despite Sahul being characterised by extreme environments, highly variable climates, and archaeologically, usually only small excavations. This study compiles the most complete record of chronology, evidence for behavioural modernity and excavation details for 223 Pleistocene sites yet attempted. It is also the most extensive dataset assembled for the examination of the issue of behavioural modernity on a single landmass. Site spatial and temporal distribution, site characteristics, excavations, absolute dating, preservation and sample size are examined to determine how the behavioural complexity of a modern human population is characterised on this isolated southern continent and the impact of taphonomy and archaeological sampling on that representation. Results demonstrate that preservation and sampling play a significant role in structuring the spatial and temporal representation of behavioural modernity in the archaeological record of Pleistocene Sahul. Contrary to previous findings, the evidence for behavioural modernity in Sahul is found to resemble the archaeological records of the African Middle Stone Age and Eurasian Upper Palaeolithic in terms of behaviour and artefact diversity. In terms of global narratives, these results also indicate that current understandings of behavioural modernity are incomplete and may misrepresent levels of behavioural complexity in early periods in some regions.

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / The northern Central Highlands region of Tasmania extending north from Cradle Mountain to the Middlesex Plains shows evidence of three glacial stages, with the final stage consisting of several ice advance phases. From oldest to youngest these have been named the Middlesex Glaciation, the Sunshine Glaciation and the Cradle Glaciation. Cosmogenic exposure-age dating of boulders and ice-abraded bedrock, radiocarbon dating of post-glacial organic deposits, and relative dating techniques have resulted in assignment of the following ages for the events: Middlesex Glaciation, MIS 10; Sunshine Glaciation, MIS 6 and the Cradle Glaciation having MIS 3 and MIS 2 phases. The Cradle Glaciation correlates with the global Last Glaciation. Exposure-age dating of three of the Cradle Glaciation ice advance phases indicates that the Pencil Pine Phase predates 38.9±4.0 ka, the Dove Phase occurred ca. 29.2±1.4 ka, and the Cradle Valley Phase occurred between >19.7±1.1 – 17.6±1.0 ka. At least two undated retreat/readvance phases followed the Cradle Valley Phase. Deglaciation of the area was probably complete considerably before 11.2 ka. The recognised glacial events decreased in areal extent in each successive advance. Using the 0°C summer mean isotherm as the base for the altitude of the equilibrium line altitude, the regional snowline, regional snowline depression and temperature depression for each of the events were: Middlesex Glaciation, 942 m/1616 m/10.5°C; Sunshine Glaciation, 984 m/1574 m/10.23°C; Pencil Pine Phase, 1010 m/1548 m/10.06°C; Dove Phase, 1050 m/1508 m/9.8°C; and the Cradle Valley Phase, 1060 m/1498 m/9.74°C. The geomorphic evidence and dating of several phases of the Cradle Glaciation indicates a complex history of ice advances for Tasmania during the Last Glaciation.

Topography growth and sediment fluxes in active subduction margin settings are poorly understood. Geological record is often scarce or hardly accessible as a result of intensive deformation. The Hawke Bay forearc basin of the Hikurangi margin in New Zealand is well suited for studying morphstructural evolution. It is well preserved, partly emerged and affected by active tectonic deformation during Pleistocene stage for which we have well dated series and well-known climate and eustasy. The multidisciplinary approach, integrating offshore and onshore seismic interpretations, well and core data, geological mapping and sedimentological sections, results in the establishment of a detailed stratigraphic scheme for the last 1.1 Ma forearc basin fill. The stratigraphy shows a complex stack of 11 eustasy-driven depositional sequences of 20, 40 and 100 ka periodicity. These sequences are preserved in sub-basins that are bounded by active thrust structures. Each sequence is characterized by important changes of the paleoenvironment that evolves between the two extremes of the glacial maximum and the interglacial optimum. Thus, the Hawke Bay forearc domain shows segmentation in sub-basins separated by tectonic ridges during sea level lows that become submerged during sea level highs. Over 100 ka timescale, deformation along active structures together with isostasy are responsible of a progressive migration of sequence depocenters towards the arc within the sub-basins. Calculation of sediment volumes preserved for each of the 11 sequences allows the estimation of the sediment fluxes that transit throughout the forearc domain during the last 1.1 Ma. Fluxes vary from c. 3 to c. 6 Mt.a⁻¹. These long-term variations with 100 ka to 1 Ma timescale ranges are attributed to changes in the forearc domain tectonic configuration (strain rates and active structure distribution). They reflect the ability of sub-basin to retain sediments. Short-term variations of fluxes (<100 ka) observed within the last 150 ka are correlated to drastic Pleistocene climate changes that modified erosion rates in the drainage area. This implies a high sensitiveness and reactivity of the upstream area to environmental changes in terms of erosion and sediment transport. Such behaviour of the drainage basin is also illustrated by the important increase of sediment fluxes since the European settlement during the 18th century and the following deforestation.

Thesis (Honors)--College of William and Mary, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 70-72). Also available via the World Wide Web.

O material aqui estudado provém da Formação Rio Madeira, da localidade de Araras, Município de Nova Mamoré. O espécime UNIR-PLV-M009, um crânio quase completo, apresenta as sinapomorfias do gênero Tapirus, mas difere de todas as espécies conhecidas pelos frontais largos, cuja pneumatização se estende até a sutura fronto-parietal, pela crista sagital alta e pelo P2 pouco molarizado, constituindose numa nova espécie, não nominada, de Tapirus. O espécime UMVT-4075, um palato incompleto com todos os dentes, difere de UNIR-PLV-M009 pelo P2 molarizado, e compartilha com Tapirus terrestris este e os demais caracteres dentários. / The material here studied comes from Rio Madeira Formation, locality of Araras, Nova Mamoré city. The UNIR-PLV-M009 specimen, an almost complete skull, presents the synapomorphies of the genus Tapirus but differs all known species for broad frontals, whose pneumatization extends until the frontoparietal suture, for high sagital crest, and for little molarized P2, so characterizing new unominated Tapirus species. The UMVT-4075 specimen, an incomplete palate with all teeth, differs from UNIR-PLV-M009 in the molarized P2, and it shares with Tapirus terrestris this and the other tooth characteristics.

O gênero Tapirus (Perissodactyla, Tapiridae) é de origem holártica e entre o Mioceno e Plioceno final é amplamente distribuído na América do Norte, Europa e Ásia. Os tapires aparecem na América do Sul após a formação do Istmo de Panamá, durante o Grande Intercâmbio Biótico Americano, Pleistoceno inicial - médio. Neste trabalho, é revisado o material tipo das espécies atribuídas ao gênero na América do Sul; descrito material inédito proveniente da Venezuela e Brasil; realizado estudo comparativo morfológico e morfométrico; e proposto hipóteses quanto à origem e filogenia dos tapires na América do Sul. A partir da revisão das espécies de Tapirus do Quaternário da América do Sul, foi possível considerar válidas as espécies: T. greslebini, T. rioplatensis, e T. mesopotamicus (todas para a Argentina); T. oliverasi (Uruguai); T. tarijensis (Bolívia); T. cristatellus e T. rondoniensis (Brasil). A análise morfométrica permitiu estabelecer dois morfótipos para as espécies fósseis sulamericanas com base no tamanho do dentário. Um morfótipo que está dentro da variação de tamanho de T. terrestris, constituído pelas espécies T. rondoniensis e T. mesopotamicus, e outro, um morfótipo maior, com tamanho superior ao máximo de variação encontrado em T. terrestris, como T.tarijensis, T. rioplatensis, T. greslebini, e alguns espécimes de T. cristatellus. O gênero Tapirus apresentou-se como um clado monofilético, sendo Nexuotapirus marslandensis seu táxon-irmão. Os tapires sulamericanos não formam um clado monofilético, sendo T. pinchaque o grupo-irmão dos demais tapires sul-americanos atuais e fósseis, bem como das formas derivadas norte-americanas; e T. cristatellus seria o táxon irmão do clado T. indicus + T. bairdii +T. polkensis + T. lundeliusi + T. haysii + T. veroensis. O resultado da análise filogenética sugere uma relação próxima entre os tapires sul-americanos e T. webbi, o que corrobora a hipótese de um evento de dispersão da América do Norte para a América do Sul durante o Mioceno. Por outro lado, nossos dados indicam um segundo evento de dispersão da América do Sul para a América do Norte, possivelmente a partir de uma forma proximamente relacionada a T. cristatellus, que teria dado origem às formas derivadas do sudoeste da América do Norte. / The genus Tapirus (Perissodactyla, Tapiridae) is of Holarctic origin and between the Miocene and late Pliocene is widely distributed in North America, Europe and Asia. Tapirs appeared in South America after the formation of the Isthmus of Panama, during the Great American Biotic Interchange, early – middle Pleistocene. In this work is reviewed the type specimen of the species assigned to the genus in South America; described new material from Venezuela and Brazil; conducted comparative morphological and morphometric study; and proposed hypotheses regarding the origin and phylogeny of South American tapirs. Based on the review of the species of Tapirus of Quaternary from South America, could be considered as valid species: T. greslebini, T. rioplatensis, and T. mesopotamicus (all from Argentina); T. oliverasi (Uruguay); T. tarijensis (Bolivia); T. cristatellus and T. rondoniensis (Brazil). Morphometric analysis allowed us to establish two morphotypes for the South American fossil species based on the size of the teeth. A morphotype which is within the size variation of T. terrestris, comprising the species T. rondoniensis and T. mesopotamicus, and another, larger one morphotype, much larger than the maximum of variation found in T. terrestris, as T. tarijensis, T. rioplatensis, T. greslebini, and some specimens of T. cristatellus. The genus Tapirus appeared as a monophyletic clade and Nexuotapirus marslandensis as its sister taxon. The South American tapirs do not constitute a monophyletic clade, since T. pinchaque is the sister group of other extant and fossil South American tapirs, and of the forms derived from North American; and T. cristatellus would be the sister taxon of the clade T. indicus + T. bairdii +T. polkensis + T. lundeliusi + T. haysii + T. veroensis. The result from phylogenetic analysis suggests a close relationship between the South American tapirs and T. webbi, which supports the hypothesis of a dispersal event from North America to South America during the Miocene. Moreover, our data indicate a second dispersal event from South America to North America, possibly from a form closely related to T. cristatellus, which would have resulted to the derived forms of southeast North America.

Foram analisados fósseis de mamíferos terrestres provenientes de depósitos pleistocênicos do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, da Região da Campanha ( maioria do Arroio Touro Passo, Município de Uruguaiana), Arroio Chuí e plataforma continental. A análise teve por objetivo reconhecer e descrever alterações post mortem (pseudopaleopatologias) presentes nos fósseis e relacioná-las a condições de preservação e ambientes deposicionais distintos. Foram observadas variações na preservação entre os fósseis encontrados nos três depósitos, relacionadas ao contexto geológico, condições paleo-climáticas e processos pós-deposicionais. A ausência de fósseis de organismos de pequeno porte (como roedores) no Chuí e Touro Passo parece resultar de procesos tafonômicos, embora a falta de amostragem mais detalhada possa influenciar nesse padrão. Os fósseis do Arroio Touro Passo apresentam elevado grau de intemperismo, relacionado a condições deposicionais e paleo-climáticas distintas das observadas entre os fósseis do Arroio Chuí e plataforma. Os fósseis do Arroio Chuí são predominantemente fragmentos, que indicam elevado grau de retrabalhamento pós-deposicional, enquanto os do Touro Passo sofreram menor grau de retrabalhamento. Os fósseis provenientes da plataforma continental apresentam alterações resultantes do retrabalhamento em ambiente marinho, porém exibem características semelhantes às dos fósseis do Arroio Chuí, indicando que foram originalmente preservados em sistemas fluviais. / Fossils of terrestrial mammals from pleistocenic deposits in the Rio Grande do Sul State, in the Campanha Region, Arroio Chuí and continental platform have been analyzed. The analysis aimed at recognizing and describing post mortem alterations (pseudopaleopathologies) on the fossils and relate it to distinct preservation conditions and depositional environments. Preservational variations among fossils from the threee deposits , related to the geological context, paleoclimatic conditions and postdepositional processes were recorded. The absence of small-bodied taxa (such as rodents) at the Chuí and Touro Passo creeks may be a result of taphonomic processes, althought this pattern may be related to the lacking of detailed sampling. The fossils from the Touro Passo exhibit high degree of weathering, related to depositional and paleoclimaic conditions different from those under which the fossils from the Chuí and platform were preserved. Fossils from the Chuí Creek are mostly fragments, indicating a high degree of postdepositional reworking, while those from the Touro Passo were subject to less reworking. Fossils from the continental platform exhibit alterations that resulted from reworking in marine environment; however, there are features similar to those found in the fossils from Chuí, thus indicating that the former were originally preserved in fluvial systems.

O registro de gliptodontes no sul do Brasil se trata principalmente de osteodermos, muitas vezes isolados e que por uma questão tafonômica, de preservação (estrutura mineralizada) e proporção (presença de centenas de osteodermos em uma carapaça) são os mais abundantes. Panochthus é o segundo gênero de maior representação de Glyptodontidae nos depósitos do Rio Grande do Sul, ficando atrás apenas de Glyptodon. Os depósitos fossilíferos onde foram encontrados registros de Panochthus são: Rosário do Sul (Rincão dos Fialho), Santa Vitória do Palmar (Arroio Chuí e Balneário Hermenegildo), Touro Passo (Uruguaiana) e Sanga dos Borba (Pantano Grande). Na presente dissertação, foram estudados novos espécimes coletados nas localidades pleistocênicas nos municípios de Rosário do Sul, Santa Vitória do Palmar e Uruguaiana, bem como uma revisão dos materiais previamente descritos e referidos pertencentes ao gênero Panochthus para o Pleistoceno do Rio Grande do Sul. O material corresponde basicamente em uma grande quantidade de osteodermos isolados e alguns fragmentos de tubos caudais, depositados no Museu de Ciências Naturais do Rio Grande do Sul, Museu Nacional do Rio de Janeiro, Museu de Ciências Tancredo Filho Melo e Laboratório de Geologia e Paleontologia da Universidade Federal de Rio Grande. Com este estudo corroborou-se que a principal característica apresentada pelos osteodermos e superfície dos tubos caudais é o similar padrão de figuras tuberculares distribuídas de maneira aleatória sem qualquer formação de figuras em forma de roseta, com exceção de regiões específicas da carapaça; e que para identificação das espécies de Panochthus é necessário observar os caracteres do tubo caudal. Panochthus tuberculatus tem seu registro historicamente feito para o Rio Grande do Sul principalmente por meio de osteodermos isolados. Na análise feita nos novos materiais, pode-se confirmar a presença dessa espécie apenas para o Balneário Hermenegildo e também registrar a presença de P. cf. P. greslebini para a mesma localidade. Por se tratarem somente de osteodermos isolados, nas demais localidades os materiais estudados foram atribuídos a Panochthus sp. / The record of glyptodonts in southern Brazil is constitute mainly of osteoderms, oftently isolated, and by bias taphonomic of preservation (mineralized structure) and proportion (presence of hundreds of osteoderms on carapace) are the most abundant. Panochthus is the second genus with greater of representation in deposits of Rio Grande do Sul, behind only Glyptodon. The fossiliferous deposits where are found Panochthus: Rosário do Sul (Rincão dos Fialho), Santa Vitória do Palmar (Arroio Chuí and Balneário Hermenegildo), Touro Passo (Uruguaiana) and Sanga of Borba (Pantano Grande). In this dissertation, new speciemen collected in Pleistocene localities in the municipalities of Rosario do Sul, Santa Vitória do Palmar and Uruguaiana were studied, and a revision made of the materials previously described and those belonging to Panochthus. The material is basically a lot of isolates osteoderms and fragments of caudal tubes, deposited in the Museu de Ciências Naturais do Rio Grande do Sul, Museu Nacional do Rio de Janeiro and Museu Tancredo Melo Filho e Laboratory of Geology and Paleontology da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande. In this study, we corroborated that the main feature presented by osteoderms and tube caudal surface is the similar pattern of tubercular figures randomly distributed without any formation of rosetteshaped figures, except for specific regions of the carapace and to Panochthus species identification is necessary to observe the characters of the caudal tube. Panochthus tuberculatus has registry historically done to Rio Grande do Sul, mainly through isolated osteoderms. The analysis made in the new material, one can confirm the presence of that species only to Balnário Hermenegildo and also register the presence of P. cf. P. greslebini to the same location. In other localities studied is attributed to Panochthus sp, because there are only isolated osteoderms.

This thesis refines and develops understanding of the ecological and climatic characteristics of early Middle Pleistocene (MIS 19-13, c. 780-430 ka) interglacial environments in Britain. This period is characterised by globally muted (i.e. low amplitude) glacial-interglacial cycles, which increased in amplitude c. 430 ka with the Mid-Brunhes Transition (MBT). However, the influence of these global climatic characteristics on climates and ecology at regional and local scales is yet to be fully understood. Local ecological processes, particularly disturbance processes, have also received limited attention in pre-Holocene interglacial settings, despite their likely importance for vegetation and habitat structure. Chapters 4, 5 and 6 present in-depth multi-proxy palaeoenvironmental studies from three early Middle Pleistocene sites: West Runton, Pakefield and Brooksby. A combination of Coleoptera, pollen, coprophilous fungal spores, microcharcoal and sedimentology is used to reconstruct local ecological attributes for each site. Multivariate analyses of these datasets indicate the importance of disturbance processes (herbivore activity, wildfire, hydrogeomorphic processes) in driving and maintaining local vegetation structure and habitat heterogeneity. This is explored further (in Chapter 8), emphasising the apparent importance of site-specific factors, rather than those shared between sites, in determining the relative influence of each disturbance factor. In Chapter 7, new approaches to the coleopteran Mutual Climatic Range (MCR) method are applied to a suite of coleopteran records from interglacial sites spanning the Middle and Late Pleistocene (c.712-126 ka, MIS 17-5e). Summer temperatures, winter temperatures and temperature seasonality are reconstructed, to test whether there is evidence for MBT expression in Northwest European thermoclimates. No evidence for this is found, and it is suggested (in Chapter 8) that MBT expression in this region may instead be reflected in hydroclimatic variables (e.g. enhanced annual precipitation). Finally, it is suggested that disturbance processes and potentially wetter climates were beneficial to contemporary Lower Palaeolithic populations in Northwest Europe.

Foram analisados fósseis de mamíferos terrestres provenientes de depósitos pleistocênicos do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, da Região da Campanha ( maioria do Arroio Touro Passo, Município de Uruguaiana), Arroio Chuí e plataforma continental. A análise teve por objetivo reconhecer e descrever alterações post mortem (pseudopaleopatologias) presentes nos fósseis e relacioná-las a condições de preservação e ambientes deposicionais distintos. Foram observadas variações na preservação entre os fósseis encontrados nos três depósitos, relacionadas ao contexto geológico, condições paleo-climáticas e processos pós-deposicionais. A ausência de fósseis de organismos de pequeno porte (como roedores) no Chuí e Touro Passo parece resultar de procesos tafonômicos, embora a falta de amostragem mais detalhada possa influenciar nesse padrão. Os fósseis do Arroio Touro Passo apresentam elevado grau de intemperismo, relacionado a condições deposicionais e paleo-climáticas distintas das observadas entre os fósseis do Arroio Chuí e plataforma. Os fósseis do Arroio Chuí são predominantemente fragmentos, que indicam elevado grau de retrabalhamento pós-deposicional, enquanto os do Touro Passo sofreram menor grau de retrabalhamento. Os fósseis provenientes da plataforma continental apresentam alterações resultantes do retrabalhamento em ambiente marinho, porém exibem características semelhantes às dos fósseis do Arroio Chuí, indicando que foram originalmente preservados em sistemas fluviais. / Fossils of terrestrial mammals from pleistocenic deposits in the Rio Grande do Sul State, in the Campanha Region, Arroio Chuí and continental platform have been analyzed. The analysis aimed at recognizing and describing post mortem alterations (pseudopaleopathologies) on the fossils and relate it to distinct preservation conditions and depositional environments. Preservational variations among fossils from the threee deposits , related to the geological context, paleoclimatic conditions and postdepositional processes were recorded. The absence of small-bodied taxa (such as rodents) at the Chuí and Touro Passo creeks may be a result of taphonomic processes, althought this pattern may be related to the lacking of detailed sampling. The fossils from the Touro Passo exhibit high degree of weathering, related to depositional and paleoclimaic conditions different from those under which the fossils from the Chuí and platform were preserved. Fossils from the Chuí Creek are mostly fragments, indicating a high degree of postdepositional reworking, while those from the Touro Passo were subject to less reworking. Fossils from the continental platform exhibit alterations that resulted from reworking in marine environment; however, there are features similar to those found in the fossils from Chuí, thus indicating that the former were originally preserved in fluvial systems.