Two drilled cores were collected from the Jhuoshuei River delta for this study, which is focused on the analyses of sedimentological, statistical analysis, AMS C14 dating and paleoenvironment interpretation based on the benthic foraminiferal fossils. Foraminiferal shell do not exist between 30000 and 12000 yr B.P., indicating the environment of this sections might be terrestrial. Between 12000 and 8000 yr B.P., the southern core do not have traces of foraminifera, suggesting the deposition site was terrestrial. The northern core contains the benthic foraminiferal shell between 12000 and 9000 yr B.P. The foraminiferal assemblage indicates the sedimentation might be a inner shelf like enviroment. An estuarine like environment was suggested between 9000 and 8000 yr B.P.. Between 8000 and 6000 yr B.P., foraminiferal cluster analysis indicates a middle to inner shelf environment at the southern core site; a inner shelf at the northern core. From 6000 to 3000 yr B.P., foraminiferal cluster analysis indicates a inner shelf at the south core while northern core foraminifera became fewer and the environment gradually changing to terrestrial facies. From 3000 yr B.P. upwards, foraminiferal cluster analysis indicates a shallower inner shelf at the southern core. From 2000 yr B.P. to today, the southern core changed to terrestrial.

Ever since Darwin claimed that expanding savannas were the driving force behind humanity's divergence from other apes, our understanding of human evolution has been inextricably linked to the environmental context in which our ancestors evolved. This dissertation explores various aspects of the use of one method of paleoenvironmental reconstruction -- bovid ecomorphology -- and provides new data on paleoenvironmental conditions in the Omo Shungura Formation (Plio-Pleistocene, Ethiopia). Chapter 2 uses phylogenetic simulations to explore the performance of Discriminant Function Analysis (DFA) on simulated ecomorphological data containing phylogenetic signal. DFA is shown to "over-perform" in situations in which predicted and predictor variables both contain phylogenetic signal. Phylogenetic Generalized Least Squares (PGLS) is shown to be a very useful technique for explicitly testing functional hypotheses in ecomorphology while controlling for phylogenetic signal and body size. Chapter 3 presents a functional analysis of the bovid astragalus, which is one of the most commonly preserved bones in the fossil record. Several functional hypotheses linking habitat-specific locomotor performance with the morphology of the astragalus are tested using PGLS. Strong support is found for three of these hypotheses. Thus, the astragalus is shown to be a useful ecomorphological predictor element, a point that is confirmed by the DFA analyses in Chapter 4. Chapter 5 provides new paleoenvironmental data on the Omo Shungura Formation based on habitat reconstructions from astragalar ecomorphology in addition to dietary reconstructions based on dental mesowear. Astragalar data point to a major environmental shift beginning ~2.58 Ma, which is later in time compared with some prior habitat reconstructions using different methods. Furthermore, astragalar data show environmental fluctuations of similar magnitude later in the sequence. Mesowear data on the Shungura Tragelaphini do not offer evidence for any significant grazing adaptation, in spite of relatively high carbon isotope signatures reported based on studies of tooth enamel. These data raise questions regarding the diet of fossil Tragalephini. / text

The Tamaulipan Biotic Province (TBP) is an ecotonal community that has been characterized in the twentieth century as a mixture of plains, woodland, and desert-adapted mammalian taxa. Some authors have proposed that this heterogeneous mixture of animals is a result of human influence on the environment in the post-European contact period. Others have proposed that the characteristically disharmonious mixture of fauna has been present in south Texas since prehistory. By considering the presence of certain key taxa across the archaeological record of the area this thesis demonstrates that the fauna characteristic of the Tamaulipan Biotic Province can be followed back in time as far as the archaeological record allows. This work also provides complete lists of all vertebrate organisms present in the archaeological record of the area, organized by time period and also by archaeological site and citation.

No description available.

This thesis documents Agate Basin archaeological remains in the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. By extension, it examines the context of the rapidly changing Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene environment. A database of information on Agate Basin sites in the study area is assembled. Site analysis allowed for the examination of Agate Basin adaptations based on radiocarbon chronology, landform use, mobility, resource use, projectile point production and climate and environmental context. The results confirm that Agate Basin producing peoples within Alberta and Saskatchewan displayed variability concerning projectile point production, landscape use, resource extraction, and hunting practice. It appears that Agate Basin producing people within Alberta and Saskatchewan practiced a predominantly broad-based strategy for procuring resources. No evidence exists to support a model of large-scale communal hunting. Likely, the strongest influence on the particular adaptive behaviours of Agate Basin producing people in Alberta and Saskatchewan can be summarized as environmental.

Cette thèse a pour objectif de tester l’intérêt des spéléothèmes en tant qu’archive pédologique dans le but de reconstruire l’histoire des sols à haute-résolution durant la période Holocène. Il s’appuie sur une partie expérimentale visant à tester la robustesse des proxies organiques comme indicateurs des variations environnementales au cours du temps, et sur l'utilisation des indicateurs robustes pour reconstruire l'évolution de l'environnement dans les Bauges durant les 6000 dernières années.Le d13C de la matière organique (MO, indicateur de la dynamique de la MO dans les sols) et les lipides (indicateurs des contributions des différentes sources) ont été analysés en complément du d13C de la calcite. Les Hydrocarbures Aromatiques Polycycliques (HAP) ont également été utilisés comme molécule sonde pour comprendre le transfert des différentes molécules organiques, et comme indicateur des combustions passées, naturelles ou anthropiques. Une attention particulière a été portée à l’optimisation de la méthode analytique, afin que la résolution temporelle des analyses soit compatible avec les questions environnementales. Les résultats obtenus pour ces proxies ne sont pas exploitables et montrent un manque de robustesse attribué à des problèmes analytiques (d13CMO, lipides), au type d’alimentation des spéléothèmes (HAP) ou a des effets de site (d13C calcite).L’analyse de fluorescence UV en phase solide a été utilisée pour obtenir un enregistrement haute-résolution des variations semi-quantitatives et qualitatives de la MO. Un protocole a été développé pour quantifier l’intensité de fluorescence en phase solide (FPS). L'intensité de fluorescence en phase liquide d'extraits de MO des sols et des spéléothèmes ont été couplées par un modèle non linéaire à la FPS à haute résolution. Cette méthode a permis d’obtenir une chronique des flux de MO exportée depuis les sols sur une stalagmite test, provenant du Vercors (Grotte de Choranche) et couvrant les 400 dernières années.Un enregistrement composite de l’intensité de fluorescence et du d18O a été créé à partir de trois spéléothèmes du massif des Bauges (salle du Précieux, réseau Garde-Cavale) se recoupant sur les derniers 6000 ans, et a permis l’interprétation des variations du paléoenvironnement. Celles-ci montrent une réponse de l’environnement aux forçages climatiques, basculant vers un forçage anthropique au cours du temps.Cette étude démontre qu’il est possible d’obtenir un enregistrement haute-résolution de l’histoire des sols à l’échelle de la période Holocène par l’utilisation de la FPS. Le couplage avec des proxies organiques plus informatifs a cependant montré la limite de l’utilisation de ces derniers, due à leur manque de robustesse. La combinaison du signal de FPS avec le d18O des spéléothèmes a tout de même permis de réaliser une interprétation des variations environnementales durant l’Holocène. Celle-ci pourrait être améliorée en intégrant d’autres traceurs inorganiques (terres rares, éléments traces) qui n’ont pu être analysés durant cette thèse. / This thesis aims to demonstrate the interest of speleothems as pedologic archives to reconstruct high resolution soil history during the Holocene. Experimental study was applied to test proxies robustness as environmental tracers. These robust tracers are used to reconstruct environmental evolution in the Bauges Massif during the last 6000 years.Organic matter (OM) d13C (tracer of OM dynamic in soils) and lipids (tracers of source contributors) were analyzed complementary to the d13C of calcite. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) were used as a “probe” to understand organic molecular transport from soils, and to record past natural and anthropogenic combustions. Attention was paid on the optimization of extraction method in order to obtain a temporal resolution suitable for environmental issues. Results obtained are not workable because of their lack of robustness attributed to analytical issues (d13COM, lipids), to speleothem water feeding type (PAH), or to site-specific effect (d13C).OM semi-quantitative and qualitative variations were recorded at high resolution using the solid-phase fluorescence (SPF) analysis. A protocol was developed to quantify the fluorescence intensity obtained with SPF. Liquid-phase fluorescence intensity of soil and stalagmite OM extracts was coupled with high resolution SPF using a non linear model. OM fluxes record was obtained for a stalagmite-test from the Vercors Massif (last 400 years).A composite record of SPF intensity and d18O was created from 3 stalagmites from the Bauges Massif (Précieux room, Garde-Cavale system), spanning the last 6000 years. It enabled the interpretation of paleoenvironmental variations which shows a change from a climatic to anthropogenic control.This study shows that SPF is a reliable tool to record soil history during Holocene with high resolution. However, organic proxies coupling highlights the limit of their use, induced by a weak robustness. Combination of SPF and d18O enabled to reconstruct environmental variations during the Holocene. This interpretation could be improved by integrating other proxies such as rare earths or trace elements, which could not have been tested during this work due to experimental issues.

O presente estudo foi desenvolvido em uma turfeira localizada no baixo curso do rio Ribeira de Iguape, Litoral Sul de São Paulo com o objetivo de reconstituir os paleoambientes e as possíveis variações ambientais ocorridas na área por meio da análise de palinomorfos e das características dos sedimentos do testemunho de sondagem de 520 cm de profundidade. A análise de bio e geoindicadores permitiu reconstituir parte da história de evolução sedimentar holocênica da área. Para isso a análise foi fundamentada sob o ponto de vista da biogeografia, envolvendo a interpretação e correlação entre as variáveis: sedimentológicas, espongológica, foraminíferos, palinológicas e isótopos de 13C. Antes de 7.300 anos cal AP as características sedimentológicas evidenciam o início da sedimentação da planície de inundação onde foi depositado espículas de esponjas continentais de O. navicella, é provável que o aporte de água doce na área de estudo tenha causado o desaparecimento de espécies de foraminíferos, tecamebas e ostracodes pela dissolução das carapaças em águas com pH ácidos, o mesmo aporte que pode ter lixiviado o material polínico, pois os sedimentos são arenosos. Os elementos isotópicos com valores de -27,6 evidenciam que a matéria orgânica é de origem fluvial. Por volta de 7.300 anos AP (fácies 430 cm) o NRM cruzou o zero pela primeira vez no Holoceno. Essa interpretação é corroborada pela chegada de espículas de origem marinha nos sedimentos. Além disso, no nível de 430 cm observa-se redução da concentração de esponjas de água doce. Os valores de 13C - 25,9 indicam que a origem da matéria orgânica é mista. Entre 7.200 e 6.430 anos cal AP ocorreu novamente uma rápida regressão do NRM verificado pela presença frequente de esponjas continentais e raríssima presença de espículas marinhas. A área era colonizada por plantas típicas de ambientes sob influência marinha e fluvial como Asteraceae, Poaceae, Araceae, Begoniaceae, Ulmaceae, Arecaceae Bactris sp. (encontrada em áreas alagadas e/ou FPa). Antes de 6.430 anos cal AP ocorre o início da segunda e mais duradoura fase de transgressão marinha caracterizada pela espongofácies marinha e pela queda nas porcentagens de todos os táxons polínicos. O pico da transgressão ocorre antes de 5.124 anos cal AP nesse momento foi depositado material espicular marinho e continental evidenciando o ambiente estuarino, onde plantas herbáceas adaptadas a esse ambiente ainda colonizavam essa área com concentrações como Amaranthaceae. Posteriormente, o NRM decai lentamente chegando ao nível zero atual, aqui as porcentagens de espículas marinhas decaem paulatinamente até a profundidade de 225 cm. Por volta de 3.200 anos cal AP (médias das idades de 145 cm) o ambiente já se comportava como um pântano, há aumento na concentração de Bignoneaceae (Tabebuia), Cluseaceae (Clusia) e novamente Amaranthaceae sugerem a colonização de FPa. Plantas do gênero Tabebuia sp. destacam-se por se agruparem em áreas alagadas. Posteriormente, o aumento significativo nas concentrações polínicas de todos os táxons, principalmente dos indicadores de FPaT, indicam o desenvolvimento dessa formação vegetal. Devido à complexidade desse ambiente por causa de sua morfodinâmica há necessidade de cuidados na interpretação dos resultados, pois os registros de mega-eventos podem ser confundidos, mascarar ou levar as interpretações paleoambientais inadequadas. Por isso, o uso de multiindicadores e o conhecimento dos processos mostraram-se fundamentais e foi possível obter uma excelente resposta. / This study was developed in a peat bog located on the lower course of Ribeira river, South Coast of Sao Paulo, in order to reconstruct the paleoenvironments and possible environmental changes occurred in the area through analysis of palynomorphs and the characteristics of the sediments drill core depth of 520 cm. The analysis of bio and geoindicators allowed to reconstruct a part of the history of the Holocene sedimentary evolution of the area. The analysis was based on the point of view of Biogeography, involving the interpretation and correlation between variables: sedimentological, belong sponge, foraminifera, pollen and 13C isotopes. Before 7300 cal years BP the sediment characteristics show the beginning of sedimentation of the floodplain where it was deposited spicules of sponges continental O. navicella, it is likely that the freshwater inflow in the study area has caused the disappearance of species of foraminifera, ostracods and thecamoebian by dissolving the shells in waters with acidic pH, the same approach that may have leached the pollen material, because the sediments are sandy. The isotopic elements with values of -27.6 show that the organic matter is of fluvial origin. Around 7300 years BP (430 cm depth) NRM crossed zero for the first time in the Holocene. This interpretation is corroborated by the presence of spicules in the sediments of marine origin. Furthermore, at the level of 430 cm was observed a reduction of the concentration of freshwater sponges. 13C values of -25.9 indicate that the source of the organic matter is mixed. From 7200 until 6430 years cal AP occurred a rapid regression of NRM verified by the frequent presence of continental sponges and extremely rare presence of marine spicules. The area was colonized by plants typical of marine and fluvial environments under influence like Asteraceae, Poaceae, Araceae, Begoniaceae, Ulmaceae, Arecaceae Bactris sp. (found in flooded and / or FPa areas). Before 6430 years cal AP occurred the beginning of the second and more lasting phase of marine transgression characterized by marine espongofácies and for the decreased in percentages of all pollen taxa. The peak transgression occurs before 5124 years cal AP, when was deposited marine and continental espicular materials evidencing the estuarine environment, where herbaceous plants adapted to this environment yet colonized this area with concentrations as Amaranthaceae. Subsequently, the NRM decays slowly coming to the current zero level. Here the percentages of marine spicules decay gradually to a depth of 225 cm. Around 3200 cal years BP (mean ages of 145 cm) the environment has behaved like a swamp, there is an increase in the concentration of Bignoneaceae (Tabebuia), Cluseaceae (Clusia) and again Amaranthaceae suggest colonization of FPa. The genus Tabebuia sp. stands out for getting together in wetlands. Later, the significant increase in the pollen concentrations of all taxa, especially indicators of WPF, indicates the development of this plant formation. Due to the complexity of this environment because of their morphodynamics, caution is necessary in interpreting of the results because the records of megaevents can be confused, to mask or take inadequate paleoenvironmental interpretations. Therefore, the use of multi-indicators and the knowledge of the process were essentials and it was possible to obtain excellent response.

Palynological analyses of 13 samples from two sediment cores retrieved from the Sabrina Coast, East Antarctica, provide the first information regarding the paleovegetation within the Aurora Subglacial Basin. The assemblages, hereafter referred to as the Sabrina Flora, are dominated by angiosperms, with complexes of Gambierina (G.) rudata and G. edwardsii representing 38–66% of the assemblage and an abundant and diverse Proteaceae component. The Sabrina Flora also includes Battenipollis sectilis, Forcipites sp. and Nothofagidites spp. (mostly belonging to the N. cf. rocaensis-flemingii complex), along with a few fern spores, including Laevigatosporites ovatus, a moderate presence of conifers, and previously undescribed morphospecies, two of which are described herein. A majority of the assemblage is interpreted as deposited contemporaneously with sedimentation, including Gambierina spp., which is traditionally assigned a Cretaceous–earliest Eocene age range. However, our age diagnosis for the Sabrina Flora, based on key morphospecies, indicates that sediment was most likely deposited between the latest Paleocene to possibly early–middle Eocene, if Gambierina rudata and G. edwardsii extended longer than previously thought. Additionally, we observed abundant dinoflagellate cysts of Campanian age. The absence of typical Paleocene–middle Eocene dinoflagellate cysts suggests that strata recovered were fluvial-dominated or proximal marine, with a major contribution of reworking of Campanian marine sediment. This study adds to the available East Antarctic palynological data and provides information on regional differences along the East Antarctic margin, as well as with southern Australia. The pollen diversity and the large relative abundance of Gambierina spp., along with the rarity of Nothofagidities spp., (fusca group), and the lack of megathermal elements (e.g., Arecaceae) separate the Sabrina Flora from those of other East Antarctic margin and southern Australian basin sites.

Geological Society of China Cenozoic climatic and environmental changes in the arid Asian interior, and their possible relations with global climatic changes and the Tibetan Plateau uplift, have been intensively investigated and debated over past decades. Here we present 40-Myr (million years)-long n-alkane records from a continuous Cenozoic sediment sequence in the Dahonggou Section, Qaidam Basin, northern Tibetan Plateau, to infer environmental changes in the northern basin. A set of n-alkane indexes, including ACL, CPI and Paq, vary substantially and consistently throughout the records, which are interpreted to reflect relative contributions from terrestrial vascular plants vs. aquatic macrophytes, and thus indicate depositional environments. ACL values vary between 21 and 30; CPI values range from 1.0 to 8.0; and Paq values change from <0.1 to 0.8 over the past 40-Myr. We have roughly identified two periods, at 25.8–21.0 Ma (million years ago) and 13.0–17.5 Ma, with higher ACL and CPI and lower Paq values indicating predominant lacustrine environments. Lower ACL and CPI values, together with higher Paq values, occurred at >25.8 Ma, 17.5–21.0 Ma, and <13.0 Ma, corresponding to alluvial fan/river deltaic deposits and shallow lacustrine settings, consistent with the observed features in sedimentological facies. The inferred Cenozoic environmental changes in the northern Qaidam Basin appear to correspond to global climatic changes.

No description available.