TY - JOUR
T1 - Environmental conditions framing the first evidence of modern humans at Tam Pà Ling, Laos
T2 - A stable isotope record from terrestrial gastropod carbonates
AU - Milano, Stefania
AU - Demeter, Fabrice
AU - Hublin, Jean Jacques
AU - Duringer, Philippe
AU - Patole-Edoumba, Elise
AU - Ponche, Jean Luc
AU - Shackelford, Laura
AU - Boesch, Quentin
AU - Houng, Nguyen Thi Mai
AU - Lan, Luu Thi Phoung
AU - Duangthongchit, Somoh
AU - Sayavonkhamdy, Thongsa
AU - Sichanthongtip, Phonephanh
AU - Sihanam, Daovee
AU - Souksavatdy, Viengkeo
AU - Westaway, Kira
AU - Bacon, Anne Marie
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors acknowledge the Authorities of the Department of National Heritage, Ministry of Information and Culture in Vientiane, Laos, for their authorization to work at Tam Pa Ling since 2009. This research was supported by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism of Lao PDR, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA, the UPR2147 (CNRS, Paris), UMR7206 (MNHN, Paris), UMR5288 (AMIS), the UMR7516 (University of Strasbourg) and the Department of Human Evolution (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig). The authors thank Frank Sénégas (CR2P, UMR 7207, Sorbonne Universités - MNHN - CNRS – UMPC) for his contribution in the analysis of the microvertebrate remains from Tam Pà Ling and Dr. Barna Páll-Gergely for sharing his expertise on C. massiei taxonomy and ecology. The authors thank Dr. Paul Butler and two anonymous reviewers for providing constructive comments in the reviewing process.
Funding Information:
The authors acknowledge the Authorities of the Department of National Heritage, Ministry of Information and Culture in Vientiane, Laos, for their authorization to work at Tam Pa Ling since 2009. This research was supported by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism of Lao PDR, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA, the UPR2147 (CNRS, Paris), UMR7206 (MNHN, Paris), UMR5288 (AMIS), the UMR7516 (University of Strasbourg) and the Department of Human Evolution (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig). The authors thank Frank S?n?gas (CR2P, UMR 7207, Sorbonne Universit?s - MNHN - CNRS ? UMPC) for his contribution in the analysis of the microvertebrate remains from Tam P? Ling and Dr. Barna P?ll-Gergely for sharing his expertise on C. massiei taxonomy and ecology. The authors thank Dr. Paul Butler and two anonymous reviewers for providing constructive comments in the reviewing process.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2018/12/15
Y1 - 2018/12/15
N2 - Mainland Southeast Asia is a key region to interpret modern human migrations; however, due to a scarcity of terrestrial proxies, environmental conditions are not well understood. This study focuses on the Tam Pà Ling cave site in northeast Laos, which contains the oldest evidence for modern humans in Indochina, dating back to MIS 4 (70 ± 8 ka). Snail remains of Camaena massiei found throughout the stratigraphic sequence contain a valuable oxygen and carbon isotope record of past local vegetation and humidity changes. Our data indicate that before the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), northeast Laos was characterized by a humid climate and forested environments. With the onset of the LGM, a major climatic shift occurred, inducing a sharp decrease in precipitation and a significant decline in woodland habitats in favor of the expansion to more open landscapes. Only during the Holocene did forests return in northeast Laos, resembling present conditions. The first Homo sapiens arriving in Indochina therefore encountered landscapes dominated by woodlands with a minor proportion of open habitats.
AB - Mainland Southeast Asia is a key region to interpret modern human migrations; however, due to a scarcity of terrestrial proxies, environmental conditions are not well understood. This study focuses on the Tam Pà Ling cave site in northeast Laos, which contains the oldest evidence for modern humans in Indochina, dating back to MIS 4 (70 ± 8 ka). Snail remains of Camaena massiei found throughout the stratigraphic sequence contain a valuable oxygen and carbon isotope record of past local vegetation and humidity changes. Our data indicate that before the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), northeast Laos was characterized by a humid climate and forested environments. With the onset of the LGM, a major climatic shift occurred, inducing a sharp decrease in precipitation and a significant decline in woodland habitats in favor of the expansion to more open landscapes. Only during the Holocene did forests return in northeast Laos, resembling present conditions. The first Homo sapiens arriving in Indochina therefore encountered landscapes dominated by woodlands with a minor proportion of open habitats.
KW - Land snails
KW - Late Pleistocene
KW - Oxygen and carbon stable isotopes
KW - Paleoenvironment
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U2 - 10.1016/j.palaeo.2018.08.020
DO - 10.1016/j.palaeo.2018.08.020
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85053086264
SN - 0031-0182
VL - 511
SP - 352
EP - 363
JO - Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology
JF - Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology
ER -