2023-05-17 11:45:01
Our genus Homo had to evolve in the last 3 million years to adapt to very large fluctuations in temperature and other environmental parameters. It remains unclear how early human species adapted to intensifying climatic extremes, such as ice ages, as well as large-scale changes in vegetation and other land features. Did our ancestors adapt to local environmental changes over time, or did they seek more stable environments with varied food resources? Did temporary changes in climate or type of environment influence human evolution more?
To test these fundamental hypotheses about human evolution and adaptation, the team led by Elke Zeller of the Center for Climate Physics at the Busan Institute of Basic Science in South Korea used a collection of more than 3,000 specimens. human fossils and various well-dated archaeological sites, representing six different human species, combined with realistic simulations of climate and vegetation models, spanning the last 3 million years. The scientists focused their analysis on biomes, which are geographic areas characterized by similar climates, vegetation, and animal communities (for example, savannah, tropical rainforest, or tundra).
Analysis of all this information revealed which biomes were preferred by the extinct hominin species Homo ergaster, Homo habilis, Homo erectus, Homo heidelbergensis and Homo neanderthalensis and by our direct ancestors, Homo sapiens.
The results of the analysis indicate that early African groups preferred to live in open environments, such as grasslands. Migrating into Eurasia around 1.8 million years ago, hominins, such as Homo erectus and later Homo heidelbergensis and Homo neanderthalensis, over time developed a greater tolerance for other biomes, such as temperate and boreal forests. . To survive as forest dwellers, these groups developed more advanced stone tools and probably improved their social skills as well. Finally, Homo sapiens appeared around 200,000 years ago in Africa, quickly achieving great success. Highly mobile, flexible, and competitive, our direct ancestors, unlike any other species before it, were able to survive in harsh environments such as deserts and tundra.
Artist’s impression of hominins arriving at a terrain with multiple biomes. Terrains with this diversity of biomes were preferred by early humans, according to the new study. (Illustration: Institute for Basic Science / Center for Climate Physics)
By delving into the characteristics of the preferred terrain type, the scientists discovered a significant clustering of early places with traces of human occupation in sites with high biome diversity.
“This means that our ancestors liked terrains with a wide variety of plant and animal resources in close proximity,” explains Axel Timmermann, co-author of the study and Director of the Center for Climate Physics. The results indicate that ecosystem diversity played a key role in human evolution.
The study is titled “Human adaptation to diverse biomes over the past 3 million years”. And it has been published in the academic journal Science. (Fountain: NCYT de Amazings)
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