Search results for "Steppe"
showing 10 items of 71 documents
Vegetation and climate record from Abric Romaní (Capellades, northeast Iberia) during the Upper Pleistocene (MIS 5d−3)
2019
This study addresses the pollen record of Abric Romani archaeological site and the climate evolution of the last interglacial and glacial stadials in the Iberian Peninsula. The new pollen record spans the interval from 110,000 to 55,000 years ago. In general, the glacial/stadial vegetation is characterized by a steppe and herbaceous communities indicating dry and cold climatic conditions, whereas the vegetation optimum of past interglacials can be described as pine-oaks with mediterranean forest indicating milder and moister climatic conditions. During the first half of the MIS 5a and the MIS 5c, the region was warmer, which is characterized by temperate forests. However, the existence of A…
Images of camels on a mammoth tusk from West Siberia
2020
International audience; This study introduces the engravings on a mammoth tusk from the lower reaches of the Tom River in WestSiberia. The tusk was found in 1988 during construction works and was later transferred to the Tomsk StateUniversity, but it remained almost unknown to specialists until now. Radiocarbon dating by AMS reported theage of the tusk as 13,100–13,005 Сal BP (95% confidence level). The surface of the tusk is engraved with imagesof two-humped camels arranged in two pairs. In addition, arrows and wounds within the contours of the animalscan be seen. The comparative analysis of the stylistic features of the camel figures shows that they correspond tothe age of the tusk itself, …
Genomic transformation and social organization during the Copper Age–Bronze Age transition in southern Iberia
2021
Description
Cooling and societal change during the Late Antique Little Ice Age from 536 to around 660 AD
2016
Societal upheaval occurred across Eurasia in the sixth and seventh centuries. Tree-ring reconstructions suggest a period of pronounced cooling during this time associated with several volcanic eruptions. Climatic changes during the first half of the Common Era have been suggested to play a role in societal reorganizations in Europe1,2 and Asia3,4. In particular, the sixth century coincides with rising and falling civilizations1,2,3,4,5,6, pandemics7,8, human migration and political turmoil8,9,10,11,12,13. Our understanding of the magnitude and spatial extent as well as the possible causes and concurrences of climate change during this period is, however, still limited. Here we use tree-ring…
Different parts of the same plants. Charcoals and seeds from Cova de les Cendres (Alicante, Spain)
2018
Abstract The analysis of archaeobotanical macroremains from Cova de les Cendres (Teulada-Moraira, Alicante, Spain) allows a better understanding of the dynamic of the vegetation during the Upper Palaeolithic in the region. The anthracological sequence shows that Pinus type nigra/sylvestris dominates in the area during the Upper Palaeolithic, while more open formations of Juniperus and Fabaceae spread in Upper Solutrean and Early-Middle Magdalenian. The carpological analysis that has been carried out in the Middle Magdalenian level has brought to light different species of Juniperus (J. sabina, J. communis and J. oxycedrus). This information indicates that during the period, Cova de les Cend…
Phylogeographic patterns of steppe species in Eastern Central Europe: a review and the implications for conservation
2016
The phylogeography of species associated with European steppes and extrazonal xeric grasslands is poorly understood. This paper summarizes the results of recent studies on the phylogeography and conservation genetics of animals (20 taxa of beetles, butterflies, reptiles and rodents) and flowering plants (18 taxa) of such, "steppic" habitats in Eastern Central Europe. Most species show a similar phylogeographic pattern: relatively high genetic similarity within regional groups of populations and moderate-to-high genetic distinctiveness of populations from currently isolated regions located in the studied area. This distinctiveness of populations suggests a survival here during glacial maxima…
Classification of steppe vegetation in the eastern Pamir Alai and southwestern Tian-Shan Mountains (Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan)
2018
Aims: To complete the syntaxonomical scheme for the steppe vegetation of the montane and alpine zones in the Pamir Alai and southwestern Tian-Shan Mountains in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan with some remarks on its environmental predictors. Location: Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Methods: A total of 274 relevés were sampled in 2016–2017 using the seven-degree cover-abundance scale of Braun-Blanquet. They were classified with modified TWINSPAN with cut-off levels of 0%, 5%, 10% and 25% and total inertia as a measure of cluster heterogeneity. Diagnostic species were identified using the phi coefficient as a fidelity measure. Detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) and canonical correspondence analys…
Can vegetation provide indications of ancient lake shorelines after more than one hundred years? A case study of Iskander-kul Lake, Tajikistan
2017
Abstract Bioindication is a common approach to assess and evaluate environmental changes over both short or long periods of time. Here we attempt to highlight that vegetation can provide indications of the palaeoshoreline of Lake Iskander-kul, even after at least 150 years. It is an example of a dammed lake that was created by a huge mass rockfall as a result of a strong earthquake during the late Pleistocene. Applying the two way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN) we found that the shrubby vegetation is the particular one that can still effectively thrive along the palaeoshoreline despite the lake downlift. Using the phi coefficient as a fidelity measure for certain vegetation type, we …
Vegetation of feather grass steppes in the western Pamir Alai Mountains (Tajikistan, Middle Asia)
2016
Aims: To propose the first syntaxonomical scheme for the graminoid steppe vegetation of the montane and alpine zones in the Pamir-Alai Mts. in Tajikistan with some remarks on its environmental gradients. Location: Tajikistan. Methods: A total of 155 relevés were sampled in 2015 using the seven-degree cover-abundance scale of Braun-Blanquet and subsequently 148 of these relevés were selected and classified by the modified TWINSPAN method using the four step interval scale with cutoff levels of 0%, 5%, 10% and 25% and total inertia as a measure of cluster heterogeneity. Diagnostic species were identified using the phi coefficient as a fidelity measure. The detrended correspondance analysis wa…
Scale- and taxon-dependent patterns of plant diversity in steppes of Khakassia, South Siberia (Russia)
2016
The drivers of plant richness at fine spatial scales in steppe ecosystems are still not sufficiently understood. Our main research questions were: (i) How rich in plant species are the natural steppes of Southern Siberia compared to natural and semi-natural grasslands in other regions of the Palaearctic? (ii) What are the main environmental drivers of the diversity patterns in these steppes? (iii) What are the diversity-environment relationships and do they vary between spatial scales and among different taxonomic groups? We sampled the steppe vegetation (vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens) in Khakassia (Russia) with 39 nested-plot series (0.0001-100-m(2) plot size) and 54 additional 1…