Direct evidence for human reliance on rainforest resources in late Pleistocene Sri Lanka

Science
Patrick RobertsJulia A Lee-Thorp

Abstract

Human occupation of tropical rainforest habitats is thought to be a mainly Holocene phenomenon. Although archaeological and paleoenvironmental data have hinted at pre-Holocene rainforest foraging, earlier human reliance on rainforest resources has not been shown directly. We applied stable carbon and oxygen isotope analysis to human and faunal tooth enamel from four late Pleistocene-to-Holocene archaeological sites in Sri Lanka. The results show that human foragers relied primarily on rainforest resources from at least ~20,000 years ago, with a distinct preference for semi-open rainforest and rain forest edges. Homo sapiens' relationship with the tropical rainforests of South Asia is therefore long-standing, a conclusion that indicates the time-depth of anthropogenic reliance and influence on these habitats.

References

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Citations

Sep 18, 2016·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Masaki FujitaYousuke Kaifu
Dec 23, 2016·Evolutionary Anthropology·Patrick RobertsJay Stock
Feb 21, 2019·Nature Communications·Oshan WedagePatrick Roberts
Jul 10, 2019·Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry : RCM·Maria Ana CorreiaMarta Mirazón Lahr
Aug 16, 2017·Nature Ecology & Evolution·Patrick RobertsGlenn Summerhayes
Jul 13, 2018·Human Ecology: an Interdisciplinary Journal·Patrick RobertsUruwaruge Wainnya-Laeto
Jun 19, 2019·Nature Human Behaviour·Patrick Roberts, Brian A Stewart
Jun 26, 2020·Science Advances·Michelle C LangleyPatrick Roberts
Feb 3, 2021·Evolutionary Anthropology·Elizabeth G Veatch Jatmiko
Oct 29, 2020·Communications Biology·Madeleine BleasdalePatrick Roberts
Jan 13, 2021·Trends in Ecology & Evolution·Noel AmanoPatrick Roberts
Aug 20, 2021·Scientific Reports·Kantapon SuraprasitHervé Bocherens

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