Paleoecology of Beringia (eBook)

Front Cover 1
Paleoecology of Beringia 4
Copyright Page 5
Table of Contents 6
CONTRIBUTORS 10
PREFACE 12
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 14
PART 1: 
16 
CHAPTER 1. ASPECTS OF THE PALEOGEOGRAPHY OF BERINGIA DURING THE LATE PLEISTOCENE 18
INTRODUCTION 18
NOMENCLATURE 19
SEA-LEVEL HISTORY 26
EXTENT OF GLACIATION 30
AEOLIAN DEPOSITS 30
A SYNTHESIS 41
EPILOG 43
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 43
CHAPTER 2. EVOLUTION OF LOWLAND LANDSCAPES IN NORTHEASTERN ASIA DURING LATE QUATERNARY TIME 44
PART 2: ANCIENT VEGETATION–THE FOSSIL RECORD 54
CHAPTER 3. COMPARISON OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF TUNDRA-STEPPE ENVIRONMENTS IN WEST AND EAST BERINGIA: POLLEN AND MACROFOSSIL EVIDENCE FROM KEY SECTIONS 57
INTRODUCTION 58
METHODS 59
GEOGRAPHICAL AND VEGETATION SETTING 59
KOLYMA BASIN SITES 62
EAST BERINGIA 79
DISCUSSION 84
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 87
CHAPTER 4. VEGETATIONAL HISTORY OF WESTERN ALASKA DURING THE WISCONSIN GLACIAL INTERVAL AND THE HOLOCENE 89
INTRODUCTION 90
METHODS 90
REGIONAL SETTING 90
CLIMATE 93
FLORA AND VEGETATION 93
INGAKSLUGWAT HILLS POLLEN RECORD 94
ST. MICHAEL ISLAND POLLEN RECORD 97
VEGETATIONAL INTERPRETATIONS 100
BRISTOL BAY 102
OTHER POLLEN RECORDS FROM WESTERN ALASKA 104
COMMENTS ON THE BERINGIAN "ARCTIC STEPPE 106
CHAPTER 5. LATE PLEISTOCENE VEGETATION OF EASTERN BERINGIA: POLLEN ANALYSIS OF DATED ALLUVIUM 109
INTRODUCTION 109
METHODS 110
SAMPLE SITES 113
DISCUSSION 121
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 126
CHAPTER 6. THE LATE QUATERNARY VEGETATION OF THE NORTH YUKON 127
INTRODUCTION 128
THE NORTHERN YUKON POLLEN STRATIGRAPHIC RECORD 128
INTERPRETATION OF THE EVIDENCE 131
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 140
CHAPTER 7. EAST BERINGIA DURING LATE WISCONSIN TIME: A REVIEW OF THE BIOTIC EVIDENCE 141
INTRODUCTION 142
POLLEN RECORD IN EAST BERINGIA 142
PLANT AND INSECT MACROFOSSILS 147
THE VERTEBRATE FOSSIL RECORD 153
MODERN ANALOGS AND DISJUNCT DISTRIBUTIONS 158
SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION 159
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 164
PART 3: 
165 
CHAPTER 8. HISTORY OF THE STEPPE-TUNDRA CONCEPT 167
CHAPTER 9. RELICS OF THE XEROPHYTE VEGETATION OF BERINGIA IN NORTHEASTERN ASIA 171
INTRODUCTION 172
STEPPE VEGETATION AND ITS CRYOPHYTIC COUNTERPARTS 172
RELICT VEGETATION IN THE ASIAN SECTOR OF BERINGIA 173
DISCUSSION 187
HOLOCENE CHANGES 190
A FINAL COMMENT 191
CHAPTER 10. THE VEGETATION OF LAND-BRIDGE BERINGIA 193
INTRODUCTION 193
SOURCES OF INFORMATION 194
A SYNTHESIS: VEGETATION OF LAND-BRIDGE BERINGIA ON A REGIONAL BASIS 200
AFTERWORD: THE BREAK-UP OF THE LAND-BRIDGE BERINGIAN ECOSYSTEM 205
PART 4: 
207 
CHAPTER 11. APPROACHES TO RECONSTRUCTING THE CLIMATE OF THE STEPPE-TUNDRA BIOME 209
INTRODUCTION 209
PALEOECOLOGICAL EVIDENCE 210
PALEOCLIMATIC RECONSTRUCTION USING ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATION MODELS 211
EMPIRICAL STUDIES OF CIRCULATION CONDITIONS 212
REGIONAL STUDIES 213
TOPO- AND MICROCLIMATIC EFFECTS 216
TIME AND SPACE PERSPECTIVES 216
SUMMARY 217
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 218
CHAPTER 12. APPROACHES TO MATHEMATICAL MODELING OF THE STEPPE-TUNDRA PALEOCLIMATE 219
INTRODUCTION 219
THE CLIMATE SYSTEM 220
SOME ASPECTS OF LAND SURFACE PROCESSES AND THEIR EFFECTS ON REGIONAL CLIMATES 224
MODELING APPROACHES 230
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 232
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 232
PART 5: PRIMARY PRODUCTION AND THE PLEISTOCENE UNGULATES-THE PRODUCTIVITY PARADOX 233
CHAPTER 13. PRODUCTION AND DIVERSITY IN CONTEMPORARY GRASSLANDS 237
INTRODUCTION 237
PRIMARY PRODUCTION AND ITS UTILIZATION 238
DIVERSITY IN BIOTIC COMMUNITIES 245
A MODEL OF PRODUCTION AND DIVERSITY IN LARGE-HERBIVORE COMMUNITIES 251
CHAPTER 14. PRESENT-DAY ARCTIC VEGETATION AND ECOSYSTEMS AS A PREDICTIVE TOOL FOR THE ARCTIC-STEPPE MAMMOTH BIOME 255
INTRODUCTION 255
MODERN VEGETATION PATTERNS 256
PLANT BIOMASS AND NET ANNUAL PRODUCTION 260
HERBIVORE DENSITY AND VEGETATION UTILIZATION 262
ENERGY FLOW IN MODERN TUNDRA ECOSYSTEMS 264
DISCUSSION AND SUMMARY 270
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 271
CHAPTER 15. DIGESTIVE AND GRAZING STRATEGIES OF ANIMALS IN THE ARCTIC STEPPE 273
INTRODUCTION 273
MODERN ANALOGS OF LARGE PLEISTOCENE MAMMALS 273
ADAPTATIONS TO VARIATIONS IN FEED QUALITY, FEED SUPPLY AND CLIMATE 276
FORAGE QUALITY AND ITS IMPORTANCE TO RUMINANTS AND MONOGASTRICS 278
SPECULATIONS AND OBSERVATIONS 280
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 280
CHAPTER 16. PALEOECOLOGY OF THE MAMMOTH FAUNA IN THE EURASIAN ARCTIC 281
INTRODUCTION 281
ORIGIN AND COMPOSITION OF THE MAMMOTH FAUNA 282
EXTINCT SPECIES IN THE SIBERIAN ARCTIC 282
SPECIES IN THE SIBERIAN ARCTIC THAT SURVIVED THE PLEISTOCENE 288
HABITAT OF THE MAMMOTH FAUNA 291
FACTORS IN THE EXTINCTION OR SURVIVAL OF ELEMENTS OF THE MAMMOTH FAUNA 292
CHAPTER 17. MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS OF THE MAMMOTH: AN ADAPTATION TO THE ARCTIC-STEPPE ENVIRONMENT 295
INTRODUCTION 295
BODY PROPORTIONS 296
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 303
CHAPTER 18. ECOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR OF LIVING ELEPHANTS: BASES FOR ASSUMPTIONS CONCERNING THE EXTINCT WOOLLY MAMMOTHS 305
INTRODUCTION 305
EVOLUTIONARY STRATEGY OF THE ELEPHANTS 306
OBSERVED DIETS 309
OPTIMAL HABITATS 312
RESPONSES TO FLUCTUATIONS IN FOOD SUPPLY 316
SOCIAL ORGANIZATION 317
EXTINCTION OF THE MAMMOTH 319
CHAPTER 19. MALS OF THE MAMMOTH STEPPE AS PALEOENVIRONMENTAL INDICATORS 321
INTRODUCTION 321
MEGAFAUNAL ADAPTATIONS 324
MEGAFAUNAL DIVERSITY 325
PLAIDS VS. STRIPES: OR VEGETATIONAL DIVERSITY 329
SUPERLATIVES ON THE MAMMOTH STEPPE 334
SOME RUMINATIONS ON CLIMATE 336
THE DEMISE OF THE MAMMOTH STEPPE 338
MODERN ANALOGS 339
PART 6: 
341 
CHAPTER 20. LATE PLEISTOCENE MAN IN NORTHERN ALASKA AND THE MAMMOTH-STEPPE BIOME 343
CHAPTER 21. ANCIENT BERINGIANS: HUMAN OCCUPATION IN THE LATE PLEISTOCENE OF ALASKA AND THE YUKON TERRITORY 367
INTRODUCTION 368
ORGANIZATION OF THIS REPORT 370
THE EARLIEST EVIDENCE: MOSTLY BONES EX SITU 370
THE BLUEFISH CAVES: STONES AND BONES IN SITU 380
LATER EVIDENCE: MOSTLY STONES IN SITU 386
DISCUSSION 390
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 395
CHAPTER 22. WERE CLOVIS PROGENITORS IN BERINGIA? 397
INTRODUCTION 397
THE CLOVIS CULTURE 398
MAMMOTH HUNTING SITES OF THE OLD WORLD 408
THE BERINGIAN CONNECTION 409
CONCLUSIONS 410
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 412
CHAPTER 23. THE PATTERN AND MEANING OF HOLARCTIC MAMMOTH EXTINCTION 413
CHAPTER 24. ARGUING FROM THE PRESENT TO THE PAST: A CONTEMPORARY CASE STUDY OF HUMAN PREDATION ON AFRICAN BUFFALO 423
INTRODUCTION 423
THE VALLEY BISA AND NABWALYA STUDY AREA 424
A REVIEW OF BUFFALO BEHAVIOR AND ECOLOGY 426
BUFFALO BEHAVIOR AND MOVEMENTS AT NABWALYA 427
HUNTING TACTICS 428
A MODEL FOR HUMAN PREDATION 430
THE MODEL IN RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT 433
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 435
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 436
PART 7: PALEOECOLOGY OF BERINGIA – 
439 
INTRODUCTION 439
THE SCENARIO 440
THE PRODUCTIVITY PARADOX 447
LIMITATIONS ON LATE PLEISTOCENE DISPERSALS 450
MAN'S ROLE 451
REFERENCES 459
GENERAL INDEX 489
INDEX TO FAUNAL AND FLORAL TAXA 499