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Humans and the Pleistocene Megafaunal Extinction

Humans and the Pleistocene Megafaunal Extinction. Kelsey T. Stilson. Cultural and Climate Revolution. Migrations change both humans and the ecosystem. Novel System. Stepped Global Extinction Events.

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Humans and the Pleistocene Megafaunal Extinction

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  1. Humans and the Pleistocene Megafaunal Extinction Kelsey T. Stilson

  2. Cultural and Climate Revolution • Migrations change both humans and the ecosystem. Novel System

  3. Stepped Global Extinction Events Barnosky, AD; Koch, PL; Feranec, RS; Wing, SL; Shabel, AB. Assessing the causes of late Pleistocene extinctions on the continents. Science (New York, N.Y.) 2004 Oct 1; 306(5693): 70-5.

  4. North America • American Horse, Mammoths, Mastodons, Lions, Cheetahs, Giant Ground Sloths, Camels, Glyptodonts, Indricotheres, Saber-toothed cat, Dire wolves, Peccaries, Tapirs… • Exceptions

  5. Why do we look at Megafauna? • Megafauna = 44+ kg (100 lbs) • Early indicators of climate change! =

  6. Cenozoic ANTARCTIC REGLACIATION ANTARCTIC GLACIATION MEGAFAUNAL EXTINCTION THERMAL MAXIMUM ANTARCTIC THAWING

  7. Human Influence 16 Ka • Overkill (Blitzkreig) Hypothesis: Paleoindians hunted the megafauna to extinction (Paul Martin) • Timing is right, but the evidence is limited for complete human responsibility. Too few taxa Few kill sites • ‘Sitzkrieg’ Hypothesis: other ways humans alter the environment (Jared Diamond) 15 - 13 Ka

  8. Other Predators

  9. Hyperdisease • Brought over by humans or dogs with the migration over beringia. • Extremely deadly • This would require the virus or bacteria to ‘jump’ between different Orders, something that has never been observed in modern biology.

  10. Bolide Impact

  11. Guthrie, Dale R. New carbon dates link climatic change with human colonization and Pleistocene extinctions. Nature Vo. 441. Issue 7090 p.207

  12. Implications for the Future Overkill, Over-chill, Over-ill… • Humans today affect the ecosystem, how far back does this go? • Depends on culture • How will we change as we change our environment?

  13. Thank You! Special thanks to Professor Mark Carey, Professor Sam Hopkins, and Dr. Edward Davis

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