Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca 3, 09002, Burgos, Spain.
Institute of Geography, University of Cologne, 50923, Cologne, Germany.
Sci Rep. 2022 Apr 28;12(1):6907. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-10642-w.
The time period between 560 and 360 ka (MIS14 to MIS11) was critical for the evolution of the Neanderthal lineage and the appearance of Levallois technology in Europe. The shifts in the distribution of the human populations, driven by cyclical climate changes, are generally accepted to have played major roles in both processes. We used a dataset of palaeoclimate maps and a species distribution model to reconstruct the changes in the area of Western Europe with suitable environmental conditions for humans during 11 time intervals of the MIS14 to MIS 11 period. Eventually, the maximum sustainable human population within the suitable area during each time interval was estimated by extrapolating the relationship observed between recent hunter-gatherer population density and net primary productivity and applying it to the past. Contrary to common assumptions, our results showed the three Mediterranean Peninsulas were not the only region suitable for humans during the glacial periods. The estimated total sustainable population of Western Europe from MIS14 to MIS11 oscillated between 13,000 and 25,000 individuals. These results offer a new theoretical scenario to develop models and hypotheses to explain cultural and biological evolution during the Middle Pleistocene in Western Europe.
560 至 360ka（MIS14 至 MIS11）期间是尼安德特人谱系进化和欧洲出现勒瓦娄哇技术的关键时期。受周期性气候变化驱动的人类种群分布的变化，普遍被认为在这两个过程中都发挥了重要作用。我们使用古气候图数据集和物种分布模型，在 11 个 MIS14 到 MIS11 时期的时间间隔内，重建了欧洲西部适合人类生存的环境条件变化的区域。最终，通过外推最近狩猎采集者人口密度与净初级生产力之间的关系，并将其应用于过去，估计了每个时间间隔内适合区域内的最大可持续人口数量。与普遍的假设相反，我们的结果表明，在冰河时期，三个地中海半岛并不是唯一适合人类居住的地区。从 MIS14 到 MIS11 期间，西欧的估计总可持续人口在 13000 到 25000 人之间波动。这些结果为发展模型和假设提供了一个新的理论情景，以解释欧洲西部中更新世的文化和生物进化。
