Stable Isotope Analysis of Archaeological and Modern Micromammals from the Greater
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Stable Isotope Analysis of Archaeological and Modern Micromammals from the Greater Cape Floristic Region near Pinnacle Point, on the South Coast of South Africa by Hope Marie Williams A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Approved November 2015 by the Graduate Supervisory Committee: Curtis W. Marean, Co-Chair Kelly J. Knudson, Co-Chair Kaye Reed ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY December 2015 ABSTRACT The Middle Stone Age archaeological record from the south coast of South Africa contains significant evidence for early modern human behavior. The south coast is within the modern Greater Cape Floristic Region (GCFR), which in the present-day encompasses the entirety of South Africa’s Winter Rainfall Zone (WRZ) and contains unique vegetation elements that have been hypothesized to be of high utility to hunter- gatherer populations. Extant paleoenvironmental proxy records for the Pleistocene in the region often indicate evidence for more open environments during the past than occur in the area in the present-day, while climate models suggest glacial presence of the WRZ that would support maintenance of C3-predominant GCFR vegetation. These paleoenvironmental proxies sample past environments at geographic scales that are often regional. The GCFR flora is hyper-diverse, and glacial climate change- driven impacts on local vegetation could have been highly variable over relatively small geographic scales. Proxy records that are circumscribed in their geographic scale are thus key to our understanding of ancient environments at particular MSA archaeological localities. Micromammal fossil teeth are now recognized as an abundant potential reservoir of paleoenvironmental proxy data at an extremely local scale. This study analyzed modern micromammal teeth obtained from raptor pellets at three locations on the south coast. Stable carbon isotope analysis indicates that the modern micromammals from the 13 taxa sampled consume a wide range of δ Cplant on the landscape when it is available, and thus stable carbon isotope analysis of micromammal teeth should act as a proxy for the 13 range of available δ Cdiet in a circumscribed area of vegetation. i Micromammal stable carbon isotope data obtained from specimens from one of the few well-dated MIS6-MIS5 sequences in the region (Pinnacle Point sites 13B, 30, and 13 9C). δ Cenamel values for the taxa sampled indicate diets that are primarily C3, and there is almost no evidence for a dietary C4 grass component in any of the sampled specimens. This indicates that, at a minimum, pockets of C3 vegetation associated with the GCFR were likely available to hunter-gatherers at Pinnacle Point throughout the Middle and Late Pleistocene. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Data collection for this dissertation was supported by a grant from Late Lessons from Early History; a School of Human Evolution and Social Change (SHESC) Graduate Research Award; and a SHESC dissertation writing fellowship. Destructive analysis permits that enabled that isotope analysis of specimens were granted by the South African Heritage Resource Agency (SAHRA Export permits 80/12/03/012/52; 80/12/03/013/52; 80/12/03/014/52) I would first like to thank my committee for their invaluable support during the data collection and writing process. The archaeological and fossil micromammal specimens analyzed were collected as a part of a truly massive research endeavor headed by C.W. Marean, the South African Coast Paleoclimate, Paleoenvironment, Paleoecology, Paleoanthropology Project (SACP4). Various SACP4 scientists and staff have provided advice, data, and logistical support over the years. I would like to thank the SACP4 crew for their invaluable assistance, and without whom none of the archaeological material would be available for analysis. I also thank Bettina Gennari for her laboratory and catalogue assistance at the Diaz Museum. Thalassa Matthews provided modern owl pellets (collected by herself, N. Baker, and J. Sharples, and by Cape Nature) for sampling. She also provided advice and comments on the interpretation of the micromammal material. Erich Fisher provided the data from the coastline portion of the Paleoscape Model for the South Coast, and Kerstin Braun kindly shared δ13C data from unpublished Pinnacle Point speleothem. The unpublished large fauna stable isotope data presented in iii Chapter 4 was generously provided by Julia Lee-Thorp. Thalassa Matthews and Julia Lee-Thorp also provided comments, corrections and edits to earlier drafts of Chapter 4. Alexandra Miller, Andrew Sommerville, and Anthony Michaud provided advice and assistance with the sample preparation and data collection of the Wilderness and Wolwe River modern micromammal data; Kelly Knudson provided laboratory space and training in the Archaeological Chemistry Laboratory (Arizona State University). David Dettman and the Environmental Isotope Laboratory in the Department of Geosciences performed the instrumental analysis of the Rein’s Nature Reserve modern sample. I also thank Benjamin Passey and Naomi Levin for access to and training on the LA-GC-IRMS at Johns Hopkins University, and to Heather Williams for logistical support in Baltimore. Andrew Jackson helpfully answered several cold e-mails about the use of SIAR in single isotope systems. Curtis Marean, Kerstin Braun, Erich Fisher, Alastair Potts, Simen Oestmo, Ben Schoville, Amy Rector, Kaye Reed, Kyle Brown, Jocelyn Bernatchez, and countless others provided stimulating discussion over the years about the archaeology and paleoecology of the Pinnacle Point region. Kyle Miaso, Jeremy Heartberg, Stephanie Vallentine, Sarah Lansing, and Elisabeth Cully are to be thanked for their encouragement and pep talks. Finally, I would like to thank my mother Brenda Williams, my father Steve Williams, and my sister Heather Williams for all of their love and encouragement throughout this process. Last, but most certainly not least, Chris Vitch provided endless support, love, and perspective through the writing of this dissertation, for which I am truly grateful. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................... xviii LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................... xxiv CHAPTER 1. BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH ........................................................... 1 2. ISOTOPE ECOLOGY OF THE MODERN GREATER CAPE FLORISTIC REGION, WITH PARTICULAR FOCUS ON THE PINNACLE POINT AREA: METADATA ANALYSIS OF THE MODERN FLORAL STABLE CARBON ISOTOPE RECORD AND THE PRODUCTION OF THE GCFR-SPECIFIC STABLE CARON ISOTOPE METADATA SET (GSCIMS). ............................ 16 Summary of GSCIMS Metadata:........................................................ 24 GCFR C3 Plants: ................................................................................. 24 GCFR C4 ............................................................................................. 32 GCFR CAM and FCAM Plants .......................................................... 33 GSCIMS-Hypothesized Variability in the Range of Stable Carbon Isotope Plant Tissue Values Available in Different Southern Cape Vegetation Communities .................................................................... 35 Summary of Available GSCIMS Data for the Major Vegetation Groups Proximate to Pinnacle Point ................................................... 39 North Langeberg Sandstone Fynbos ................................................... 39 South Langeberg Sandstone Fynbos ................................................... 41 v CHAPTER Page North Outeniqua Sandstone Fynbos ................................................... 41 South Outeniqua Sandstone Fynbos ................................................... 43 Albertinia Sand Fynbos....................................................................... 45 Knysna Sand Fynbos........................................................................... 46 Garden Route Shale Fynbos................................................................ 47 Swellendam Silcrete Fynbos ............................................................... 47 Garden Route Granite Fynbos ............................................................ 50 Canca Limestone Fynbos .................................................................... 51 Eastern Ruens Shale Renosterveld...................................................... 52 Mossel Bay Shale Renosterveld.......................................................... 53 Uniondale Shale Renosterveld ............................................................ 53 Langkloof Shale Renosterveld ............................................................ 56 Grootbrak Dune Strandveld ................................................................ 57 Southern Cape Dune Fynbos .............................................................. 57 Southern Afrotemperate Forest ........................................................... 57 Conclusions ......................................................................................... 61 3. ISOTOPE ECOLOGY OF THE MODERN GREATER CAPE FLORISTIC REGION: THE MODERN MICROMAMMAL RECORD, WITH PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO NEW PINNACLE-POINT AREA- PROXIMATE DATA. .......................................................................................... 70 Introduction ......................................................................................... 70