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Large Mammal Evidence for the Paleoenvironment of the Upper Laetolil and Upper Ndolanya Beds of Laetoli, Tanzania

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Paleontology and Geology of Laetoli: Human Evolution in Context

Part of the book series: Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology Series ((VERT))

Abstract

There has been much debate on the environment of Pliocene Laetoli. These disagreements reflect the complexity of the paleoenvironment and the difficulties in reconciling contradictory evidence. In this paper, the community structure of the large mammal fauna at Laetoli is compared to that of modern faunal communities and the relative abundances of bovid tribes are examined. The results of these analyses are interpreted within the context of other lines of evidence, including those based on rodents, gastropods, phytoliths, stable isotopes and mesowear. The balance of evidence suggests that the ecology of the Upper Laetolil Beds was a mosaic of grassland-shrubland-open woodland habitats with extensive woody vegetation in the form of shrubs, thickets, and bush. There was also a significant presence of dense woodland and possibly riverine forest habitats. The results also indicate that the ecological conditions in the Upper Laetolil Beds became progressively drier and less wooded through time. There is no clear consensus as to the paleoenvironment of the Upper Ndolanya Beds. While there is evidence to suggest that it was drier and more open than the Upper Laetolil Beds, there is contrary evidence indicating that it was at least as humid and wooded as the Upper Laetolil Beds.

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Acknowledgments

I am grateful to Terry Harrison for inviting me to contribute to this volume and for the numerous discussions on Laetoli and paleoecology (in general and of Laetoli in particular) over the years, which have been invaluable in the development of this paper. I thank all team members who participated in the expeditions to Laetoli that contributed to the recovery of the material discussed here and Terry Harrison for leading the expeditions. I am grateful to the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology, the Unit of Antiquities in Dar es Salaam, and the National Museum of Tanzania for permission to conduct research in Tanzania. Special thanks to the curators and staff at the National Museum of Tanzania for their support and assistance throughout the years of research at the museum and in the field. I thank A. Gentry, Y. Haile-Selassie, J. Kingston, and W. Sanders for discussions during the formulation of this paper and two anonymous reviewers for their comments. These discussions and comments greatly improved the quality and clarity of the paper.

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  1. Department of Anthropology, Bryn Mawr College, 101 N. Merion Avenue., Bryn Mawr, PA, 19072, USA

    Denise F. Su

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    Terry Harrison

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Su, D.F. (2011). Large Mammal Evidence for the Paleoenvironment of the Upper Laetolil and Upper Ndolanya Beds of Laetoli, Tanzania. In: Harrison, T. (eds) Paleontology and Geology of Laetoli: Human Evolution in Context. Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9956-3_19

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