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Climate-human interaction associated with southeast Australian megafauna extinction patterns
Frédérik Saltré1, Joël Chadoeuf2, Katharina J Peters3
1Global Ecology, College of Science and Engineering and ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, SA, 5001, Australia. frederik.saltre@flinders.edu.au.
Nature Communications
|November 24, 2019
Summary
Late Pleistocene megafauna extinctions in Australia were driven by both climate change and human presence. Aboriginal populations
Area of Science:
- Paleontology
- Archaeology
- Climate Science
- Statistical Modeling
Background:
- Late Pleistocene megafauna extinctions in Australia are poorly understood due to scarce, variable data and ignored spatial complexity.
- Previous extinction models often attribute megafauna loss to climate change or humans, but rarely integrate spatial variations in extinction, human arrival, and climate shifts.
- Differential preservation of paleontological and archaeological records biases chronological analyses, underrepresenting older extinction events.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a statistical approach for inferring spatio-temporal extinction trajectories of Australian megafauna and early human appearance.
- To investigate the combined effects of climate and human factors on regional megafauna extirpations in south-eastern Australia.
Main Methods:
- Development of a novel statistical method to reconstruct spatio-temporal patterns of megafauna extirpation and human arrival.
- Integration of paleontological, archaeological, and paleoclimate data for south-eastern Australia.
- Analysis of spatial variation in extinction patterns alongside human population dynamics and climate change.
Main Results:
- A combined climate-human influence on regional megafauna extirpation patterns was identified.
- Small, mobile Aboriginal populations required access to water, a resource constrained by arid ecosystems and climate-dependent productivity.
- The spatial distribution of climate-dependent water sources acted as a key constraint on megafauna extirpation drivers.
Conclusions:
- Megafauna extirpations in Late Pleistocene Australia resulted from a complex interplay between climate and human pressures.
- Human survival and impact were intrinsically linked to the availability of water and climate-driven landscape productivity.
- Understanding these coupled constraints is crucial for reconstructing past extinction dynamics.
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