Les ongulés en périgord et Nord-Ouest du Quercydurant le würm III. Chronoclimatologie,paléobiogéographie,palethnologie

The studies of Ungulate associations present in Würm III deposits of Southwest France lead to state biological paleoenvironments and paleoclimates more precisely. The second climatic phasis brought to light by H. Laville in Perigord seems cold and dry and the third one (Arcy) would be the most temperate and humid phasis during the Würm III period. Two posterior climatic ameliorations (fifth phasis = «Kesselt and seventh phasis = Tursac) are separated by a colder period. From the eighth phasis, a climatic threshold is crossed; paleontological as well as geological and palynological studies show the establishment of global cold conditions which would continue after Würm III–IV «interstadial (Laugerie). This one looks like a minor humid oscillation.Although data come from geographically close sites, clear differences appear between contemporary faunal associations. In Perigord, Ungulate associations strongly vary during the first seven phasis whereas in Northwest Quercy, in Auniac plain, Reindeer dominates all along this period.Lastly, comparisons between the results of paleontological,geological and palynological studies enable us to approach the question of the game choice made by prehistoric men. The perigordian men who inhabit La Ferrassie rockshelter during the sixth climatic phasis preferentially hunt Reddeer. They deliberately give up hunting other Ungulates yet well represented in contemporary levels of not distant sites.     

Some considerations about the postglacial history and recent distribution ofFagus sylvatica in the NW Iberian Peninsula

This paper presents a re-assessment of the evidence of beech (Fagus sylvatica) presence on the NW Iberian Peninsula in the different stages of the Late Quaternary. For this purpose, numerous pollen diagrams were re-examined and the present-day distribution of the species was documented. Beech pollen has been recorded in different periods, before the Würm Pleni-Glacial, during the Late Glacial and the Holocene, leading to the hypothesis that there existed local refugia forFagus sylvatica in the NW Iberian Peninsula, comparable to those in more eastern areas of southern Europe, the existence of which has been recognized.     

Les ostracodes et l'évolution paléogéographiqueau quaternaire récent du site d'Ashtart (golfe de gabès,tunisie orientale)

enTwenty-seven samples have been collected in AshtartBasin (Pelagian Sea), along the core KST 100. Studies on ostracods species enables us to recognize four main associations from - 27 000 years to the Recent; the first can be linked to the Würm III regression and the other ones to the Versilian transgression.     

The human settlement of Corsica: Palaeogeographic and tectonic considerations

There are no marks of human settlement in Corsica during the Paleolithic age. This paper is a reflection on the following question: could Man have come to this island before the Neolithic age? The possibilities of the existence of an emerged region between Corsica and the mainland are considered.The Quaternary fauna suggests that an isthmus was possible during the Early Würm, unless the animals in the würmian sediments had come into the island previously.The bathymetry around Corsica shows that the shallowest region is between Corsica and Tuscany, via Capraja, Elba, Pianosa islands. But this sea bottom is deeper than the lower levels known or estimated for glacio-eustatical regressions during the Quaternary era. Thus, emersion of this region should have required tectonical movements. The neotectonic is known in Corsica and in perityrrhenian regions; the present bathymetry of the area which may have been emerged should be explained by movements of a credible rate.     

Le pin pignon (Pinus pinea L.) dans le Wurm recent de Provence

The charcoal analysis of two settlements, one in the Maures massif and the other in the Durance valley, reveals the existence of Pinus pinea L. at the late Würm and gives the evidences of its spontaneousness in Provence.     

Documenti palinologici del paesaggio forestale al Monte Amiata nei sedimenti del Bacino lacustre delle lame (Abbadia S. Salvatore)

Abstract

PALYNOLOGICAL PAPERS OF M. AMIATA FORESTAL LANDSCAPE IN THE SEDIMENTS OF LE LAME LACUSTRINE BASIN (ABBADIA S. SALVATORE). — This paper deals with Le Lame lacustrine deposits (Abbadia S. Salvatore, M. Amiata area). This lake basin, like others in the same area, was located along the border of trachitic- ignimbritic terranes, variously degradated.

The examined sediments have shown a large predominance of chestnut-tree. The pollinic curve of this plant undergoes some fluctuations, due to climatic pulsations emphasized by Pinus, Abies, Fagus, Betula, Carpinus, Quercetum mixtum. These genera are present in the lower part of the diagram, related to a peat bed and are more evident in the upper one.

Pteridophyta spores are common and Graminaceae and Cyperaceae grains are very frequent in the lower part of the diagram.

Regarding the age problem, the chestnut-tree predominance gives evidence of an age not far from Recent, although in postglacial diagrams such a high per cent is not usually found. On the other hand we can tentatively anribuie these deposits to infraglacial age, because other basins in the same area are of Riss, Riss-Würm and Würm age.

The abundance of chestnut-tree can be ascribed to particularly good substratum conditions.

The age problems and the chestnut-tree predominance meaning will be developed in following researches.     

Osservazioni microbiologiche sui nettarii di piante alpine secondo contributo

This study, based on inter-simple sequence repeats in 14 populations of Linaria capraria, shows that genetic diversity at the species level is 0.21 and represents 58% of total variance, whereas the level of intrapopulational genetic diversity is 0.07 and represents 42% of total variance. Gene flow is absent between populations from the same island. On the basis of analysis of molecular variance, three centers of genetic diversity were found: Elba and Pianosa, Montecristo, and Capraia; these correspond to the group of islands that remained isolated during the Würm marine regression. A mean proportion of species-level diversity resides among populations, so we hypothesize that the species has a mixed reproductive system that lies somewhere between obligate outcrossing and obligate selfing. The most genetically diverse populations live in natural and well-isolated rocky habitats that seem to have no particular intervention requirements for conservation but the entire system of populations of this endemic species should be preserved.     

The imprint of Quaternary glaciers on the present-day distribution of the obligate groundwater amphipod Niphargus virei (Niphargidae)

Aim A plausible yet untested biogeographical scenario suggests that Quaternary glaciers shaped the present‐day distribution of the groundwater amphipod Niphargus virei. This study was designed to test two hypotheses pertaining to this scenario: (1) the probability of occurrence of N. virei in ice‐free areas decreases in the vicinity of the Würm glacier; and (2) dispersal is sufficiently low for the historical record of glacial effects to persist over time. Location The study area was located in the southern Jura Mountains, France. Methods A total of 497 sites were sampled to ascertain the distribution of N. virei in the southern Jura. Amplified fragment length polymorphism was analysed from a subset of 24 sites. The relationships between the probability of occurrence of N. virei and distance to the Würm glacier or elevation were investigated using a logistic regression. Spatial autocorrelation analyses were performed on both the residuals of the logistic regression and genetic distance to test the significance of dispersal and barriers to post‐glacial recolonization. The influence of catchment boundaries as barriers to dispersal was examined using different neighbouring relationships between sites. We tested the statistical significance of the reduction in deviance and gain in precision of an autologistic regression that took into consideration the influence of dispersal constraints on the distribution of N. virei. Results Niphargus virei rarely occurred in formerly glaciated areas, and its probability of occurrence in ice‐free areas decreased in the vicinity of the Würm glacier. Combined autocorrelation analyses of spatial distribution and spatial genetic structure showed that: (1) the distance at which spatial autocorrelation was no longer significantly positive did not exceed 16 km; (2) genetic differentiation fitted a model of isolation by distance; and (3) catchment boundaries acted as barriers to dispersal. The autologistic regression with dispersal constraints significantly increased our capacity to predict the distribution of N. virei. Maps of probabilities of occurrence suggested that post‐glacial recolonization was impeded by the extension of glacial outwash. Main conclusions The present distribution of N. virei in southern Jura is probably the result of a historical range reduction driven by glaciation coupled with restricted dispersal and isolation by distance.     

Distribution of oak forests in Eastern Europe over the last 13000 years

The dynamics and distribution of oak forests on the territory of Eastern Europe over the last 12500 years have been studied. The basic materials used in this study are spore-pollen diagrams converted into the PALAEO database. As a result of this study, a series of maps describing the paleohabitat of oak forests with a 500-year increment has been constructed. Different structures of the paleohabitat of English oak (Quercus robur L.) and the basic forest paleocommunities including this species have been identified and described. The main migration pathways and refugia of oak forests have been determined, including the Volynskaya and Podolskaya uplands, the southern part of the Central Russian and Privolzhskaya uplands, Meshchera, Kodry, and the Mozyrsk-Ovruch-Slovechan refugium.     

Evolution des climats au Wurm recent en Languedoc mediterraneen,d'apres les resultats de l'analyse anthracologique essentiellement

New data obtained by sampling infilled caves in the Languedoc area reveal the persistence of submediterraneans groups, notably Pinus nigra ssp. salzmanni alongside morë mountainous types in the late Würm. These groups are evidence of evolution from a continental to a mediterranean type climate. Variations parallel with those of Mediterranean levels are also recorded.     

Combining mitochondrial and nuclear evidences: a refined evolutionary history of Erebia medusa (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae) in Central Europe based on the COI gene

We aim to infer a combined scenario for the evolution of the Woodland Ringlet, Erebia medusa, in Central Europe based on analyses of part of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxydase subunit I (COI) and a published allozyme data set. We sequenced 529 bp of COI for 158 butterflies from 32 populations from almost the entire western distribution range of the species. We applied population genetic [spatial analysis of molecular variance (samova )] and phylogeographical analyses as well as coalescence simulation to test if the published allozyme scenario supports or contradicts the observed haplotype distribution. We recorded 16 haplotypes of which four represent a total of 82%. samova grouped the 32 populations into four geographically coherent groups: (1) western Central Europe, (2) Central Europe, (3) eastern Central Europe and (iv) western Pannonia. Mismatch distribution analyses and haplotype networks are in coincidence with constant population growth and reveal a relatively shallow phylogeographical structure. We evaluated the level of discordance between population histories and gene trees using Slatkins s and the deep coalescence statistics based on our mtDNA data. These estimators decline the previously published allozyme scenario of survival in different extra‐Mediterranean refugia in Europe with an onset of differentiation at the beginning of the last ice age some 70 000 years ago. However, it supports a refined scenario if we assume an onset of vicariance driven differentiation in these refugia after the end of the middle Würm interstadials some 30 000 years ago. Therefore, the general evolutionary history of this species in Europe apparently is very recent. Most probably, areas adjoining the high mountain regions as Alps and northern Carpathians were of great importance for the late Würm glacial survival of species like Erebia medusa.     

Dating and dendroprovenancing of the timbers used in Yenikapı historical jetty (İstanbul,Turkey)

In 2016, the Directorate of İstanbul Archaeology Museums unearthed an extensive jetty within the eastern portion of the Byzantine harbor excavated at Yenikapı, İstanbul. The purpose of the paper is to present the results obtained from the dating and dendroprovenancing of the wooden timbers from this historical jetty. A total of 145 oak and fir samples were collected for dating. The cutting dates of the oak timbers were determined to be from AD 1762-1763, which has also been confirmed by archaeological documents. The best statistical values (Gleichläufigkeit value 76%, TV_BP 10.0 and CDI 82) were obtained using the oak chronology for Vezneciler from the Asian side of the Bosporus, which represents construction phases dating to AD 1762-1763. The highest statistical matches for the oak tree-ring series from both Yenikapı and Vezneciler were obtained using reference chronologies from northern Greece and Kosovo. Three site chronologies from the forests of Bolu, Karabük and Kastamonu were used to date the fir samples, and the cutting date was determined to be AD 1906. The best statistical results were obtained from the site chronology for Kastamonu (Gleichläufigkeit value 72%, TV_BP 10.3 and CDI 79). Due to the significant correlation with this site chronology, the origin of the fir samples may be from the forests of Kastamonu, which is the nearest fir forest along the Black Sea. Because roads and railways were not common during this period, the fir timbers may have been transported via the Black Sea to Yenikapı located near the Marmara Coast. We can conclude from this evidence that construction near the Byzantine harbor continued to utilize imported timbers into the Ottoman period.     

Forty years of malaria eradication in Sardinia. A new appraisal of a great enterprise

The campaign against malaria in Sardinia carried out by the Ente Regionale per la Lotta Anti-Anofelica in Sardegna (ERLAAS), appears today as one of the greatest efforts against malaria since the discovery of its aetiology and mode of transmission. The disease was eradicated without achieving the eradication of the vector, Anopheles labranchiae, the main objective of the campaign. This species eradication failure had been at first attributed to the indigenous character of A. labranchiae and its long standing in the island. A more recent analysis, based on paleoclimatological information, makes virtually impossible the presence of A. labranchiae during the last (Würm) glacial period and indicates a comparatively recent introduction of the species in the island. It was the absence of A. atroparvus, with which it has usually to compete in Southern Europe, what permitted the wide distribution of A. labrianchiae in the island. Four decades after the events the concept of species eradication as an anti-malaria weapon appears as basically wrong, the results of Sardinia as well as those obtained in the Italian mainland having demonstrated that the eradication of the vector was not required for the successful eradication of the disease.     

The last hornbeam forests in SW Europe: new evidence on the demise of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Carpinus betulus</Emphasis> in NW Iberia

Carpinus betulus L. is a mesic, usually considered late-successional tree widely distributed in Europe, but almost absent from Iberia, where it is generally assumed that disappeared during the coldest stages of the Würm. High-resolution pollen analyses were carried out in ¹⁴C dated sediments from a drowned estuary (ria) and a small mountain lake. Carpinus pollen identification was confirmed by comparative light and scanning electron microscopy. Hornbeam dynamics are interpreted using palaeoclimatic reconstructions based on independent proxies (diatoms, chironomids and dinocysts). Our results support that hornbeam declined between ca. 60,000 and ca. 9,000 cal yr bp, when multiproxy evidence suggests a major regional relative sea-level rise. Moreover, chironomid-inferred July temperatures show an increase of more than 6 °C between 15,600 and 10,500 cal yr bp, while freshwater aquatics and diatoms indicate a general tendency towards increasing precipitation and a more oceanic climate. Carpinus survived during the Würm in a variety of habitats in coastal valleys in NW Iberia which had adequate climatic and edaphic conditions. Such habitats might be comparable to the oak-ash, ravine, and hardwood floodplain forests currently existing in other regions of Europe. Large areas of these coastal ecosystems disappeared at the onset of the Holocene, when the sea-level rose. Later hornbeam was apparently unable to compete and expand further inland. Therefore, the sea-level rise combined with the climatically-induced Holocene tree succession and the increasing human impact during the Mid and Late Holocene led to hornbeam progressively becoming a marginal tree in the area.     

Late pleistocene climatic reconstruction in North Africa and the emergence of modern Europeans

A critical evaluation of a replacementist hypothesis regarding the origin of modernH. sapiens in Europe as suggested byN. T. Boaz D. Ninkovitch & M. Rossignol-Strick (1982) is presented. These authors have contended that harsh desertic conditions in North Africa between 40 ky — 30 ky B. P. resulted in the movement of modern humans from this region around the Mediterranean littoral into Europe. Two additional tenets of this hypothesis are the claim that Neandertals were islated in Europe during the first half of the Würm and also the assertion that formation of a landbridge at the Dardanelles ca. 34 ky B. P. ended this isolation and facilitated an influx of modern humans into Europe at this time. This hypothesis is found to be unsupported by the balance of the available data. The specific points discussed include the following: a) climatic and archaeological indicators of a hospitable environment in North Africa between 40 ky — 30 ky B.P., b) the likelihood of landbridge formation at the Dardanelles throughout the last glacial cycle, c) the technological capabilities and uncertain taxonomic identity of the North African source group and d) the similarities between west Asian and European Neandertals which indicate that a prolonged separation of the two groups is unlikely.     

Cryptic differentiation in alpine-endemic, high-altitude butterflies reveals down-slope glacial refugia

The influence of cyclic climate fluctuations and their impact on high-altitude species is still insufficiently understood. We therefore analysed in this study the genetic structure of cold-adapted animals and their coherence with geographical distributions throughout the Late Quaternary. We analysed 588 individuals from 23 populations of the alpine-endemic lesser mountain ringlet, Erebia melampus, by allozyme electrophoresis to detect its intraspecific differentiation. As an outgroup, we added one population of Erebia sudetica inalpina from Grindelwald (Swiss Alps). Seventeen of 18 loci were polymorphic. The mean F(ST) over all samples was 37%. We detected strong differentiation into three lineages with the genetic distances between the two E. melampus groups being larger than between each of the two E. melampus groups and E. sudetica. The mean genetic distance among these three groups was 0.17. These results give evidence for the existence of a species complex within the E. melampus/sudetica group and indicate a discontinuous distribution within this group during at least the last ice age. One of them, E. sudetica inalpina, is found in the northern Alps and most probably had its Würm glacial refugium north of the glaciated Alps. The western E. melampus group might have had a refugium at the southwestern Alps margin, the eastern group in the lower altitudes of the southeastern and/or eastern Alps. In the latter, a further subdivision within this relict area is possible.