MEGAMAMMALS LANDSCAPES DURING FIRST SOUTH AMERICAN PEOPLING (LATE PLEISTOCENE-EARLY HOLOCENE, ARGENTINA)

SUÁREZ, GABRIEL; BRIONES, CLAUDIA; CHICHKOYAN, KARINA; MOSCHEN, NADIA; LANATA, JOSÉ LUIS; TESSONE, AUGUSTO; LANZELOTTI, SONIA

Budapest

Congreso; 26th EAA Virtual Annual Meeting; 2020

European Archaeological Association

Environmental conditions show evidence of extreme changes during the Late Pleistocene-Early Holocene (circa 20.000 to 8.200 cal BP) in South American. During this period two important biotic events took part: human dispersal and extinction of megafauna. The debates have mainly focused on the drivers behind this megafunal extinction event (humans vs. climate). Along with the arrival of humans, mammals? reorganizations coincided with fast climatic oscillations that resulted in habitats becoming more fragmented. However, it is not clear yet to what extent megamammal communities reacted to these climate oscillations and how Homo sapiens were involved in this changing paleoecological dynamic.Disentangling this process, on an archaeological scale, can be undertaken in the Pampean andPatagonian regions (located in the southern tip of this continent), given the co-occurrence of Late Pleistocene-Early Holocene human evidence and rich megafaunal communities. This research explores novel paleoecological approaches towards gathering non-traditional information about megafaunal extinctions. Three lines of evidence are being currently developed considering fossil assemblages from Luján (Pampas) and Bariloche (Patagonia).Paleopathologies: Species illness, quality of life and interactions amongst each other are being studied though the identification of different paleopathologies. Information is being recollected especially in Luján location, given the extensive record present there. Isotopes (δ13C and δ15N): Ecology of the non-analogous species assemblages that inhabited these locations is being explored through isotopes. High resolution methods (e.g. ultrafiltration) are being currently tested in order to perform these analyses.Modelling: Mathematical and distributional models were developed for understanding extinction processes, human dispersion and megamammal distributions. Proxies are being gathered in order to create models, and to compare datasets.