African Ecology and Human Evolution

by Bourliere,Francois

• ISBN13: 9780202361369
• ISBN10: 0202361365
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2008-01-15
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

The record of man's early evolution, though still fragmentary, is more complete on the African continent than anywhere else in the world. The ecological context of this evolution, however, has been studied intensively only in recent years. This pioneering volume draws together eminent specialists from many fields-physical anthropologists, zoologists, geologists, paleontologists, and prehistorians-who summarize here the results of their diverse research on Pleistocene environments and the cultural and biological evolution of man in Africa.

Table of Contents

Preface
Climatic-Geomorphologic Interpretation of Pleistocene Sediments in the Eurafrican Subtropics	p. 1
The Distribution of Tropical African Birds as an Indicator of Past Climatic Changes	p. 28
Observations on the Ecology of Some Large African Mammals	p. 43
Continental Vertebrate Faunas of the Tertiary of North Africa	p. 55
Pleistocene Mammal Faunas of Africa, with Particular Reference to Southern Africa	p. 65
The Late Tertiary and Pleistocene in the Sahara and Adjacent Southerly Regions	p. 117
Some Aspects of the Pleistocene Paleogeography of the Chad Basin	p. 230
The Later Tertiary and Pleistocene in Eastern Equatorial Africa	p. 246
Paleoecological Conditions of the Lake Albert-Lake Edward Rift	p. 276
Observations on the Absolute Chronology of the Upper Pleistocene	p. 285
Brief Remarks on the Vegetation of the Mountainous Regions of East Congo	p. 304
Pleistocene Environments in Southern Africa	p. 308
Baboon Ecology and Human Evolution	p. 335
Observations on the Ecology and Social Behavior of the Mountain Gorilla	p. 368
Adaptive Radiation in the Australopithecines and the Origin of Man	p. 385
Human Evolution in Morocco, in the Framework of the Paleoclimatic Variations of the Atlantic Pleistocene	p. 417
Very Early East African Hominidae, and Their Ecological Setting	p. 448
Acheulian Hunter-Gatherers of Sub-Saharan Africa	p. 458
Some Ecological Factors Effecting Human Populations in Sub-Saharan Africa	p. 534
Transcript of Discussions	p. 547
Index	p. 655
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