OLDEST HOMO AND PLIOCENE BIOGEOGRAPHY OF THE MALAWI RIFT

Citation
F. Schrenk et al., OLDEST HOMO AND PLIOCENE BIOGEOGRAPHY OF THE MALAWI RIFT, Nature, 365(6449), 1993, pp. 833-836
Citations number
27
Categorie Soggetti
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Journal title
NatureACNP
ISSN journal
00280836
Volume
365
Issue
6449
Year of publication
1993
Pages
833 - 836
Database
ISI
SICI code
0028-0836(1993)365:6449<833:OHAPBO>2.0.ZU;2-2
Abstract
THE Malawi Rift and Pliocene palaeofaunas, which include a hominid man dible attributed to Homo rudolfensis, provide a biogeographical link b etween the better known Plio-Pleistocene faunal records of East and So uthern Africa. The Malawi Rift is in a latitudinal position suitable f or recording any hominid and faunal dispersion towards the Equator tha t was brought on by increased aridity of the Late Pliocene African lan dscape. The evidence suggests that Pliocene hominids originated in the eastern African tropical domain and dispersed to southern Africa only during more favourable ecological circumstances.