Explaining the development of dietary dominance by a single ungulate taxonat Grotte XVI, Dordogne, France

The Magdalenian of southwestern France has long been renowned for the frequ ency with which associated faunal assemblages are dominated by reindeer (Ra ngifer tarandus). The site of Grotte XVI (Dordogne, southwestern France) is no exception: 94% of the Magdalenian ungulate assemblage at this site is p rovided by reindeer. However, this figure represents the endpoint in a stea dily increasing progression of reindeer dominance, and steadily decreasing progression of ungulate assemblage evenness, at this site during the Upper Paleolithic (c.36,000-12,00014C years BP). These changes are not correlated with faunal assemblage size, degree of bone fragmentation, or skeletal ele ment representation, but are correlated with declines in reconstructed summ er temperatures for southern France. While it is quite possible that human predators responded behaviourally to this situation through the innovation of more efficient means of prey capture, the faunal patterns that character ize the Grotte XVI Upper Palaeolithic ungulate assemblages can be accounted for by climate change alone. Copyright 2001 Academic Press