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dc.contributor.author
Backwell, Lucinda Ruth
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dc.contributor.author
Huchet, Jean Bernard
dc.contributor.author
Jashashvili, Tea
dc.contributor.author
Dirks, Paul H. G. M.
dc.contributor.author
Berger, Lee R.
dc.date.available
2021-10-06T13:32:32Z
dc.date.issued
2020-12
dc.identifier.citation
Backwell, Lucinda Ruth; Huchet, Jean Bernard; Jashashvili, Tea; Dirks, Paul H. G. M.; Berger, Lee R.; Termites and necrophagous insects associated with early Pleistocene (Gelasian) Australopithecus sediba at Malapa, South Africa; Elsevier Science; Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology; 560; 12-2020; 1-17
dc.identifier.issn
0031-0182
dc.identifier.uri
http://hdl.handle.net/11336/142848
dc.description.abstract
This study focuses on two early Pliestocene Australopithecus sediba hominin specimens and associated fauna from Malapa, South Africa. These specimens have been interpreted as having fallen through a shaft opening into a cave, where they died and likely mummified, before being washed into a lower chamber. In order to better understand the taphonomy of the fossils and to identify the invertebrate agent(s) responsible for damage, we examined the fossils using high resolution imagery, and studied the site and associated breccia blocks in the laboratory for traces of invertebrate activity. We also conducted bone modification experiments with termites and hide beetles. Results show the presence of blowfly puparia within the cranium of the juvenile male (MH1), indicating that flies visited the facial orifices of the freshly decomposing corpse. Blowflies, which have a requirement to oviposit in daylight, imply that the body was exposed to sunlight for part of the day. A shaft opening that admitted sunlight is supported by the presence of a fossil fungus garden associated with MH2. Fungus gardens occur subsurface and sprout mushrooms in areas with dappled light. Analysis of the fossil surfaces revealed a pattern comprising 14 damage types that were made on relatively fresh bone. A bone modification experiment conducted with resident termites at the site showed that they created the same suite of microscopic surface features as those observed on the fossils. The features are mostly the result of harvesting symbiotic fungi from fresh bones and mineral-rich coatings from fossils. Damage resulting from the activity of hide beetles is similar to that of termites, apart from invasive edge gnawing produced by the beetles. This research highlights the importance of insect activity in the modification of fossils in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site area and calls for consideration of this agent at other fossil sites in the region.
dc.format
application/pdf
dc.language.iso
eng
dc.publisher
Elsevier Science
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dc.rights
info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess
dc.rights.uri
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/
dc.subject
CAVE DEPOSIT
dc.subject
ENTOMOLOGY
dc.subject
HOMININ
dc.subject
ICHNOLOGY
dc.subject
PLIO-PLEISTOCENE
dc.subject
TAPHONOMY
dc.subject.classification
Paleontología
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dc.subject.classification
Ciencias de la Tierra y relacionadas con el Medio Ambiente
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dc.subject.classification
CIENCIAS NATURALES Y EXACTAS
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dc.title
Termites and necrophagous insects associated with early Pleistocene (Gelasian) Australopithecus sediba at Malapa, South Africa
dc.type
info:eu-repo/semantics/article
dc.type
info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo
dc.type
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
dc.date.updated
2021-09-07T14:43:22Z
dc.journal.volume
560
dc.journal.pagination
1-17
dc.journal.pais
Países Bajos
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dc.journal.ciudad
Amsterdam
dc.description.fil
Fil: Backwell, Lucinda Ruth. University of the Witwatersrand; Sudáfrica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Estudios Sociales. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Estudios Sociales; Argentina
dc.description.fil
Fil: Huchet, Jean Bernard. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle; Francia. Universite de Bordeaux; Francia
dc.description.fil
Fil: Jashashvili, Tea. Georgian National Museum; Georgia. University of California. Keck School Of Medicine; Estados Unidos
dc.description.fil
Fil: Dirks, Paul H. G. M.. University of the Witwatersrand; Sudáfrica. James Cook University; Australia
dc.description.fil
Fil: Berger, Lee R.. University of the Witwatersrand; Sudáfrica
dc.journal.title
Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology
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dc.relation.alternativeid
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2020.109989
dc.relation.alternativeid
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S003101822030434X?via%3Dihub
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