African Environmental Change from the Pleistocene to the Anthropocene

Hoag, Colin; Svenning, Jens‐Christian

doi:10.1146/annurev-environ-102016-060653

Cited by 33 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 151 publications

(194 reference statements)

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“…Favourable climate change during the Late Pleistocene [55,56] triggered the expansion of wild species [46,[57][58][59] and humans [60], and may have favoured an African wolf expansion. Interestingly, the Holocene African wolf expansion is deeply contrasting with the demographic scenario for other wild species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Demographic expansion of an African opportunistic carnivore during the Neolithic revolution

et al. 2020

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The diffusion of Neolithic technology together with the Holocene Climatic Optimum fostered the spread of human settlements and pastoral activities in North Africa, resulting in profound and enduring consequences for the dynamics of species, communities and landscapes. Here, we investigate the demographic history of the African wolf ( Canis lupaster ), a recently recognized canid species, to understand if demographic trends of this generalist and opportunistic carnivore reflect the increase in food availability that emerged after the arrival of the Neolithic economy in North Africa. We screened nuclear and mitochondrial DNA in samples collected throughout Algeria and Tunisia, and implemented coalescent approaches to estimate the variation of effective population sizes from present to ancestral time. We have found consistent evidence supporting the hypothesis that the African wolf population experienced a meaningful expansion concurring with a period of rapid population expansion of domesticates linked to the advent of agricultural practices.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Demographic expansion of an African opportunistic carnivore during the Neolithic revolution

et al. 2020

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“…The estimates of population divergence dates imply that the 375 genetic structure we observe between different regions of Africa predates recent control efforts and 376 likely represents historical population structure. The oldest subdivision we observe, at around 377 20,000 years ago, coincides with the last glacial maximum when Africa was likely to be extremely 378 arid, even compared to present-day conditions (Hoag & Svenning, 2017). Similarly the more recent 379 divergence between East African and Chad populations at around 4,000 years ago is during the…”

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confidence: 61%

“…380drying-out of the Sahara at the end of the African humid period(Hoag & Svenning, 2017), which was 381 probably accompanied by a major collapse in human habitation of much of this region(Manning & 382 Timpson, 2014). Although our qualitative results appear robust, there are more caveats with the 383 specific quantitative results.…”

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confidence: 99%

Population genomic evidence that human and animal infections in Africa come from the same populations ofDracunculus medinensis

Durrant

Thiele

Holroyd

et al. 2019

Preprint

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24Background: Guinea worm -Dracunculus medinensis -was historically one of the major parasites of 25 humans and has been known since antiquity. Now, Guinea worm is on the brink of eradication, as 26 efforts to interrupt transmission have reduced the annual burden of disease from millions of 27 infections per year in the 1980s to only 30 human cases reported globally last year. Despite the 28 enormous success of eradication efforts to date, one complication has arisen. Over the last few 29 years, hundreds of dogs have been found infected with this previously apparently anthroponotic 30 parasite, almost all in Chad. Moreover, the relative numbers of infections in humans and dogs 31 suggests that dogs may be key in maintaining transmission in that country.32 Results: In an effort to shed light on this peculiar epidemiology of Guinea worm in Chad, we have 33 sequenced and compared the genomes of worms from dog, human and other animal infections. 34Confirming previous work with other molecular markers, we show that all of these worms are D. 35 medinensis, and that the same population of worms are causing both infections, can confirm the 36 suspected transmission between host species and detect signs of a population bottleneck due to the 37 eradication efforts. The diversity of worms in Chad appears to exclude the possibility that there were 38 no, or very few, worms present in the country during a 10-year absence of reported cases.39 Conclusions: This work reinforces the importance of adequate surveillance of both human and dog 40 populations in the Guinea worm eradication campaign and suggests that control programs should 41 stay aware of the possible emergence of unusual epidemiology as they approach elimination. 42 43 44 Background

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“…C. guereza is ecologically relatively flexible (Fashing, 1999;Fashing and Oates, 2013;Harris and Chapman, 2007) but, as an arboreal species, depends on forest or woodland. Given the historical changes in climate and forest cover in Africa (deMenocal, 2004;Trauth et al, 2009;Hoag and Svenning, 2017), one can assume that ancestral C. guereza populations became isolated in forest refugia under unfavourable conditions, whereas forests and C. guereza populations became reconnected under favourable conditions.…”

Section: Phylogeographymentioning

confidence: 99%

Is Colobus guereza gallarum a valid endemic Ethiopian taxon?

et al. 2019

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Abstract. Black-and-white colobus (Colobus guereza Rüppell, 1835) are arboreal Old World monkeys inhabiting large parts of the deciduous and evergreen forests of sub-Saharan Africa. Two of the eight subspecies of Colobus guereza are endemic to Ethiopia: C. g. gallarum and C. g. guereza. However, the validity of the Ethiopian taxa is debated and observed morphological differences were attributed to clinal variation within C. g. guereza. To date, no molecular phylogeny of the Ethiopian guerezas is available to facilitate their taxonomic classification. We used mitochondrial DNA markers from 94 samples collected across Ethiopia to reconstruct a phylogeny of respective mitochondrial lineages. In our phylogenetic reconstruction, augmented by orthologous sequence information of non-Ethiopian black-and-white colobus from GenBank, we found two major Ethiopian mitochondrial clades, with one being largely congruent with the distribution of C. g. guereza. The second clade was found only at two locations in the eastern part of the putative range of C. g. gallarum. This second lineage clustered with the lowland form, C. g. occidentalis, from central Africa, whereas the C. g. guereza lineages clustered with C. g. caudatus and C. g. kikuyuensis from Kenya and northern Tanzania. These two guereza lineages diverged around 0.7 million years ago. In addition, mitochondrial sequence information does not support unequivocally a distinction of C. g. caudatus and C. g. kikuyuensis. Our findings indicate a previous biogeographic connection between the ranges of C. g. occidentalis and C. g. gallarum and a possible secondary invasion of Ethiopia by members of the C. g. guereza–C. g. caudatus–C. g. kikuyuensis clade. Given these phylogenetic relationships, our study supports the two-taxa hypothesis, making C. g. gallarum an Ethiopian endemic, and, in combination with the taxon's very restricted range, makes it one of the most endangered subspecies of black-and-white colobus.

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African Environmental Change from the Pleistocene to the Anthropocene

Cited by 33 publications

References 151 publications

Demographic expansion of an African opportunistic carnivore during the Neolithic revolution

Demographic expansion of an African opportunistic carnivore during the Neolithic revolution

Population genomic evidence that human and animal infections in Africa come from the same populations ofDracunculus medinensis

Is Colobus guereza gallarum a valid endemic Ethiopian taxon?

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