Browsing by Author "Novello, Alice"

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    Oldest evidence of abundant C4 grasses and habitat heterogeneity in eastern Africa
    (Science, 2023-04-13) Peppe, J. Daniel; Cote, M. Susanne; Deino, L. Alan; Fox, L. David; Kingston, D. John; Kinyanjui, N. Rahab; Lukens, E. William; MacLatchy, M. Laura; Novello, Alice; Strömberg, A.E. Caroline; Driese, G. Steven; Garrett, D. Nicole; Hillis, R. Kayla; Jacobs, F. Bonnie; Jenkins, E.H. Kirsten; Kityo, Robert; Lehmann, Thomas; Manthi, K. Fredrick; Mbua, N. Emma; Michel, A. Lauren; Miller, R. Ellen; Mugume, A.T. Amon; Muteti, M. Samuel; Nengo, O. Isaiah; Kennedy, O. Oginga; Phelps, R. Samuel; Polissar, Pratigya; Rossie, B. James; Stevens, J. Nancy; Uno, T. Kevin; McNulty, P. Kieran
    The assembly of Africa’s iconic C4 grassland ecosystems is central to evolutionary interpretations of many mammal lineages, including hominins. C4 grasses are thought to have become ecologically dominant in Africa only after Ma. However, paleobotanical records older than 10 Ma are sparse, limiting assessment of the timing and nature of C4 biomass expansion. This study utilizes a multiproxy design to document vegetation structure from nine Early Miocene mammal site complexes across eastern Africa. Results demonstrate that, between ~21–17 Ma, C4 grasses were locally abundant, contributing to heterogeneous habitats ranging from forests to wooded grasslands. These data push back the oldest evidence of C4 grass5 dominated habitats in Africa – and globally – by more than 10 Myr, calling for revised paleoecological interpretations of mammalian evolution.
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    The evolution of hominoid locomotor versatility: Evidence from Moroto, a 21 Ma site in Uganda
    (Science, 2023-04-14) MacLatchy, Laura M.; Cote, Susanne M.; Deino, Alan L.; Kityo, Robert M.; Megume, Amon A.T.; Rossie, James B.; Sanders, William J.; Cosman, Miranda N.; Driese, Steven G.; Fox, David L.; Freeman, April J.; Jansma, Rutger J.W.; Jenkins, Kirsten E.H.; Kinyanjui, Rahab N.; Lukens, William E.; McNulty, Kieran P.; Novello, Alice; Peppe, Daniel J.; Strömberg, Caroline A.E.; Uno, Kevin T.; Winkler, Alisa J.; Kingston, John D.
    Living hominoids are distinguished by upright torsos and versatile locomotion. It is hypothesized that these features evolved for feeding on fruit from terminal branches in forests. To investigate the evolutionary context of hominoid adaptive origins, multiple paleoenvironmental proxies were analyzed in conjunction with hominoid fossils from the Moroto II site, Uganda. The data indicate seasonally dry woodlands with the earliest evidence of abundant C4 grasses in Africa based on a confirmed age of 21 Ma. We demonstrate that the leafeating hominoid Morotopithecus consumed water-stressed vegetation, while postcrania from the site indicate ape-like locomotor adaptations. These findings suggest that the origin of hominoid locomotor versatility is associated with foraging on leaves in heterogeneous, open woodlands, rather than forests.