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Assemblage Data and Bone and Teeth Modifications as an Aid to Paleoenvironmental Interpretations of the Open-Air Pleistocene Site of Tighenif (Algeria)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Yannicke Dauphin ,
Casimir Kowalski  and
Christiane Denys
Yannicke Dauphin
Affiliation:
Laboratoire de Paléontologie, URA 723 du CNRS, Bât. 504, Université Paris 11-Orsay, 91405 Orsay, Cedex, France
Casimir Kowalski
Affiliation:
Institut of Systematic and Experimental Zoology, Polska Akademia Nauk, ul. Slawkowska 17, 31-016 Krakow, Poland
Christiane Denys
Affiliation:
Laboratoire de Paléontologie, URA 327 du CNRS, CC 64, Université Montpellier 2, Place E. Bataillion, 34095 Montpellier, Cedex 05, France; et Laboratoire des Mammifereses et Oiseaux, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 55 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
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Abstract

Variations in the proportions of the various groups of Rodentia collected from eight stratigraphic levels at Tighenif had previously been interpreted as representing environmental (climatic) changes. However, the processes involved in the formation of assemblages are still not well understood. Examination of fragmentation, crystallinity, and chemical composition of fossil bones and teeth, compared to recent samples, shows that a possible explanation for the variations in frequencies is the differential preservation of skeletal remains. Thus, the evaluation of postmortem effects is essential in determining the accuracy of the fossil record. The abundance and composition of remains are governed by the complex interaction of many factors. As indicated by actualistic studies, direct deductions from fauna lists must be avoided as much as possible.

Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 42 , Issue 3 , November 1994 , pp. 340 - 349
Copyright
University of Washington

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