Multiple dispersals and the environment in hominid evolution

1824-310X

Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000

Biology

Conclusions Given that we have attempted a very broad sweep through two of the major issues in anthropology (human evolution and environmental change) it would be impossible to have any easy conclusions. In closing I would therefore stress only the major points in their simplest form. First, hominid evolution does not consist of just two dispersals (out of Africa 1 and 2) but of multiple such events. Unraveling these, and the ecological conditions underlying them, should be a major focus for research. Second, if hominid evolution does consist of multiple dispersals, then it follows that there must have been multiple local extinctions. Although we tend to think of human demography in terms of growth, demographic collapse is equally important in evolution. Third, where hominids have had an effect on the environment it has tended to occur in two very specific contexts-the colonisation of new regions and the development of agriculture. And finally, if we are interested in the human evolution and the environment, coevolution rather than anthropogenic change may be the more useful concept.

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