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Phytolith Analysis as a Palaeoecological Tool for Reconstructing Mid-to Late-Pleistocene Environments in the Olorgesailie Basin, Kenya
Olorgesailie Basin is an important prehistoric locus and holds a prominent place in African Quaternary research. It is located in the southern Kenya rift system (1˚ 35´S and 36˚ 27´E) and has preserved numerous archaeological findings of the Acheulean, Sangoan and Middle Stone Age occupations and mo...
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| Language: | English |
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Department of Environmental and Geographical Science
2024
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| _version_ | 1867613325380026368 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Kinyanjui, Rahab |
| author2 | Meadows, Michael |
| author_browse | Kinyanjui, Rahab Meadows, Michael |
| author_facet | Meadows, Michael Kinyanjui, Rahab |
| author_sort | Kinyanjui, Rahab |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Olorgesailie Basin is an important prehistoric locus and holds a prominent place in African Quaternary research. It is located in the southern Kenya rift system (1˚ 35´S and 36˚ 27´E) and has preserved numerous archaeological findings of the Acheulean, Sangoan and Middle Stone Age occupations and most importantly, hominin cranium associated with the Acheulean hand axes. Evidence of past vegetation has hitherto been scarce, because the arid / semi-arid conditions are not conducive for preservation of organic plant microfossils. Phytolith analysis is used to reconstruct the vegetation history and understand hominin habitat preference during mid-late Pleistocene (~746-64 ka). A localised modern phytolith analogue is used to interpret the fossil assemblage. Descriptive analysis identified fifty nine phytolith morphotypes which were categorised into three major groups; grass short-cell phytolith, epidermal silicified appendages and sedge phytoliths. The identification and classification was based on the International Code for Phytolith Nomenclature and other existing literature. In order to determine the significance of the identified morphotypes in interpreting fossil data, two multivariate statistical analyses were performed on the database; Correspondence analysis distinguished vegetation components according to a moisture gradient while Cluster analysis identified unique morphotypes that were taxonomically affiliated to their parent plant species. However, the analyses were not able to distinguish plants along the altitudinal gradient. Fossil phytoliths derived from sixty palaeosol samples extracted from eight geological sections in three localities of the Olorgesailie Basin, were identified and tallied to determine vegetation cover and how this changed both spatially and temporarily during the mid-late Pleistocene period. Fossil phytolith frequencies were plotted on TILIA diagrams against the available 40Ar/39Ar dates. Correspondence analysis identified three vegetation components; grasslands, woody & herbaceous and aquatic and identified moisture availability as the major underlying factor influencing the morphotype clusters on the ordination space. An additional cluster analysis of forty morphotypes derived from grasses confirmed the known taxonomic affiliation of major grass short-cell phytoliths to four grass subfamilies (saddle ovate- C3 Arundinoideae, bilobate concave- and convex- outer margin short shaft and quadralobate-C4 Panicoideae, saddles-C4 Chloridoideae and bilobates convex outer margin long shaft-C4 Aristidoideae). From the non-grass category, achene and papillae phytolith morphotypes were identified as belonging to the Cyperaceae. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/39152 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:34:20.437Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| publishDateRange | 2024 |
| publishDateSort | 2024 |
| publisher | Department of Environmental and Geographical Science |
| publisherStr | Department of Environmental and Geographical Science |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/39152 Phytolith Analysis as a Palaeoecological Tool for Reconstructing Mid-to Late-Pleistocene Environments in the Olorgesailie Basin, Kenya Kinyanjui, Rahab Meadows, Michael Gillson, Lindsey Environmental & Geographical Sciences Olorgesailie Basin is an important prehistoric locus and holds a prominent place in African Quaternary research. It is located in the southern Kenya rift system (1˚ 35´S and 36˚ 27´E) and has preserved numerous archaeological findings of the Acheulean, Sangoan and Middle Stone Age occupations and most importantly, hominin cranium associated with the Acheulean hand axes. Evidence of past vegetation has hitherto been scarce, because the arid / semi-arid conditions are not conducive for preservation of organic plant microfossils. Phytolith analysis is used to reconstruct the vegetation history and understand hominin habitat preference during mid-late Pleistocene (~746-64 ka). A localised modern phytolith analogue is used to interpret the fossil assemblage. Descriptive analysis identified fifty nine phytolith morphotypes which were categorised into three major groups; grass short-cell phytolith, epidermal silicified appendages and sedge phytoliths. The identification and classification was based on the International Code for Phytolith Nomenclature and other existing literature. In order to determine the significance of the identified morphotypes in interpreting fossil data, two multivariate statistical analyses were performed on the database; Correspondence analysis distinguished vegetation components according to a moisture gradient while Cluster analysis identified unique morphotypes that were taxonomically affiliated to their parent plant species. However, the analyses were not able to distinguish plants along the altitudinal gradient. Fossil phytoliths derived from sixty palaeosol samples extracted from eight geological sections in three localities of the Olorgesailie Basin, were identified and tallied to determine vegetation cover and how this changed both spatially and temporarily during the mid-late Pleistocene period. Fossil phytolith frequencies were plotted on TILIA diagrams against the available 40Ar/39Ar dates. Correspondence analysis identified three vegetation components; grasslands, woody & herbaceous and aquatic and identified moisture availability as the major underlying factor influencing the morphotype clusters on the ordination space. An additional cluster analysis of forty morphotypes derived from grasses confirmed the known taxonomic affiliation of major grass short-cell phytoliths to four grass subfamilies (saddle ovate- C3 Arundinoideae, bilobate concave- and convex- outer margin short shaft and quadralobate-C4 Panicoideae, saddles-C4 Chloridoideae and bilobates convex outer margin long shaft-C4 Aristidoideae). From the non-grass category, achene and papillae phytolith morphotypes were identified as belonging to the Cyperaceae. 2024-02-22T08:32:16Z 2024-02-22T08:32:16Z 2012 2024-02-22T08:29:24Z Thesis / Dissertation Masters MSc http://hdl.handle.net/11427/39152 eng application/pdf Department of Environmental and Geographical Science Faculty of Science |
| spellingShingle | Environmental & Geographical Sciences Kinyanjui, Rahab Phytolith Analysis as a Palaeoecological Tool for Reconstructing Mid-to Late-Pleistocene Environments in the Olorgesailie Basin, Kenya |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | Phytolith Analysis as a Palaeoecological Tool for Reconstructing Mid-to Late-Pleistocene Environments in the Olorgesailie Basin, Kenya |
| title_full | Phytolith Analysis as a Palaeoecological Tool for Reconstructing Mid-to Late-Pleistocene Environments in the Olorgesailie Basin, Kenya |
| title_fullStr | Phytolith Analysis as a Palaeoecological Tool for Reconstructing Mid-to Late-Pleistocene Environments in the Olorgesailie Basin, Kenya |
| title_full_unstemmed | Phytolith Analysis as a Palaeoecological Tool for Reconstructing Mid-to Late-Pleistocene Environments in the Olorgesailie Basin, Kenya |
| title_short | Phytolith Analysis as a Palaeoecological Tool for Reconstructing Mid-to Late-Pleistocene Environments in the Olorgesailie Basin, Kenya |
| title_sort | phytolith analysis as a palaeoecological tool for reconstructing mid to late pleistocene environments in the olorgesailie basin kenya |
| topic | Environmental & Geographical Sciences |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/39152 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kinyanjuirahab phytolithanalysisasapalaeoecologicaltoolforreconstructingmidtolatepleistoceneenvironmentsintheolorgesailiebasinkenya |