ABSTRACT Climate niches that modern humans and earlier hominin ancestors occupied have changed dramatically over time, but the extent of those changes has gone largely undocumented. This study investigates the manner in which the realised hominin climate niche has expanded, contracted, or stayed stationary across four time periods (Last Interglacial, Last Glacial Maximum, Mid-Holocene, and 1950–2000) in Western Eurasia. Using spatially gridded general circulation model data and site locations this study examines climate variables from archaeological sites and current Western Eurasian cities to describe both the regional Western Eurasian fundamental and realised climate niches. Changes between the three prehistoric periods and modern-day time period are analysed by calculating each realised niche breadth, overlap, position, and variance. Results indicate that as global temperatures cooled from the Last Interglacial to Last Glacial Maximum, populations expanded their climate niche breadth beyond that of earlier Neanderthal groups, shifting toward regions with less seasonal variation. Conversely, Mid-Holocene humans, who saw the proliferation of both agriculture and population, contracted their realised climate niche space. The contraction and expansion of realised climate niche space illustrates how hominins have evolved the capacity to shift their niche through changes to their subsistence strategy and adaptations to overall climatic conditions.

中文翻译：

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沿频谱变化：对欧亚西部已实现气候位点的纵向研究

摘要现代人类和早期人类祖先占据的气候生态位随着时间的推移发生了巨大变化，但这些变化的程度在很大程度上没有记录。本研究调查了欧亚大陆西部已实现的人类气候生态位在四个时间段（末次间冰期、末次盛冰期、中全新世和 1950-2000 年）扩张、收缩或保持静止的方式。本研究使用空间网格化一般环流模型数据和站点位置，检查来自考古遗址和当前西欧亚城市的气候变量，以描述区域性西欧亚基本和已实现的气候生态位。通过计算每个实现的生态位宽度、重叠、位置和方差来分析三个史前时期和现代时期之间的变化。结果表明，随着全球气温从末次间冰期冷却到末次冰期最大值，人口扩大了他们的气候生态位宽度，超出了早期的尼安德特人群体，转向季节性变化较小的地区。相反，见证了农业和人口激增的中全新世人类缩小了他们实现的气候生态位空间。已实现的气候生态位空间的收缩和扩张说明了人类如何通过改变生存策略和适应整体气候条件来进化出转移生态位的能力。相反，见证了农业和人口激增的中全新世人类缩小了他们实现的气候生态位空间。已实现的气候生态位空间的收缩和扩张说明了人类如何通过改变生存策略和适应整体气候条件来进化出转移生态位的能力。相反，见证了农业和人口激增的中全新世人类缩小了他们实现的气候生态位空间。已实现的气候生态位空间的收缩和扩张说明了人类如何通过改变生存策略和适应整体气候条件来进化出转移生态位的能力。