Ancient South Africa may be a reminder that today's ecosystems are not all the possible ones
WHAT THE EVIDENCE SAYS
A multiproxy reconstruction combining plant n-alkane isotope signatures and revised luminescence dating identified contrasting Pleistocene vegetation and hydrological conditions at South African fossil sites. Many inferred ecological conditions fall outside the range of sampled modern regional biomes.
WHY IT MATTERS / OUR READ
Ecological baselines are historical and conditional. This is not a management prescription, but it invites a careful question: when climates change, what does a 'natural reference system' mean?
CAVEATS / UNCERTAINTY
Proxy reconstructions infer past vegetation and rainfall conditions rather than directly measuring entire historical communities. Human behavioral interpretations are informed by archaeological context and remain uncertain across sites and time.
SOURCE
Communications Earth & Environment — Ecker et al. (30 Oct 2026)
View original evidence ↗
Plant-wax isotope records reconstructed environmental combinations around early Homo sapiens that have no clear modern analogue.
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