Adaptability, resilience and environmental buffering in European Refugia during the Late Pleistocene: Insights from La Riera Cave (Asturias, Cantabria, Spain)

摘要: The Upper Palaeolithic in Europe was a time of extensive climatic changes that impacted on the survival and distribution human populations. During Late Glacial Maximum (LGM), southern European peninsulas were refugia for flora, fauna, groups. One these refugia, Cantabrian region (northern Atlantic Spain), intensively occupied throughout Palaeolithic. Characterising how events expressed local environments is crucial to understand animal survival. La Riera Cave (Asturias) has rich geo-cultural sequence dating between 20.5kyr BP 6.5kyr represents an ideal location which explore this. Stable isotope analysis red deer ibex used alongside other environmental proxies reconstruct conditions. Results show during LGM, adapted their niche survive, became major prey species humans. diverse opportunities offered high-relief coastal environs may help explain high population levels Region Despite fluctuating conditions, herbivores humans had flexibility resilience adapt, demonstrating importance different species.