Palaeoecology and human migrations in the Quaternary: an approach from the phylogeography of hippopotamidae

During most of the Quaternary, the evolution and dispersal of hominins has been strongly influenced by environmental factors, especially by the availability of resources and the configuration of climate and ecosystems. In this context, the present PhD thesis explores the potential of hippopotamuses...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: Fidalgo Casares, Darío
Tipo de recurso: tesis doctoral
Fecha de publicación:2026
País:España
Institución:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
Repositorio:Docta Complutense
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/131953
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/131953
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:569.73(043.2)
Hippopotamidae
Palaeoecology
Quaternary
Hipopotámidos
Paleoecología
Cuaternario
Ecología (Biología)
Evolución
Paleontología
2416 Paleontología
Descripción
Sumario:During most of the Quaternary, the evolution and dispersal of hominins has been strongly influenced by environmental factors, especially by the availability of resources and the configuration of climate and ecosystems. In this context, the present PhD thesis explores the potential of hippopotamuses (especially the genus Hippopotamus) as model taxa for the reconstruction of ecological and biogeographical dynamics to better understand the scenarios in which human evolution and dispersal took place. The used analyses combine the systematic review of the fossil record, the study of unpublished palaeontological assemblages, the application of virtual methodologies (such as 3D geometric morphometrics), and the analysis of stable isotopes and dental pathologies. With this multidisciplinary approach, progress has been made in the characterisation of phylogeographic, morphological and ecological patterns of hippopotamus populations during the Quaternary, generating an integrative synthesis with the available palaeoanthropological and archaeological information...