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Re: Speciation - how do you know?
Nick Maclaren (nmm1@cus.cam.ac.uk)
14 Oct 1996 09:07:37 GMT
In article <53p5ep$ha3@news.bu.edu>, ndrosen@bu.edu (Nicholas Rosen) writes:
|>
|> That doesn't explain why the Neanderthals didn't migrate North, to a climate
|> more like what they were familiar with, while H.s.s. occupied the former
|> Neanderthal range. Of course, if the Neanderthals were stay-at-homes --
|> but I'll let someone else argue that one.
There is another explanation of that. When glaciers retreat fairly
suddenly, there is a reduction in the sub-arctic ecology. The reason
is that temperate woodland establishes itself very fast (hundreds of
years) but sub-arctic forest takes much longer (thousands?) to build
up on what was previously tundra. Of course, an expert would have
to estimate exactly how important this phenomenon was in the actual
events.
Nick Maclaren,
University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory,
New Museums Site, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QG, England.
Email: nmm1@cam.ac.uk
Tel.: +44 1223 334761 Fax: +44 1223 334679
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