Anthropic and climatic impacts on biodiversity during the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in North-Western France

Abstract

The Neolithic transition, which began around 10,000 BCE in Western Asia, has significantly impacted the biodiversity dynamics and the hunter-gatherer communities due to the beginning of anthropization and climate fluctuations during this period. Neolithic farmers gradually spread to the Atlantic margins of North-Western Europe during the 6th millennium BCE, arriving later than in other parts of the continent.

This systematic review aims to shed a light on the landscape transformations and shifts in the ecological niches that occurred during neolithization in the Armorican Massif, driven by human and climatic influences, through an interdisciplinary examination of palynology, archaeology and palaeogenomics. This Massif is situated in North-Western France which hosted well established Mesolithic and Neolithic societies that have been extensively studied. However, recent research has called into question the coexistence of these two cultural groups in this area, necessitating a reevaluation of the literature in light of these new findings.

This systematic review coupled with an analysis of pollen sequences reveals spatial and temporal heterogeneity in vegetation composition, openness, and the gradual introduction of domesticated taxa into the region. This analysis should be seen in the context of the delayed adoption of the agro-pastoral lifestyle in North-Western Europe, attributed to the different climatic conditions encountered, which required time for these societies and their domesticated taxa to adapt.

Further investigation is needed to clearly differentiate between anthropogenic and climatic impacts and paleo-climatic reconstruction based on pollen sequences looks promising for addressing this issue.