ASPR Postdoctoral fellow Margot Louail, who joined the ASPR in mid-2024, will be using her time as a fellow to study the paleoecology of suids from the Turkana Depression between 3.8 and 1.0 million years ago. Dr. Louail’s research will primarily concentrate on the Shungura Formation and the closely associated Usno Formation in the Lower Omo Valley of southwestern Ethiopia. These formations offer the most comprehensive Plio-Pleistocene record in eastern Africa, with nearly continuous sediment deposition from approximately 3.8 to 1 million years ago. Together, they have produced around 60,000 vertebrate specimens, including roughly 300 hominin fossils and lithic assemblages. Previous research suggests that the Lower Omo Valley had wetter, more densely vegetated environments compared to regions further south, such as the Turkana Depression. To explore ecological differences within the Turkana Depression, Dr. Louail plans to compare previous findings with data from other contemporaneous sites, including Koobi Fora in East Turkana, the Nachukui Formation in West Turkana, and additional eastern African locations. Key questions or Dr. Louail’s research include: How did environmental changes influence omnivores in the Turkana Depression on both local and regional scales during critical periods of human evolution? Could the Lower Omo Valley have served as a refugium for certain suid species, and if so, in what ways? Finally, how do these findings shed light on ecological opportunities for hominins?
The project focuses on suids due to their abundance in hominin-associated sites within the Turkana Depression, where they frequently coexisted with hominins. Suids are valuable for biostratigraphic studies and provide insights into the environmental context of hominin evolution. Like hominins, suids are large terrestrial mammals with diverse dietary habits ranging from omnivory to herbivory, complex social behaviors, and significant dietary and morphological changes during the Plio-Pleistocene. Isotope studies show that suids transitioned to more C4 grass-based diets slightly earlier than hominins, with some species developing dental adaptations to abrasive diets. This parallels the robust dental morphology seen in Paranthropus. Suids, like hominins, experienced reduced diversity by the end of the Pleistocene. By studying the Turkana suid community’s ecological evolution, this project aims to explore differences in adaptive responses to environmental conditions and provide a comparative model for understanding hominin adaptations in shared habitats. The research will expand data on Turkana suids, integrating ecological responses to environmental changes between ~3.8 and 1.0 million years ago, particularly during key periods of human evolution. Advanced methods, including intra-tooth isotope analysis, dental microwear, and enamel geochemistry, will shed light on dietary behaviors and environmental dynamics, such as seasonal variations. Additionally, suid abundance data will inform community structure comparisons within the Turkana Depression.