@article{16f348f7bbf74a78b7046a95d22e07c0,
title = "An ecomorphological model of the initial hominid dispersal from Africa",
abstract = "We use new data on the timing and extent of the early Pleistocene dispersal of Homo erectus to estimate diffusion coefficients of early Homo from Africa. These diffusion coefficients indicate more rapid and efficient dispersals than those calculated for fossil Macaca sp., Theropithecus darti, and Mesopithecus pentelicus. Increases in home range size associated with changes in ecology, hominid body size, and possibly foraging strategy may underlay these differences in dispersal efficiency. Ecological data for extant primates and human foragers indicate a close relationship between body size, home range size, and diet quality. These data predict that evolutionary changes in body size and foraging behavior would have produced a 10-fold increase in the home range size of H. erectus compared with that of the australopithecines. These two independent datasets provide a means of quantifying aspects of the dispersal of early Homo and suggest that rapid rates of dispersal appear to have been promoted by changes in foraging strategy and body size in H. erectus facilitated by changes in ecosystem structure during the Plio-Pleistocene.",
author = "Ant{\'o}n, {S. C.} and Leonard, {W. R.} and Robertson, {M. L.}",
note = "Funding Information: and educational and research support to Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women{\textquoteright}s Hospital from Philips Respironics, Inc. and Alexandra Drane, which supported in part the survey administration and analysis. Mark {\'E}. Czeisler reports a grant from the Australian-American Fulbright Commission. Mark E. Howard reports a grant from the Institute for Breathing and Sleep, Austin Health, Australia. Shantha M.W. Rajaratnam reports a grant from the Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Australia. Charles A. Czeisler, Joshua F. Wiley, Matthew D. Weaver, Mark {\'E}. Czeisler, Mark E. Howard, and Shantha M.W. Rajaratnam report contributions by Archangels for the screener used to determine unpaid caregiver status in the survey and a grant to Monash University from Whoop, Inc. that supported in part the administration of the survey in June. No other potential conflicts of interest were disclosed. Funding Information: Survey respondents; Mallory Colys, Sneha Baste, Daniel Chong, Rebecca Toll, Qualtrics, LLC; Jaswinder Legha, Lisa D. Wiggins, Brooke Hoots, Theresa Armstead, CDC; Rebecca Robbins, Laura K. Barger, Brigham and Women's Hospital; Elise R. Facer-Childs, Monash University; Alexandra Drane, Sarah Stephens Winnay, Archangels; Emily Capodilupo, Whoop, Inc.; The Kinghorn Foundation; Australian-American Fulbright Commission.",
year = "2002",
month = dec,
doi = "10.1006/jhev.2002.0602",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "43",
pages = "773--785",
journal = "Journal of Human Evolution",
issn = "0047-2484",
publisher = "Academic Press Inc.",
number = "6",
}