Journal of Ecosystem & Ecography
Open Access

Abstract

Changes in vegetation due to climate change that began 2.8 million years ago in East Africa were crucial in the emergence of the genus Homo. Data on the relative diversity of small mammal communities at the sites Atapuerca indicate a period of depopulation of Europe, linked to climate change made between 0.7 and 0.6 million years. The extinction of mega fauna in the Iberian plateau during the Upper Pleistocene could be related to the activities of Neanderthals. This infringed the existence of the Neanderthals, their extinction could be related with this and rapid climate fluctuations suffered in Europe in the late Pleistocene. The change in the economy and mentality due to the Neolithic revolution are the root causes of the impact of human activities on ecosystems worldwide from about 10,000 years ago.

Biography

Gloria Cuenca Bescós has completed her Ph.D at the age of 26 years from Zaragoza University and Postdoctoral studies from Groningen University (The Nederlands) and the Geological Institut of Praha (Check Republic). She is the Director of Biostratigraphic and Biodiversity Studies of Fossil of Small Vertebrates in the Archaeo-Paleontological sites of the Pleistocene of Atapuerca, Burgos, Spain. She has published more than 70 papers in reputed journals and has been serving as an Editorial Board Member and Reviewer of many reputed journals.