Question

What role might fluctuations in climate have played in the appearance and evolution of the first hominins? Climate change in the late Miocene resulted in the appearance of patchy forests and open grasslands and the kinds of foods that would be available in these settings vs. those available in earlier tropical forest settings.

Answer 1

Some climatic conditions may occur over a short time and they may be cyclical.There may be changes in the amount of temperature,light and preciptation.On a longer time scale hominins have experienced a large scale shift in the temperature and precepitation which causes wide change in the vegetation.It changed from grassland and shrubland to woodland and forest and also from cold to warm climate.

The environment of the hominins have also been altered by earthquake and uplift such as rise in the elevation of tibetan plateau.

Volcanic eruption,forest fire also have a altered the availability of water,shelter and other resources.All these changes and shifts were not temporary but also the lasted for a large timespan.These were not expected by the hominins raising instability and uncertainty in their living conditions.

Many organisms have preferences in their habitat,preffered temperature and prefered precipitation changes.When there is a change in the animals favored habitat ,they can move and track their favored habitat or they become extinct.