Marco Vidal-Cordasco

EMAILED: This project investigated how biodiversity loss and climate change affected human populations and ecosystems in Iberia during the transition from the Late Pleistocene to the Early Holocene. Archaeological excavations and paleoenvironmental sampling were conducted at two archaeological sites within the Ojo Guareña karst system, as well as at peat bog and paleolake deposits. The research combined analyses of faunal remains, pollen records, sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA), stable isotopes, and ecological modelling to reconstruct environmental change and human–ecosystem interactions. The project documented major ecological restructuring during this period, showing that megafauna extinctions substantially altered herbivore biomass distribution and increased human carrying capacity. The project also developed a new molecular approach for reconstructing plant biomass production (i.e., Net Primary Productivity) using lipid biomarkers preserved in sediments. Combined with the full range of archaeological and paleoenvironmental data collected during the project, this method revealed increasing top-down control on ecosystem productivity linked to growing human populations during the Late Pleistocene–Holocene transition. These findings suggest that biodiversity loss made ecosystems more vulnerable to human impacts and climate change, contributing to broader debates on human ecological impacts and ecosystem resilience during periods of rapid environmental change.