Modelling the Dispersal of the First Americans through an Inhospitable Ice-free Corridor
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6135714 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kenichi Aoki (0000-0002-8426-4091, The University of Tokyo, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1993 |
| Volume | 101 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 79-89 |
| Publication date | 1993-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Anthropological Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0918-7960 • E-ISSN: 1348-8570 |
| Publisher | Anthropological Society of Nippon (PUBLISHER • JP) |
| DOI | 10.1537/ase.101.79 |
| OpenAlex | W2396104869 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 3 |
An ice-free corridor is believed to have existed during the late Pleistocene, but it is suspected that ecological conditions may have been severe. Hence, it is controversial whether the route could have been used by the first Americans in their southward expansion from Beringia to the interior of North America. Two demographic models, both assuming negative population growth in the corridor, are examined to evaluate the possibility of a successful crossing. First, a deterministic reaction-diffusion model shows that the condition permitting traversal could have been met, provided the diffusion coefficient (one-half the variance of random migratory activity) was not too large. Based on the mitochondrial DNA sequence divergence data of Vigilant et al. (1989), I obtain an estimate of the diffusion coefficient applicable to prehistoric hunter-gatherers, which is smaller than available estimates for recent humans. Second, the average waiting time between two successful crossings is derived from a probabilistic branching chain model with migration. Although there is much uncertainty regarding the appropriate values of the parameters, the average waiting time appears to be too long. Taken together, the theoretical analyses of this paper suggest that the ice-free corridor probably could not have served as the principal dispersal route
Archaeology · Beringia · Biological dispersal · Divergence (linguistics · Geography · Physical geography · Pleistocene · Population · Variance (accounting · Demography · Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation · Forensic and Genetic Research · Stochastic processes and statistical mechanics
| Unique citing works | 5 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,18 |
| Citation span | 1998 - 2023 (26) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 5 |