ALBERT

Description: This study investigates Late Quaternary sediments from Vankervelsvlei, a peatland located at 152 m above present sea level at the southern Cape coast of South Africa. A 15 m long sediment record was recovered from the site in 2016 and analysed using a multi-proxy approach. This includes analyses of water content, loss on ignition, grain size, organic (C, N and their isotopic composition) and inorganic (Al, Fe, Sr, Ti) elemental composition as well as compound-specific stable hydrogen and carbon isotopes from leaf wax-derived n-alkanes and compound-specific stable oxygen isotopes from hemicellulose-derived sugars. Stable hydrogen and oxygen isotopes are additionally coupled in a δ2Hn-alkane–δ18Osugar paleohygrometer. Parts of the data derive from a pioneer study by Strobel et al (2019) and have subsequently been extended by Strobel et al (submitted). Distinct environmental changes occurred at Vankervelsvlei during the Late Quaternary and the applied multi-proxy approach enables to reconstruct past variations in the atmospheric source of precipitation and local moisture availability at the site, which is coherent with other records located along the southern Cape coast of South Africa.

Description: Movies: for all mapped movies (movie S1 - S6): white circles indicate the presence of a pollen record; blue dots indicate archaeological remains of wild terrestrial ungulates; and red dots indicate the remains of domestic animals. The distribution of the faunal remains was based on summed probability distributions of radiocarbon dates at 100-year time intervals (see Phelps et al. in press for further methodological information). Movie S1a: The climatic envelope of forest mapped at 100-year intervals, using the direct methodology with WorldClim data (black background). Movie S1b: The climatic envelope of forest mapped at 100-year intervals, using the direct methodology with WorldClim data (white background). Movie S1c: The climatic envelope of forest mapped at 100-year intervals, using the direct methodology with TraCE-21ka climate information (black background). Movie S1d: The climatic envelope of forest taxa mapped at 100-year intervals, using the direct methodology with TraCE-21ka climate information (white background). Movie S1e: The climatic envelope of forest taxa mapped at 100-year intervals, using the indirect methodology, WorldClim data (black background). Movie S1f: The climatic envelope of forest taxa mapped at 100-year intervals, using the indirect methodology, WorldClim data (white background). Movie S1g: The climatic envelope of forest taxa mapped at 100-year intervals, using the indirect methodology, TraCE-21ka climate information (black background). Movie S1h: The climatic envelope of forest taxa mapped at 100-year intervals, using the indirect methodology, TraCE-21ka climate information (white background). ______________________________________________________________________________________ Movie S2a: The climatic envelope of grassy biomes (savanna- and steppe-associated taxa) mapped at 100-year intervals, using the direct methodology with WorldClim data (black background). Movie S2b: The climatic envelope of grassy biomes (savanna- and steppe-associated taxa) mapped at 100-year intervals, using the direct methodology with WorldClim data (white background). Movie S2c: The climatic envelope of grassy biomes (savanna- and steppe-associated taxa) mapped at 100-year intervals, using the direct methodology with TraCE-21ka climate information (black background). Movie S2d: The climatic envelope of grassy biomes (savanna- and steppe-associated taxa) mapped at 100-year intervals, using the direct methodology with TraCE-21ka climate information (white background). ______________________________________________________________________________________ Movie S3a: The climatic envelope of savanna-associated taxa mapped at 100-year intervals, using the indirect methodology, WorldClim data (black background). Movie S3b: The climatic envelope of savanna-associated taxa mapped at 100-year intervals, using the indirect methodology, WorldClim data (white background). Movie S3c: The climatic envelope of savanna-associated taxa mapped at 100-year intervals, using the indirect methodology, TraCE-21ka climate information (black background). Movie S3d: The climatic envelope of savanna-associated taxa mapped at 100-year intervals, using the indirect methodology, TraCE-21ka climate information (white background). ______________________________________________________________________________________ Movie S4a: The climatic envelope of steppe-associated taxa mapped at 100-year intervals, using the indirect methodology, WorldClim data (black background). Movie S4b: The climatic envelope of steppe-associated taxa mapped mapped at 100-year intervals, using the indirect methodology, WorldClim data (white background). Movie S4c: The climatic envelope of steppe-associated taxa mapped mapped at 100-year intervals, using the indirect methodology, TraCE-21ka climate information (black background). Movie S4d: The climatic envelope of steppe-associated taxa mapped mapped at 100-year intervals, using the indirect methodology, TraCE-21ka climate information (white background). ______________________________________________________________________________________ Movie S5a: The climatic envelope of desert-associated taxa mapped mapped at 100-year intervals, using the direct methodology with WorldClim data (black background). Movie S5b: The climatic envelope of desert-associated taxa mapped at 100-year intervals, using the direct methodology with WorldClim data (white background). Movie S5c: The climatic envelope of desert-associated taxa mapped at 100-year intervals, using the direct methodology with TraCE-21ka climate information (black background). Movie S5d: The climatic envelope of desert-associated taxa mapped at 100-year intervals, using the direct methodology with TraCE-21ka climate information (white background). Movie S5e: The climatic envelope of desert-associated taxa mapped at 100-year intervals, using the indirect methodology, WorldClim data (black background). Movie S5f: The climatic envelope of desert-associated taxa mapped at 100-year intervals, using the indirect methodology, WorldClim data (white background). Movie S5g: The climatic envelope of desert-associated taxa mapped at 100-year intervals, using the indirect methodology, TraCE-21ka climate information (black background). Movie S5h: The climatic envelope of desert-associated taxa mapped at 100-year intervals, using the indirect methodology, TraCE-21ka climate information (white background). ______________________________________________________________________________________ Movie S6a: The climatic envelope of xeric-associated taxa mapped at 100-year intervals, using the direct methodology with WorldClim data (black background). Movie S6b: The climatic envelope of xeric-associated taxa mapped at 100-year intervals, using the direct methodology with WorldClim data (white background). Movie S6c: The climatic envelope of xeric-associated taxa mapped at 100-year intervals, using the direct methodology with TraCE-21ka climate information (black background). Movie S6d: The climatic envelope of xeric-associated taxa mapped at 100-year intervals, using the direct methodology with TraCE-21ka climate information (white background). Movie S6e: The climatic envelope of xeric-associated taxa mapped at 100-year intervals, using the indirect methodology, WorldClim data (black background). Movie S6f: The climatic envelope of xeric-associated taxa mapped at 100-year intervals, using the indirect methodology, WorldClim data (white background). Movie S6g: The climatic envelope of xeric-associated taxa mapped at 100-year intervals, using the indirect methodology, TraCE-21ka climate information (black background). Movie S6h: The climatic envelope of xeric-associated taxa mapped at 100-year intervals, using the indirect methodology, TraCE-21ka climate information (white background). ______________________________________________________________________________________ Movie S7a: Multivariate environmental similarity surface (MESS) analyses plotted in geographic space using the direct methodology with repeated, modern-day WorldClim data. White areas demonstrate neutrality: i.e., neither similarity nor dissimilarity. Movie S7b: Multivariate environmental similarity surface (MESS) analyses plotted in geographic space using the direct methodology with TraCE-21ka climate information. White areas demonstrate neutrality: i.e., neither similarity nor dissimilarity. Movie S7c: Multivariate environmental similarity surface (MESS) analyses plotted in geographic space using the indirect methodology with repeated, modern-day WorldClim data. White areas demonstrate neutrality: i.e., neither similarity nor dissimilarity. Movie S7d: Multivariate environmental similarity surface (MESS) analyses plotted in geographic space using the indirect methodology with TraCE-21ka climate information. White areas demonstrate neutrality: i.e., neither similarity nor dissimilarity. ______________________________________________________________________________________ Movie S8a: Climatic envelope overlap between forest and grassy biomes (savanna and steppe) plotted in climate space. Envelopes were generated using the direct methodology and TraCE-21ka climate information. Red areas indicate the presence of grassy biomes only, whereas purple indicates overlap between grassy biomes and forest. For reference to the climatic variables used to define the climate space, see the TraCE-21ka correlation circle in figure A2. Movie S8b: Climatic envelope overlap between forest and savanna only, plotted in climate space. Envelopes were generated using the indirect methodology and TraCE-21ka climate information. Red areas indicate the presence of savanna only, whereas purple indicates overlap between savanna and forest. For reference to the climatic variables used, see the TraCE-21ka correlation circle in figure A2.

Description: This dataset contains the best estimates for Mean Annual Temperature Reconstructions from marine core MD96-2048. Under Other version, the xlsx file contains the 1) best estimates for Mean Annual Temperature Reconstructions, 2) posterior distribution of probabilities for each sample, 3) conversion table of plant species to pollen taxa, 4) percentage data used in the reconstruction, 5) list of selected and excluded pollen taxa.