Palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic reconstruction of the latest Pleistocene–Holocene sequence from Grotta del Romito (Calabria, southern Italy) using the small-mammal assemblages

The habitat weighting method, the Simpson diversity index and the mutual climatic range method are applied to the small-mammal assemblage of Grotta del Romito (southern Italy) in order to reconstruct the environmental and climatic fluctuations that occurred during the latest Pleistocene–Holocene sequence of the cave. The analysed strata have a discontinuous chronological range from the middle-late Gravettian (ca. 24 ka uncal. BP) to the Mesolithic–Sauveterrian (still radiometrically undated). Gravettian and Epigravettian layers were excavated inside the cave, Mesolithic layers in the rockshelter outside the cave. The small-mammal assemblage shows significant differences along the sequence; a turning point is detected in strata D29-D11, coinciding with the end of Heinrich Event 1 (H1) and the beginning of the Bølling–Allerød interstadial (between ca. 14.9–14 ka cal. BP). These data are in accordance with the previously obtained environmental data for Grotta del Romito, as well as with other continental climatic and environmental changes detected at a regional scale.