Climatic Adaptation and Subsistence Evolution of Ancient Humans in Southern China from the Late Pleistocene to the Holocene: A Case Study of Yahuai Cave and Multiple Karst Cave Sites in Southern China

WU Yan1,2,5* and XIE Guangmao3,4

Guangxi, situated as a pivotal corridor connecting East Asia and Southeast Asia, preserves continuous archaeological records of human activities spanning from the Late Pleistocene to the Holocene, providing crucial evidence for exploring the origin and evolution of modern humans as well as their adaptive responses to environmental changes. Taking the Yahuai Cave site in Guangxi as the research object, this study conducts multi-dimensional analyses including phytolith and pollen investigations. The results reveal that four successive human occupation phases at Yahuai Cave are strongly synchronous with global climatic cold events (e.g., H2, H1), indicating that karst caves served as ecological refugia during cold and arid periods. In contrast, warm and humid climatic conditions were accompanied by abundant ecological resources and the refinement of lithic technological practices. From the perspective of plant archaeology, this paper systematically reviews the human occupational characteristics and sequential utilization patterns of key prehistoric sites in southern China, including Lunan Cave, Ganqian Cave, Yanli Cave and Yahuai Cave. It further reveals the adaptive strategies of prehistoric populations in mid-low latitudes of East Asia in response to climatic fluctuations, the evolutionary trajectory of technological behaviors, and the role of human migratory movements in regional cultural exchanges from the Late Paleolithic to the Late Neolithic. This research provides key empirical evidence for understanding the transition of prehistoric subsistence patterns in southern East Asia from broad-spectrum gathering to early intensive resource management.