Demographic change, ranging areas and sites with repeated or ongoing occupation based on archaeological radiocarbon data for Australia between 12-0ka.

<p>A) Average annual growth rates (GR_Ann) from Williams [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0128661#pone.0128661.ref008" target="_blank">8</a>], showing stepwise population increase through the Holocene. B) Quantitative population estimates using a range of founding populations (n = 50, 500, 1000, 2000, 3,000, 5,000) from Williams [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0128661#pone.0128661.ref008" target="_blank">8</a>]. Williams considered founding populations of between 2,000–3,000 most likely, resulting in populations of 0.5–1.5 million through the late Holocene, higher than at any previous time since colonisation. C) Total area of Minimum Bounding Rectangles (MBRs), considered to represent population ranging area or territory using over-lapping (2,000 year) time slices between 12 and 5ka, and firm (500 year) time slices between 5 and 0ka; D) The number of archaeological sites with two or more radiocarbon data within a given time slice (moving firm 500 year time slices), and considered to reflect longer residence time and/or more permanent occupation. Key climatic events are also shown, including Holocene climatic optimum (HCO), El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Medieval Climatic Anomaly (MCA), and Little Ice Age (LIA).