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Jiangzuo Q, Rabe C, Abella J, Govender R, Valenciano A. Langebaanweg's sabertooth guild reveals an African Pliocene evolutionary hotspot for sabertooths (Carnivora; Felidae). iScience 2023; 26:107212. [PMID: 37609637 PMCID: PMC10440717 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Here, we describe and revise craniodental material from Langebaanweg 'E' Quarry (South Africa, early Pliocene, ∼5.2 Ma), which represents one of the largest and best-preserved collections of sabertooth felids from Mio-Pliocene deposits of Africa. Four taxa, including two new species, are recognized: Lokotunjailurus chinsamyae sp. nov., Adeilosmilus aff. kabir, Yoshi obscura, and Dinofelis werdelini sp. nov. The felid guild composition analyzed herein suggests the presence of a mosaic environment with open components in the region, and shows a potential relationship with that of Yuanmou, suggesting a similar environment and/or dispersal route/event. The reassessment of the rich early Pliocene felids from Langebaanweg is a step toward understanding the transition and evolution of the felids in the southern hemisphere during the late Miocene to early Pliocene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qigao Jiangzuo
- Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100044, China
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing 100044, China
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York City, NY 10024, USA
| | - Caitlin Rabe
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7701, South Africa
| | - Juan Abella
- Departament de Botànica i Geologia, Grup d'Investigació en Paleontologia de Vertebrats del Cenozoic (PVC-GIUV), Universitat de València, Burjassot, 46100 València, Spain
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Campus Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
- Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad, Quito 170131, Ecuador
| | - Romala Govender
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7701, South Africa
- Research and Exhibitions, Iziko Museums of South Africa, Cape Town 8001, South Africa
| | - Alberto Valenciano
- Research and Exhibitions, Iziko Museums of South Africa, Cape Town 8001, South Africa
- Departamento de Estratigrafía, Geodinámica y Paleontología, Faculty of Geological Sciences, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
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Jiangzuo Q, Werdelin L, Sanisidro O, Yang R, Fu J, Li S, Wang S, Deng T. Origin of adaptations to open environments and social behaviour in sabretoothed cats from the northeastern border of the Tibetan Plateau. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20230019. [PMID: 37072045 PMCID: PMC10113030 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The iconic sabretooth Homotherium is thought to have hunted cooperatively, but the origin of this behaviour and correlated morphological adaptations are largely unexplored. Here we report the most primitive species of Amphimachairodus (Amphimachairodus hezhengensis sp. nov.), a member of Machairodontini basal to Homotherium, from the Linxia Basin, northeastern border of the Tibetan Plateau (9.8-8.7 Ma). The long snout, laterally oriented and posteriorly located orbit of Amphimachairodus suggest a better ability to observe the surrounding environment, rather than targeting single prey, pointing to an adaptation to the open environment or social behaviour. A pathological forepaw of Amphimachairodus provides direct evidence of partner care. Our analyses of trait evolutionary rates support that traits correlated with killing behaviour and open environment adaptation evolved prior to other traits, suggesting that changes in hunting behaviour may be the major evolutionary driver in the early evolution of the lineage. A. hezhengensis represents one of the most important transitions in the evolution of Machairodontini, leading to adaptation in open environments and contributing to their further dispersal and radiation worldwide. This rapid morphological change is likely to be correlated with increasingly arid environments caused by the rise of the Tibetan Plateau, and competition from abundant large carnivores in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qigao Jiangzuo
- Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, 5 Yiheyuan Road, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing 100044, People's Republic of China
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024-5102, USA
| | - Lars Werdelin
- Department of Palaeobiology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, S-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Oscar Sanisidro
- Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad de Alcalá, GloCEE -Global Change Ecology and Evolution Research Group, Alcalá de Henares 28801, Spain
| | - Rong Yang
- Hezheng Paleozoological Museum, Hezheng 731200, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiao Fu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing 100044, People's Republic of China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Shijie Li
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing 100044, People's Republic of China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Shiqi Wang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing 100044, People's Republic of China
| | - Tao Deng
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing 100044, People's Republic of China
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Lu LL, Yao YF, Wang GA, Xie G, Lu KQ, Sun B, Li JF, Bruch AA, Ferguson DK, Cui YM, Wang Q, Zhou XY, Gao F, Wang YF. Palaeobotanical evidence reveals the living conditions of Miocene Lufengpithecus in East Asia. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2023; 23:155. [PMID: 36945024 PMCID: PMC10031969 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-023-04165-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Understanding the relationship between human evolution and environmental changes is the key to lifting the veil on human origin. The hypothesis that environmental changes triggered the divergence of humans from apes (ca. 9.3-6.5 million years ago, Ma) has been poorly tested because of limited continuous environmental data from fossil localities. Lufengpithecus (12.5-6.0 Ma) found on the southeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau (SEMTP) across the ape-human split provides a good chance for testing this hypothesis. RESULTS Here, we reconstructed the habitats of L. keiyuanensis (12.5-11.6 Ma) with comprehensive vegetation, climate, and potential food web data by palaeobotanical evidence, together with other multidisciplinary data and partly tested the environment-driven hypothesis by revealing the living conditions of Lufengpithecus. CONCLUSION A detailed comparison of hominoids on different continents reveals their behaviour and fate divergence across the ape-human split against the background of global climate change, i.e., the stable living conditions of SEMTP not only provided a so-called 'refuge' for arboreal Lufengpithecus but also acted as a 'double-edged sword', preventing their further evolution while vegetation shifts in East Africa probably stimulated the emergence of human bipedalism, and the intense climatic changes in Europe possibly prevented those hominoids from surviving that time interval. Our findings provide interesting insight into the environmental impacts on the behavioural evolution of hominoids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li-Li Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 20 Nanxincun Xiangshan, 100093, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China
| | - Yi-Feng Yao
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 20 Nanxincun Xiangshan, 100093, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China
| | - Guo-An Wang
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, 100193, Beijing, China
| | - Gan Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 20 Nanxincun Xiangshan, 100093, Beijing, China
| | - Kai-Qing Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 20 Nanxincun Xiangshan, 100093, Beijing, China
| | - Bin Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 20 Nanxincun Xiangshan, 100093, Beijing, China
| | - Jin-Feng Li
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 20 Nanxincun Xiangshan, 100093, Beijing, China
| | - Angela A Bruch
- ROCEEH Research Centre, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - David K Ferguson
- Department of Paleontology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Yi-Ming Cui
- Lushan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 332900, Jiujiang, China
| | - Qiang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 20 Nanxincun Xiangshan, 100093, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China
| | - Xin-Ying Zhou
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China.
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100044, Beijing, China.
| | - Feng Gao
- Department of Paleoanthropolpgy, Yunnan Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, 650118, Kunming, Yunnan, China.
| | - Yu-Fei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 20 Nanxincun Xiangshan, 100093, Beijing, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China.
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Adler GH, Brace S, Christenhusz MJM, Dittel JW, Hansford JP. Integrative approaches to mammalian systematics, ecomorphology and biomechanics. Zool J Linn Soc 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlac085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gregory H Adler
- Biology Department, University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh, 800 Algoma Boulevard, Oshkosh , WI 54901-3551 , USA
| | - Selina Brace
- Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum , Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD , UK
| | | | - Jacob W Dittel
- Department of Biology, University of North Alabama , Box 5048, Florence, AL 35632-0001 , USA
| | - James P Hansford
- Institute of Zoology of the Zoological Society of London , Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RY , UK
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