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Kosintsev PA, Konovalova KY, Simonova GV. Content of 13С and 15N Isotopes in Bone Collagen of Geographical, Age, and Sex Groups of the Ural Cave Bear (Mammalia, Carnivora, Ursidae, Ursus (Spelaearctos) kanivetz Verestchagin, 1973). DOKLADY BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES : PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE USSR, BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES SECTIONS 2023; 513:374-377. [PMID: 37950813 PMCID: PMC10811068 DOI: 10.1134/s001249662370076x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/13/2023]
Abstract
Data on the content of 13C and 15N isotopes in the collagen of bones of the Ural cave bear (Ursus (S.) kanivetz Verestchagin, 1973) from the North and Middle Urals were analyzed. The bones date from the first half of MIS 3. The bones of newborn individuals, individuals aged 1 year, males and females aged 2, 3, and 4 years, and older than 4 years were studied. Differences in δ13С values between age, sex, and geographical samples are not significant. With age, the value of δ15N significantly decreases, which is associated with weaning from milk nutrition to independent nutrition. The proportion of meat food in the diet of adult bears in the Middle Urals was higher than in the diet of adult bears in the North Urals. There are no noticeable differences in isotope signatures between males and females of different ages. The large cave bears of the Urals and Europe had a similar type of diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- P A Kosintsev
- Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Yekaterinburg, Russia.
| | - K Yu Konovalova
- Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Yekaterinburg, Russia
| | - G V Simonova
- Institute of Monitoring of Climatic and Ecological Systems Siberian Branch Russian Academy of Sciences, Tomsk, Russia
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2
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Wisniewski AL, Nations JA, Slater GJ. Bayesian Prediction of Multivariate Ecology from Phenotypic Data Yields New Insights into the Diets of Extant and Extinct Taxa. Am Nat 2023; 202:192-215. [PMID: 37531278 DOI: 10.1086/725055] [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] [Indexed: 08/04/2023]
Abstract
AbstractMorphology often reflects ecology, enabling the prediction of ecological roles for taxa that lack direct observations, such as fossils. In comparative analyses, ecological traits, like diet, are often treated as categorical, which may aid prediction and simplify analyses but ignores the multivariate nature of ecological niches. Furthermore, methods for quantifying and predicting multivariate ecology remain rare. Here, we ranked the relative importance of 13 food items for a sample of 88 extant carnivoran mammals and then used Bayesian multilevel modeling to assess whether those rankings could be predicted from dental morphology and body size. Traditional diet categories fail to capture the true multivariate nature of carnivoran diets, but Bayesian regression models derived from living taxa have good predictive accuracy for importance ranks. Using our models to predict the importance of individual food items, the multivariate dietary niche, and the nearest extant analogs for a set of data-deficient extant and extinct carnivoran species confirms long-standing ideas for some taxa but yields new insights into the fundamental dietary niches of others. Our approach provides a promising alternative to traditional dietary classifications. Importantly, this approach need not be limited to diet but serves as a general framework for predicting multivariate ecology from phenotypic traits.
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Kosintsev PA, Simonova GV, Konovalova KY. First Data on Nutrition of the Ural Cave Bear Ursus (Spelaearctos) kanivetz Verestchagin, 1973 (Mammalia, Carnivora, Ursidae) as Based on 13C and 15N Isotope Analyses. DOKLADY BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES : PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE USSR, BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES SECTIONS 2023; 510:160-162. [PMID: 37582991 DOI: 10.1134/s0012496623700357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2023] [Indexed: 08/17/2023]
Abstract
First data on the contents of the 13C and 15N isotopes in collagen were obtained for 16 bones of the Ural cave bear Ursus (Spelaearctos) kanivetz Verestchagin, 1973 from the Tayn (Secrets) cave (55°25' N, 57°46' E). The bones are dated to the middle MIS 3 and belonged to males and females of about 2 years, about 3 years, and older than 4 years of age. No considerable difference in isotope signatures was observed between individuals of different ages and different genders. Cave bears were assumed to forage independently on plant food from the second year of life. The δ13C and δ15N values established for the Ural cave bear are close to the values reported for U. (S.) spelaeus ingressus.
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Affiliation(s)
- P A Kosintsev
- Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Yekaterinburg, Russia.
| | - G V Simonova
- Institute of Monitoring of Climatic and Ecological Systems, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Tomsk, Russia
| | - K Yu Konovalova
- Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Yekaterinburg, Russia
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Lundgren EJ, Schowanek SD, Rowan J, Middleton O, Pedersen RØ, Wallach AD, Ramp D, Davis M, Sandom CJ, Svenning JC. Functional traits of the world's late Quaternary large-bodied avian and mammalian herbivores. Sci Data 2021; 8:17. [PMID: 33473149 PMCID: PMC7817692 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-020-00788-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Prehistoric and recent extinctions of large-bodied terrestrial herbivores had significant and lasting impacts on Earth's ecosystems due to the loss of their distinct trait combinations. The world's surviving large-bodied avian and mammalian herbivores remain among the most threatened taxa. As such, a greater understanding of the ecological impacts of large herbivore losses is increasingly important. However, comprehensive and ecologically-relevant trait datasets for extinct and extant herbivores are lacking. Here, we present HerbiTraits, a comprehensive functional trait dataset for all late Quaternary terrestrial avian and mammalian herbivores ≥10 kg (545 species). HerbiTraits includes key traits that influence how herbivores interact with ecosystems, namely body mass, diet, fermentation type, habitat use, and limb morphology. Trait data were compiled from 557 sources and comprise the best available knowledge on late Quaternary large-bodied herbivores. HerbiTraits provides a tool for the analysis of herbivore functional diversity both past and present and its effects on Earth's ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erick J Lundgren
- Centre for Compassionate Conservation, School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, Australia.
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
| | - Simon D Schowanek
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
| | - John Rowan
- Department of Anthropology, University at Albany, Albany, NY, 12222, USA
| | - Owen Middleton
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Sussex, UK
| | - Rasmus Ø Pedersen
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Arian D Wallach
- Centre for Compassionate Conservation, School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, Australia
| | - Daniel Ramp
- Centre for Compassionate Conservation, School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, Australia
| | - Matt Davis
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA, 90007, USA
| | | | - Jens-Christian Svenning
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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5
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Isotopic calcium biogeochemistry of MIS 5 fossil vertebrate bones: application to the study of the dietary reconstruction of Regourdou 1 Neandertal fossil. J Hum Evol 2021; 151:102925. [PMID: 33412453 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Revised: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/25/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The calcium isotopic composition (δ44/42Ca) of bone and tooth enamel can be used for dietary reconstructions of extant and extinct mammals. In natural conditions, the δ44/42Ca value of bone and teeth varies according to dietary intake with a constant isotopic offset of about -0.6‰. Owing to the poor conservation of collagen, carbon (C), and nitrogen (N) isotopic compositions of the Regourdou Mousterian site (MIS 5, Dordogne, France) previously failed to provide any paleodietary information. Therefore, to reconstruct the trophic chain, we have measured calcium (Ca) isotopes from fossil bone samples of the fauna from the Regourdou site, as well as from three bone samples of the Regourdou 1 Neandertal specimen. The results show a taxon-dependent patterning of the Ca isotopic compositions: herbivores generally have higher δ44/42Ca values than carnivores. All the δ44/42Ca values of Regourdou 1 are low (<-1.6‰), placing this specimen amid carnivores. Using a bone-muscle Ca isotopic offset determined on extant animals, we further show that the δ44/42Ca value of the Regourdou 1 diet, and that of most carnivores, cannot be accounted for by the consumption of meat only, as plants and meat have indistinguishable δ44/42Ca values. Mass balance calculations indicate that the low δ44/42Ca values of the Neandertal's carnivorous diet are explained by the ingestion of bone marrow containing as little as 1% trabecular bone. Our results show that the Regourdou 1 Neanderthal consumed a mixture of various herbivorous prey, as well as trabecular bone, which probably occurred when marrow was ingested, by accident or intentionally.
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Naito YI, Meleg IN, Robu M, Vlaicu M, Drucker DG, Wißing C, Hofreiter M, Barlow A, Bocherens H. Heavy reliance on plants for Romanian cave bears evidenced by amino acid nitrogen isotope analysis. Sci Rep 2020; 10:6612. [PMID: 32313007 PMCID: PMC7170912 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-62990-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2019] [Accepted: 03/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Heavy reliance on plants is rare in Carnivora and mostly limited to relatively small species in subtropical settings. The feeding behaviors of extinct cave bears living during Pleistocene cold periods at middle latitudes have been intensely studied using various approaches including isotopic analyses of fossil collagen. In contrast to cave bears from all other regions in Europe, some individuals from Romania show exceptionally high δ15N values that might be indicative of meat consumption. Herbivory on plants with high δ15N values cannot be ruled out based on this method, however. Here we apply an approach using the δ15N values of individual amino acids from collagen that offsets the baseline δ15N variation among environments. The analysis yielded strong signals of reliance on plants for Romanian cave bears based on the δ15N values of glutamate and phenylalanine. These results could suggest that the high variability in bulk collagen δ15N values observed among cave bears in Romania reflects niche partitioning but in a general trophic context of herbivory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuichi I Naito
- Department of Geosciences, Biogeology, University of Tübingen, Hölderlinstraße 12, 72074, Tübingen, Germany.
- Nagoya University Museum, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8601, Japan.
| | - Ioana N Meleg
- "Emil Racoviță" Institute of Speleology, Romanian Academy, Calea 13 Septembrie, nr. 13, 050711, Sector 5, Bucharest, Romania.
| | - Marius Robu
- "Emil Racoviță" Institute of Speleology, Romanian Academy, Calea 13 Septembrie, nr. 13, 050711, Sector 5, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Marius Vlaicu
- "Emil Racoviță" Institute of Speleology, Romanian Academy, Calea 13 Septembrie, nr. 13, 050711, Sector 5, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Dorothée G Drucker
- Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment (S-HEP), University of Tübingen, Hölderlinstraße 12, 72074, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Christoph Wißing
- Department of Geosciences, Biogeology, University of Tübingen, Hölderlinstraße 12, 72074, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Michael Hofreiter
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, Faculty for Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476, Potsdam, OT Golm, Germany
| | - Axel Barlow
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, Faculty for Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476, Potsdam, OT Golm, Germany
- School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Clifton Lane, Nottingham, NG11 8NS, UK
| | - Hervé Bocherens
- Department of Geosciences, Biogeology, University of Tübingen, Hölderlinstraße 12, 72074, Tübingen, Germany
- Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment (S-HEP), University of Tübingen, Hölderlinstraße 12, 72074, Tübingen, Germany
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7
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Ersmark E, Baryshnikov G, Higham T, Argant A, Castaños P, Döppes D, Gasparik M, Germonpré M, Lidén K, Lipecki G, Marciszak A, Miller R, Moreno‐García M, Pacher M, Robu M, Rodriguez‐Varela R, Rojo Guerra M, Sabol M, Spassov N, Storå J, Valdiosera C, Villaluenga A, Stewart JR, Dalén L. Genetic turnovers and northern survival during the last glacial maximum in European brown bears. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:5891-5905. [PMID: 31161006 PMCID: PMC6540696 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2018] [Revised: 03/08/2019] [Accepted: 03/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The current phylogeographic pattern of European brown bears (Ursus arctos) has commonly been explained by postglacial recolonization out of geographically distinct refugia in southern Europe, a pattern well in accordance with the expansion/contraction model. Studies of ancient DNA from brown bear remains have questioned this pattern, but have failed to explain the glacial distribution of mitochondrial brown bear clades and their subsequent expansion across the European continent. We here present 136 new mitochondrial sequences generated from 346 remains from Europe, ranging in age between the Late Pleistocene and historical times. The genetic data show a high Late Pleistocene diversity across the continent and challenge the strict confinement of bears to traditional southern refugia during the last glacial maximum (LGM). The mitochondrial data further suggest a genetic turnover just before this time, as well as a steep demographic decline starting in the mid-Holocene. Levels of stable nitrogen isotopes from the remains confirm a previously proposed shift toward increasing herbivory around the LGM in Europe. Overall, these results suggest that in addition to climate, anthropogenic impact and inter-specific competition may have had more important effects on the brown bear's ecology, demography, and genetic structure than previously thought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik Ersmark
- Department of Bioinformatics and GeneticsSwedish Museum of Natural HistoryStockholmSweden
- Department of ZoologyStockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
| | | | - Thomas Higham
- Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of ArtUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Alain Argant
- CNRS, Minist. Culture, LAMPEA, UMR 7269Aix Marseille UniversityAix‐en‐ProvenceFrance
| | | | | | - Mihaly Gasparik
- Department of Palaeontology and GeologyHungarian Natural History MuseumBudapestHungary
| | - Mietje Germonpré
- Operational Direction “Earth and History of Life”Royal Belgian Institute of Natural SciencesBrusselBelgium
| | - Kerstin Lidén
- Department of Archaeology and Classical StudiesStockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
| | - Grzegorz Lipecki
- Institute of Systematics and Evolution of AnimalsPolish Academy of SciencesKrakówPoland
| | - Adrian Marciszak
- Department of Paleozoology, Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Biological SciencesUniversity of WrocławWrocławPoland
| | | | - Marta Moreno‐García
- GI Arqueobiología, Instituto de HistoriaConsejo Superior de Investigaciones CientíficasMadridSpain
| | - Martina Pacher
- Institute of PalaeontologyUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Marius Robu
- “Emil Racoviţă” Institute of SpeleologyRomanian AcademyBucharestRomania
| | | | - Manuel Rojo Guerra
- Department of Prehistory and ArchaeologyUniversity of ValladolidValladolidSpain
| | - Martin Sabol
- Department of Geology and Palaeontology, Faculty of Natural SciencesComenius UniversityBratislavaSlovak Republic
| | - Nikolai Spassov
- National Museum of Natural History at the Bulgarian Academy of SciencesSofiaBulgaria
| | - Jan Storå
- Department of Archaeology and Classical StudiesStockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
| | - Christina Valdiosera
- Department of Archaeology and HistoryLa Trobe UniversityMelbourneVictoriaAustralia
| | - Aritza Villaluenga
- Aranzadi Society of SciencesDonostia‐San SebastianSpain
- Facultad de Letras, High Yield Research Group on PrehistoryUniversity of the Basque Country (UPV‐EHU)Vitoria‐GasteizSpain
| | - John R. Stewart
- Faculty of Science and TechnologyBournemouth UniversityDorsetUK
| | - Love Dalén
- Department of Bioinformatics and GeneticsSwedish Museum of Natural HistoryStockholmSweden
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8
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Ramírez-Pedraza I, Tornero C, Pappa S, Talamo S, Salazar-García DC, Blasco R, Rosell J, Rivals F. Microwear and isotopic analyses on cave bear remains from Toll Cave reveal both short-term and long-term dietary habits. Sci Rep 2019; 9:5716. [PMID: 30952915 PMCID: PMC6450970 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-42152-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2018] [Accepted: 03/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Dietary habits of the extinct Ursus spelaeus have always been a controversial topic in paleontological studies. In this work, we investigate carbon and nitrogen values in the bone collagen and dental microwear of U. spelaeus specimens recovered in Level 4 from Toll Cave (Moià, Catalonia, NE Iberian Peninsula). These remains have been dated to > 49,000 14C BP. The ability of both proxies to provide data on the diet of U. spelaeus at different times in the life-history (isotopes: average diet of life; microwear: last days/weeks before death), allows us to generate high-resolution and complementary data. Our results show lower values (δ13C & δ15N) in cave bears than in strict herbivores (i.e. Cervus elaphus) recovered from the same level of Toll Cave. On the other hand, 12 lower molars (m1) were analysed through low-magnification microwear technique. The cave bears from Toll Cave show a microwear pattern like that of extant bears with omnivorous and carnivorous diets. These data are discussed in the framework of all available data in Europe and add new information about the plasticity of the dietary habits of this species at the southern latitudes of Europe during Late Pleistocene periods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iván Ramírez-Pedraza
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES), Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), 43007, Tarragona, Spain. .,Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Àrea de Prehistoria, Avinguda de Catalunya 35, 43002, Tarragona, Spain.
| | - Carlos Tornero
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES), Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), 43007, Tarragona, Spain.,Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Àrea de Prehistoria, Avinguda de Catalunya 35, 43002, Tarragona, Spain
| | - Spyridoula Pappa
- Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, United Kingdom.,Department of Geography, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, United Kingdom
| | - Sahra Talamo
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Domingo C Salazar-García
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.,Department of Geological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.,Grupo de Investigación en Prehistoria IT-622-13 (UPV-EHU)/IKERBASQUE-Basque Foundation for Science, Vitoria, Spain
| | - Ruth Blasco
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca 3, 09002, Burgos, Spain
| | - Jordi Rosell
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES), Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), 43007, Tarragona, Spain.,Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Àrea de Prehistoria, Avinguda de Catalunya 35, 43002, Tarragona, Spain
| | - Florent Rivals
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES), Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), 43007, Tarragona, Spain.,Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Àrea de Prehistoria, Avinguda de Catalunya 35, 43002, Tarragona, Spain.,ICREA, Pg. Lluís Companys 23, 08010, Barcelona, Spain
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9
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Veitschegger K. The effect of body size evolution and ecology on encephalization in cave bears and extant relatives. BMC Evol Biol 2017; 17:124. [PMID: 28583080 PMCID: PMC5460516 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-017-0976-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2017] [Accepted: 05/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The evolution of larger brain volumes relative to body size in Mammalia is the subject of an extensive amount of research. Early on palaeontologists were interested in the brain of cave bears, Ursus spelaeus, and described its morphology and size. However, until now, it was not possible to compare the absolute or relative brain size in a phylogenetic context due to the lack of an established phylogeny, comparative material, and phylogenetic comparative methods. In recent years, many tools for comparing traits within phylogenies were developed and the phylogenetic position of cave bears was resolved based on nuclear as well as mtDNA. RESULTS Cave bears exhibit significantly lower encephalization compared to their contemporary relatives and intraspecific brain mass variation remained rather small. Encephalization was correlated with the combined dormancy-diet score. Body size evolution was a main driver in the degree of encephalization in cave bears as it increased in a much higher pace than brain size. In Ursus spelaeus, brain and body size increase over time albeit differently paced. This rate pattern is different in the highest encephalized bear species within the dataset, Ursus malayanus. The brain size in this species increased while body size heavily decreased compared to its ancestral stage. CONCLUSIONS Early on in the evolution of cave bears encephalization decreased making it one of the least encephalized bear species compared to extant and extinct members of Ursidae. The results give reason to suspect that as herbivorous animals, cave bears might have exhibited a physiological buffer strategy to survive the strong seasonality of their environment. Thus, brain size was probably affected by the negative trade-off with adipose tissue as well as diet. The decrease of relative brain size in the herbivorous Ursus spelaeus is the result of a considerable increase in body size possibly in combination with environmental conditions forcing them to rest during winters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristof Veitschegger
- Palaeontological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich, Karl Schmid-Strasse 4, 8006, Zürich, Switzerland.
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10
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Retreat and extinction of the Late Pleistocene cave bear (Ursus spelaeus sensu lato). THE SCIENCE OF NATURE - NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN 2016; 103:92. [PMID: 27730265 PMCID: PMC5059403 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-016-1414-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2016] [Revised: 09/18/2016] [Accepted: 09/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The cave bear (Ursus spelaeus sensu lato) is a typical representative of Pleistocene megafauna which became extinct at the end of the Last Glacial. Detailed knowledge of cave bear extinction could explain this spectacular ecological transformation. The paper provides a report on the youngest remains of the cave bear dated to 20,930 ± 140 14C years before present (BP). Ancient DNA analyses proved its affiliation to the Ursus ingressus haplotype. Using this record and 205 other dates, we determined, following eight approaches, the extinction time of this mammal at 26,100–24,300 cal. years BP. The time is only slightly earlier, i.e. 27,000–26,100 cal. years BP, when young dates without associated collagen data are excluded. The demise of cave bear falls within the coldest phase of the last glacial period, Greenland Stadial 3. This finding and the significant decrease in the cave bear records with cooling indicate that the drastic climatic changes were responsible for its extinction. Climate deterioration lowered vegetation productivity, on which the cave bear strongly depended as a strict herbivore. The distribution of the last cave bear records in Europe suggests that this animal was vanishing by fragmentation into subpopulations occupying small habitats. One of them was the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland in Poland, where we discovered the latest record of the cave bear and also two other, younger than 25,000 14C years BP. The relatively long survival of this bear in karst regions may result from suitable microclimate and continuous access to water provided by deep aquifers, indicating a refugial role of such regions in the Pleistocene for many species.
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11
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Functional morphology of the cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) mandible: a 3D geometric morphometric analysis. ORG DIVERS EVOL 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s13127-015-0238-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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12
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Walter WD, Kurle CM, Hopkins JB. Applications of stable isotope analysis in mammalian ecology. ISOTOPES IN ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH STUDIES 2014; 50:287-290. [PMID: 25013986 DOI: 10.1080/10256016.2014.933214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
In this editorial, we provide a brief introduction and summarize the 10 research articles included in this Special Issue on Applications of stable isotope analysis in mammalian ecology. The first three articles report correction and discrimination factors that can be used to more accurately estimate the diets of extinct and extant mammals using stable isotope analysis. The remaining seven applied research articles use stable isotope analysis to address a variety of wildlife conservation and management questions from the oceans to the mountains.
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Affiliation(s)
- W David Walter
- a US Geological Survey, Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit , Pennsylvania State University , University Park , PA , USA
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Bocherens H, Grandal-d'Anglade A, Hobson KA. Pitfalls in comparing modern hair and fossil bone collagen C and N isotopic data to reconstruct ancient diets: a case study with cave bears (Ursus spelaeus). ISOTOPES IN ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH STUDIES 2014; 50:291-299. [PMID: 24588112 DOI: 10.1080/10256016.2014.890193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Stable isotope analyses provide one of the few means to evaluate diet of extinct taxa. However, interpreting isotope data from bone collagen of extinct animals based on isotopic patterns in different tissues of modern animal proxies is precarious. For example, three corrections are needed before making comparisons of recent hair and ancient bone collagen: calibration of carbon-13 variations in atmospheric CO2, different isotopic discrimination between diet-hair keratin and diet-bone collagen, and time averaging of bone collagen versus short-term record in hair keratin. Recently, Robu et al. [Isotopic evidence for dietary flexibility among European Late Pleistocene cave bears (Ursus spelaeus). Can J Zool. 2013;91:227-234] published an article comparing extant carbon (δ(13)C) and nitrogen (δ(15)N) stable isotopic data of European cave bear bone collagen with those of Yellowstone Park grizzly bear hair in order to test the prevailing assumption of a largely vegetarian diet among cave bears. The authors concluded that cave bears were carnivores. This work is unfortunately unfounded as the authors failed to consider the necessary corrections listed above. When these corrections are applied to the Romanian cave bears, these individuals can be then interpreted without involving consumption of high trophic-level food, and environmental changes are probably the reason for the unusual isotopic composition of these cave bears in comparison with other European cave bears, rather than a change of diet. We caution researchers to pay careful attention to these factors when interpreting feeding ecology of extinct fauna using stable isotope techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hervé Bocherens
- a Department of Geosciences, Biogeology , University Tübingen , Tübingen , Germany
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