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Hullot M, Martin C, Blondel C, Rössner GE. Life in a Central European warm-temperate to subtropical open forest: Paleoecology of the rhinocerotids from Ulm-Westtangente (Aquitanian, Early Miocene, Germany). THE SCIENCE OF NATURE - NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN 2024; 111:10. [PMID: 38353735 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-024-01893-w] [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: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
The Ulm-Westtangente locality has yielded the most abundant vertebrate fauna from the Aquitanian stage in Germany. Its dating to the Mammal Neogene Zone 2a, a turnover in Cenozoic climate, makes it a crucial source for the understanding of faunal, paleoecological and paleoenvironmental specifics of the European Aquitanian. However, while most taxa from Ulm-Westtangente have been studied, little to no research has been conducted on the large herbivores, particularly on the two rhinocerotids Mesaceratherium paulhiacense and Protaceratherium minutum. Here, we used a multi-proxy approach to investigate the paleoecology of these two species. The remains of the smaller species P. minutum (438 to 685 kg) are twice as abundant as those of the larger M. paulhiacense (1389 to 2327 kg), but both display a similar age structure (~ 10% of juveniles, 20% of subadults and 70% of adults), mortality curves, and mild prevalence of hypoplasia (~ 17%). Results from dental mesowear, microwear, and carbon isotopes indicate different feeding preferences: both were C3 feeders but M. paulhiacense had a more abrasive diet and was probably a mixed feeder. Our study on rhinocerotids also yielded new paleoenvironmental insights, such as the mean annual temperature (15.8 °C) and precipitation (317 mm/year) suggesting rather warm and dry conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manon Hullot
- SNSB - Bayerische Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und Geologie, Richard-Wagner-Straße 10, 80333, Munich, Germany.
| | - Céline Martin
- Géosciences Montpellier, Université de Montpellier, Campus Triolet cc060, Bât 22 - Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095, Montpellier cedex 5, France
| | - Cécile Blondel
- PALEVOPRIM Poitiers, Université de Poitiers Bât B35 - TSA 51106, 6 Rue Michel Brunet, 86073, Poitiers, France
| | - Gertrud E Rössner
- SNSB - Bayerische Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und Geologie, Richard-Wagner-Straße 10, 80333, Munich, Germany
- Department für Geo- und Umweltwissenschaften, Paläontologie & Geobiologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Richard-Wagner-Straße 10, 80333, Munich, Germany
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2
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Roditi E, Bocherens H, Konidaris GE, Athanassiou A, Tourloukis V, Karkanas P, Panagopoulou E, Harvati K. Life-history of Palaeoloxodon antiquus reveals Middle Pleistocene glacial refugium in the Megalopolis basin, Greece. Sci Rep 2024; 14:1390. [PMID: 38228659 PMCID: PMC10791645 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-51592-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/07/2024] [Indexed: 01/18/2024] Open
Abstract
The Balkans are considered a major glacial refugium where flora and fauna survived glacial periods and repopulated the rest of Europe during interglacials. While it is also thought to have harboured Pleistocene human populations, evidence linking human activity, paleoenvironmental indicators and a secure temporal placement to glacial periods is scant. Here, we present the first intra-tooth multi-isotope analysis for the European straight-tusked elephant Palaeoloxodon antiquus, on an adult male individual excavated in association with lithic artefacts at the MIS 12 site Marathousa 1 (Megalopolis basin, Greece). The studied find also exhibits anthropogenic modifications, providing direct evidence of hominin presence. We employed strontium, carbon and oxygen isotope analysis on enamel bioapatite to investigate its foraging and mobility behaviour, using a sequential sampling strategy along the tooth growth axis of the third upper molar, to assess ecological changes during the last decade of life. We found a geographically restricted range, in a C3-dominated open woodland environment, and relatively stable conditions over the examined timeframe. Our results show that, despite the severity of the MIS 12 glacial, the Megalopolis basin sustained a mesic habitat, sufficient plant cover and limited seasonal fluctuations in resource availability, pointing to its role as a glacial refugium for both fauna and hominins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Effrosyni Roditi
- Paleoanthropology, Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Hervé Bocherens
- Biogeology, Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironment, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - George E Konidaris
- Paleoanthropology, Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironment, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | | | - Vangelis Tourloukis
- Paleoanthropology, Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Department of History and Archaeology, School of Philosophy, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece
| | - Panagiotis Karkanas
- M.H. Wiener Laboratory for Archaeological Science, American School of Classical Studies, Athens, Greece
| | - Eleni Panagopoulou
- Hellenic Ministry of Culture, Ephorate of Paleoanthropology-Speleology, Athens, Greece
| | - Katerina Harvati
- Paleoanthropology, Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
- Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironment, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
- DFG Centre for Advanced Studies 'Words, Bones, Genes, Tools', Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
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3
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Arranz SG, Casanovas-Vilar I, Žliobaitė I, Abella J, Angelone C, Azanza B, Bernor R, Cirilli O, DeMiguel D, Furió M, Pandolfi L, Robles JM, Sánchez IM, van den Hoek Ostende LW, Alba DM. Paleoenvironmental inferences on the Late Miocene hominoid-bearing site of Can Llobateres (NE Iberian Peninsula): An ecometric approach based on functional dental traits. J Hum Evol 2023; 185:103441. [PMID: 37857126 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2023.103441] [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: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Hispanopithecus laietanus from the Late Miocene (9.8 Ma) of Can Llobateres 1 (CLL1; Vallès-Penedès Basin, NE Iberian Peninsula) represents one of the latest occurrences of fossil apes in Western mainland Europe, where they are last recorded at ∼9.5 Ma. The paleoenvironment of CLL1 is thus relevant for understanding the extinction of European hominoids. To refine paleoenvironmental inferences for CLL1, we apply ecometric models based on functional crown type (FCT) variables-a scoring scheme devised to capture macroscopic functional traits of occlusal shape and wear surfaces of herbivorous large mammal molars. Paleotemperature and paleoprecipitation estimates for CLL1 are provided based on published regional regression models linking average FCT of large herbivorous mammal communities to climatic conditions. A mapping to Whittaker's present-day biome classification is also attempted based on these estimates, as well as a case-based reasoning via canonical variate analysis of FCT variables from five relevant biomes. Estimates of mean annual temperature (25 °C) and mean annual precipitation (881 mm) classify CLL1 as a tropical seasonal forest/savanna, only in partial agreement with the canonical variate analysis results, which classify CLL1 as a tropical rainforest with a higher probability. The former biome agrees better with previous inferences derived from fossil plants and mammals, as well as preliminary isotopic data. The misclassification of CLL1 as a tropical forest is attributed to the mixture of forest-adapted taxa with others adapted to more open environments, given that faunal and plant composition indicates the presence of a dense wetland/riparian forest with more open woodlands nearby. The tested FCT ecometric approaches do not provide unambiguous biome classification for CLL1. Nevertheless, our results are consistent with those from other approaches, thus suggesting that FCT variables are potentially useful to investigate paleoenvironmental changes through time and space-including those that led to the extinction of European Miocene apes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara G Arranz
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, c/ Columnes s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Isaac Casanovas-Vilar
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, c/ Columnes s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Indrė Žliobaitė
- Department of Computer Science, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 68, 00014 Helsinky, Finland; Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 64, 00014 Helsinky, Finland
| | - Juan Abella
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, c/ Columnes s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; Grup d'Investigació en Paleontologia de Vertebrats del Cenozoic (PVC-GIUV), Departament de Botànica i Geologia, Universitat de València, 46100 Burjassot, València, Spain; Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INABIO), Pje. Rumipamba N. 341 y Av. de los Shyris (Parque La Carolina), Quito, Ecuador
| | - Chiara Angelone
- Dipartimento di Scienze, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, 00146 Roma, Italy; Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100044 Beijing, China
| | - Beatriz Azanza
- Departamento de Ciencias de la Tierra, and Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Ciencias Ambientales de Aragón (IUCA), Universidad de Zaragoza, 50009, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Raymond Bernor
- College of Medicine, Department of Anatomy, Laboratory of Evolutionary Biology, Howard University, 520 W St. N.W., 20059, Washington D.C., USA; Human Origins Program, Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, 20013, Washington D.C., USA
| | - Omar Cirilli
- College of Medicine, Department of Anatomy, Laboratory of Evolutionary Biology, Howard University, 520 W St. N.W., 20059, Washington D.C., USA; Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, MRC 121, 20013, Washington, D.C., USA
| | - Daniel DeMiguel
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, c/ Columnes s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; Departamento de Ciencias de la Tierra, and Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Ciencias Ambientales de Aragón (IUCA), Universidad de Zaragoza, 50009, Zaragoza, Spain; ARAID Foundation, 50018, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Marc Furió
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, c/ Columnes s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; Serra Húnter Fellow, Departament de Geologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Luca Pandolfi
- Dipartimento di Scienze, Università della Basilicata, Via dell'Ateneo Lucano, 10, 85100, Potenza, Italy
| | - Josep M Robles
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, c/ Columnes s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Israel M Sánchez
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, c/ Columnes s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - David M Alba
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, c/ Columnes s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
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Marciszak A, Kropczyk A, Gornig W, Kot M, Nadachowski A, Lipecki G. History of Polish Canidae (Carnivora, Mammalia) and Their Biochronological Implications on the Eurasian Background. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:genes14030539. [PMID: 36980812 PMCID: PMC10048199 DOI: 10.3390/genes14030539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2022] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The remains of 12 canid species that date back ca. 4.9 myr have been found at 116 paleontological localities. Among these localities, eight are dated to the Pliocene age, 12 are dated to the Early Pleistocene age, 12 are from the Middle Pleistocene age, while the most numerous group includes 84 sites from the Late Pleistocene–Holocene age. Some, especially older forms such as Eucyon odessanus and Nyctereutes donnezani, have only been found at single sites, while the remains of species from the genus Lycaon, Canis and Vulpes have been recorded at numerous sites from the last 2 myr. Ancient canids such as Eucyon and Nyctereutes had already vanished from Poland in the Earliest Pleistocene, between 2.5 and 2.2 myr ago. Poland’s extant canid fauna is characterised by the presence of two new species, which spread into the territory due to a human introduction (Nyctereutes procyonoides) or natural expansion (Canis aureus). Research indicates a strong competition between dogs, especially between Lycaon, Canis and Cuon, with a strong lycaon-limiting effect on the wolf between 2.5 and 0.4 myr ago. After the extinction of Lycaon lycaonoides, Canis lupus evolved rapidly, increasing in number and size, and taking over the niche occupied by Lycaon. In order to reduce competition, the body size of Cuon alpinus gradually reduced, and it became an animal adapted to the forest, highland and mountain environments. Generally, the history of canids in Poland is similar to that known of Eurasia with some noteworthy events, such as the early occurrence of Canis cf. etruscus from Węże 2 (2.9–2.6 myr ago), Lycaon falconeri from Rębielice Królewskie 1A or one of the latest occurrences of L. lycaonoides from Draby 3 (430–370 kyr). Predominantly lowland or upland in the southern part and devoid of significant ecological barriers, Poland is also an important migration corridor in the East–West system. This 500–600 km wide corridor was the Asian gateway to Europe, from where species of an eastern origin penetrated the continent’s interior. In colder periods, it was in turn a region through which boreal species or those associated with the mammoth steppe retreated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Marciszak
- Department of Paleozoology, University of Wrocław, Sienkiewicza 21, 50-335 Wrocław, Poland
- Correspondence:
| | - Aleksandra Kropczyk
- Department of Paleozoology, University of Wrocław, Sienkiewicza 21, 50-335 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Wiktoria Gornig
- Department of Paleozoology, University of Wrocław, Sienkiewicza 21, 50-335 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Małgorzata Kot
- Faculty of Archaeology, University of Warsaw, Krakowskie Przedmieście 26/28, 00-927 Warszawa, Poland
| | - Adam Nadachowski
- Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, Sławkowska 17, 31-016 Kraków, Poland
| | - Grzegorz Lipecki
- Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, Sławkowska 17, 31-016 Kraków, Poland
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5
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Pelegrin JS, Cantalapiedra JL, Gamboa S, Menéndez I, Hernández Fernández M. Phylogenetic biome conservatism as a key concept for an integrative understanding of evolutionary history: Galliformes and Falconiformes as study cases. Zool J Linn Soc 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlac080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Biomes are climatically and biotically distinctive macroecological units that formed over geological time scales. Their features consolidate them as ‘evolutionary scenarios’, with their own diversification dynamics. Under the concept of phylogenetic niche conservatism, we assessed, for the first time, the evolution of biome occupation in birds. We aimed to analyse patterns of adaptation to different climatic regimes and the determinant factors for colonization of emerging biomes by clades from different ancestral biomes. In this work, we reconstructed the biome occupation history of two clades of birds (Galliformes and Falconiformes) under an integrative perspective through a comprehensive review of ecological, phylogenetic, palaeontological and biogeographical evidence. Our findings for both groups are consistent with a scenario of phylogenetic biome conservatism and highlight the importance of changes in climate during the Miocene in the adaptation and evolution of climatic niches. In particular, our results indicate high biome conservatism associated with biomes situated in some of the extremes of the global climate gradient (evergreen tropical rainforest, steppe and tundra) for both bird taxa. Finally, the historical dynamics of tropical seasonal biomes, such as tropical deciduous woodlands and savannas, appear to have played a preponderant role during the diversification processes of these bird lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan S Pelegrin
- Grupo de Investigación en Ecología y Conservación de la Biodiversidad (EcoBio), Área de Biología y Programa de Maestría en Educación Ambiental y Desarrollo Sostenible, Facultades de Ciencias Básicas y Educación, Universidad Santiago de Cali , Colombia
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, Universidad del Valle , Colombia
| | - Juan L Cantalapiedra
- GloCEE – Global Change Ecology and Evolution Research Group, Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad de Alcalá , 28805, Alcalá de Henares (Madrid ), Spain
| | - Sara Gamboa
- Departamento de Estratigrafía, Geodinámica y Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid , C/ José Antonio Novais 2, 28040, Madrid , Spain
- Departamento de Cambio Medio Ambiental, Instituto de Geociencias (UCM, CSIC) , C/ José Antonio Novais 2, 28040, Madrid , Spain
| | - Iris Menéndez
- Departamento de Estratigrafía, Geodinámica y Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid , C/ José Antonio Novais 2, 28040, Madrid , Spain
- Departamento de Cambio Medio Ambiental, Instituto de Geociencias (UCM, CSIC) , C/ José Antonio Novais 2, 28040, Madrid , Spain
| | - Manuel Hernández Fernández
- Departamento de Estratigrafía, Geodinámica y Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid , C/ José Antonio Novais 2, 28040, Madrid , Spain
- Departamento de Cambio Medio Ambiental, Instituto de Geociencias (UCM, CSIC) , C/ José Antonio Novais 2, 28040, Madrid , Spain
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6
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Blanco F, Calatayud J, Martín-Perea DM, Domingo MS, Menéndez I, Müller J, Fernández MH, Cantalapiedra JL. Punctuated ecological equilibrium in mammal communities over evolutionary time scales. Science 2021; 372:300-303. [PMID: 33859037 DOI: 10.1126/science.abd5110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The study of deep-time ecological dynamics has the ability to inform conservation decisions by anticipating the behavior of ecosystems millions of years into the future. Using network analysis and an exceptional fossil dataset spanning the past 21 million years, we show that mammalian ecological assemblages undergo long periods of functional stasis, notwithstanding high taxonomic volatility due to dispersal, speciation, and extinction. Higher functional richness and diversity promoted the persistence of functional faunas despite species extinction risk being indistinguishable among these different faunas. These findings, and the large mismatch between functional and taxonomic successions, indicate that although safeguarding functional diversity may or may not minimize species losses, it would certainly enhance the persistence of ecosystem functioning in the face of future disturbances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Blanco
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung, an der Humboldt- Universität zu Berlin, Invalidenstrasse 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Joaquín Calatayud
- Departamento de Biología, Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Calle Tulipán s/n, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
| | - David M Martín-Perea
- Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Calle José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain.,Departamento de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y Paleontología, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, C/ José Antonio Nováis 12, 28040 Madrid, Spain.,Instituto de Evolución Humana en África IDEA, Calle Covarrubias 26, 28010 Madrid, Spain
| | - M Soledad Domingo
- Departamento de Didáctica de las Ciencias Experimentales, Ciencias Sociales y Matemáticas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), C/Rector Royo Villanova s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Iris Menéndez
- Departamento de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y Paleontología, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, C/ José Antonio Nováis 12, 28040 Madrid, Spain.,Departamento de Cambio Medioambiental, Instituto de Geociencias (UCM, CSIC), C/ Severo Ochoa 7, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Johannes Müller
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung, an der Humboldt- Universität zu Berlin, Invalidenstrasse 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Manuel Hernández Fernández
- Departamento de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y Paleontología, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, C/ José Antonio Nováis 12, 28040 Madrid, Spain.,Departamento de Cambio Medioambiental, Instituto de Geociencias (UCM, CSIC), C/ Severo Ochoa 7, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan L Cantalapiedra
- Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, GloCEE Global Change Ecology and Evolution Research Group, Universidad de Alcalá, Plaza de San Diego s/n, 28801 Alcalá de Henares, Spain
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7
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Mohammadi Z, Ghorbani F, Kami HG, Khajeh A, Olsson U. Molecular Phylogeny of the Subgenus Karstomys Reveals Genetic Signature of Post-Glacial Colonization of Apodemus mystacinus (Rodentia: Muridae) in the Zagros Mountains from Different Refugia. Zoolog Sci 2021; 38:72-81. [PMID: 33639721 DOI: 10.2108/zs200065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Eastern broad-toothed field mouse, Apodemus mystacinus, is a rocky habitat dwelling rodent distributed in Asia Minor, the Levant, the Caucasus, and the Zagros Mountains. In this study, we investigated the phylogenetic relationship between different populations of A. mystacinus throughout its range, based on the mitochondrial cytb marker. Phylogenetic analyses revealed the existence of five separately evolving lineages within A. mystacinus, of which two previously unrecognized lineages were identified in the Zagros Mountains and the Levant. Divergence between two major clades of the subgenus Karstomys, corresponding to A. mystacinus and Apodemus epimelas, is inferred to coincide with the Messinian Salinity Crisis (Late Miocene), whereas the splits between major lineages of A. mystacinus are inferred to have occurred during the Pleistocene. Colonization of the Zagros may have occurred from different refugia via eastward migration of the Turkish population and then again by a more recent colonization from the Caucasus, after reopening of the land corridor between the Caucasus and the Zagros Mountains during the Holocene drought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeinolabedin Mohammadi
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Golestan University, Gorgan, 39361-79142, Golestan, Iran, .,Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad 9177948974, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Ghorbani
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Golestan University, Gorgan, 39361-79142, Golestan, Iran
| | - Haji Gholi Kami
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Golestan University, Gorgan, 39361-79142, Golestan, Iran
| | - Asghar Khajeh
- Department of Crop Productions Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Higher Educational Complex of Saravan, Saravan 99516-34145, Iran
| | - Urban Olsson
- University of Gothenburg, Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Systematics and Biodiversity, SE-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden.,Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, SE-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden
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8
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The Great American Biotic Interchange revisited: a new perspective from the stable isotope record of Argentine Pampas fossil mammals. Sci Rep 2020; 10:1608. [PMID: 32005879 PMCID: PMC6994648 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-58575-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2019] [Accepted: 01/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
This study aims at assessing resource and habitat use, niche occupation and trophic interactions from a stable isotope perspective on fossil mammals from the Argentine Pampas during the Great American Biotic Interchange (GABI). We present stable isotope data of more than 400 samples belonging to 10 mammalian orders and spanning a temporal range from ~9.5 Ma to ~12 ky. Rodents, notoungulates and pilosians record an increase in the consumption of C4 plants, whereas litopterns and cingulates show δ13C values that remain mostly within a C3-dominated diet. Our stable isotope data indicates that the expansion of C4 vegetation opened up new niche opportunities, probably alleviating resource competition among endemic taxa. Gomphothere, equid and camelid δ13C records show a broad variability pointing to consumption of C3 and mixed C3-C4 vegetation. This flexible dietary behavior may have facilitated the successful settlement of immigrant groups in South America. In the case of carnivorous taxa, Late Miocene pre-GABI endemic sparassodonts consumed prey from C3 environments, whereas immigrant carnivorans preferred prey from mixed C3-C4 areas. Our research contributes to the study of the GABI from a different perspective as stable isotope records permit to characterize, from a (semi)quantitative standpoint, ecological traits within extinct fauna.
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9
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Bone histology provides insights into the life history mechanisms underlying dwarfing in hipparionins. Sci Rep 2018; 8:17203. [PMID: 30464210 PMCID: PMC6249282 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-35347-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2018] [Accepted: 11/01/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Size shifts may be a by-product of alterations in life history traits driven by natural selection. Although this approach has been proposed for islands, it has not yet been explored in continental faunas. The trends towards size decrease experienced by some hipparionins constitute a good case study for the application of a life history framework to understand the size shifts on the continent. Here, we analysed bone microstructure to reconstruct the growth of some different-sized hipparionins from Greece and Spain. The two dwarfed lineages studied show different growth strategies. The Greek hipparions ceased growth early at a small size thus advancing maturity, whilst the slower-growing Spanish hipparion matured later at a small size. Based on predictive life history models, we suggest that high adult mortality was the likely selective force behind early maturity and associated size decrease in the Greek lineage. Conversely, we infer that resource limitation accompanied by high juvenile mortality triggered decrease in growth rate and a relative late maturity in the Spanish lineage. Our results provide evidence that different selective pressures can precipitate different changes in life history that lead to similar size shifts.
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10
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Blanco F, Gómez Cano AR, Cantalapiedra JL, Domingo MS, Domingo L, Menéndez I, Flynn LJ, Hernández Fernández M. Differential responses of Miocene rodent metacommunities to global climatic changes were mediated by environmental context. Sci Rep 2018; 8:2502. [PMID: 29410503 PMCID: PMC5802738 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-20900-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2017] [Accepted: 01/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The study of how long-term changes affect metacommunities is a relevant topic, that involves the evaluation of connections among biological assemblages across different spatio-temporal scales, in order to fully understand links between global changes and macroevolutionary patterns. We applied multivariate statistical analyses and diversity tests using a large data matrix of rodent fossil sites in order to analyse long-term faunal changes. Late Miocene rodent faunas from southwestern Europe were classified into metacommunities, presumably sharing ecological affinities, which followed temporal and environmental non-random assembly and disassembly patterns. Metacommunity dynamics of these faunas were driven by environmental changes associated with temperature variability, but there was also some influence from the aridity shifts described for this region during the late Miocene. Additionally, while variations in the structure of rodent assemblages were directly influenced by global climatic changes in the southern province, the northern sites showed a pattern of climatic influence mediated by diversity-dependent processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Blanco
- Departamento de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y Paleontología Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid. C/José Antonio Novais 12, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Ana Rosa Gómez Cano
- Transmitting Science. C/Gardenia 2, Piera, 08784, Spain.,Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont. Edifici ICP, Campus de la UAB s/n, 08193, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Juan L Cantalapiedra
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions und Biodiversitätsforschung, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115, Berlin, Germany
| | - M Soledad Domingo
- Departamento de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y Paleontología Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid. C/José Antonio Novais 12, 28040, Madrid, Spain.,Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC). C/Américo Vespucio 26, 41092, Seville, Spain
| | - Laura Domingo
- Departamento de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y Paleontología Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid. C/José Antonio Novais 12, 28040, Madrid, Spain.,Earth and Planetary Sciences Department, University of California Santa Cruz. 1156 High Street, CA, 95064, Santa Cruz, USA.,Departamento de Cambio Medioambiental, Instituto de Geociencias (UCM, CSIC). C/ José Antonio Novais 12, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Iris Menéndez
- Departamento de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y Paleontología Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid. C/José Antonio Novais 12, 28040, Madrid, Spain.,Departamento de Cambio Medioambiental, Instituto de Geociencias (UCM, CSIC). C/ José Antonio Novais 12, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Lawrence J Flynn
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University. 11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Manuel Hernández Fernández
- Departamento de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y Paleontología Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid. C/José Antonio Novais 12, 28040, Madrid, Spain.,Departamento de Cambio Medioambiental, Instituto de Geociencias (UCM, CSIC). C/ José Antonio Novais 12, 28040, Madrid, Spain
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11
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Ríos M, Sánchez IM, Morales J. A new giraffid (Mammalia, Ruminantia, Pecora) from the late Miocene of Spain, and the evolution of the sivathere-samothere lineage. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0185378. [PMID: 29091914 PMCID: PMC5665556 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0185378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2017] [Accepted: 08/31/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Giraffids include the only living giraffomorph ruminants and are diagnosed by the presence of bi-lobed canines and a special type of epiphyseal cranial appendages called ossicones. The family Giraffidae ranges from the latest early Miocene until today. However they are currently extant relics with only two living representatives, the African genera Okapia and Giraffa. Giraffids were much more diverse and widespread in the past, with more than 30 fossil species described. For the past decades a number of studies intended to resolve the phylogenetic relationships of the family, but due to the lack of really good cranial material no clear consensus was reached regarding the phylogenetic relationships amongst the different members of the group. The exceptionally complete remains of a new large giraffid from the late Miocene of Spain, Decennatherium rex sp. nov., allows us to improve and reassess giraffid systematics, offering a lot of new data, both anatomic and phylogenetic, on the large late Miocene giraffids of Eurasia. The results of our cladistic analysis show Decennatherium as a basal offshoot of a clade containing the gigantic samotheres and sivatheres, characterized by the presence of a Sivatherium-like ossicone-plan among other features. Decennatherium thus offers the most ancient evidence of this Sivatherium-plan and firmly establishes the early morphological patterns of evolution of a sivathere / samothere-clade that is defined as the less inclusive clade that contains Decennatherium and Sivatherium. Finally, this large group of four-ossiconed giraffids evolutionarily links Miocene Europe and Africa indicating vicariance / migration processes among the giraffid genetic pools separated by the Mediterranean Sea.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Ríos
- Departamento de Paleobiología, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC, Madrid, Spain
- * E-mail:
| | - Israel M. Sánchez
- Departmento de Faunas del Neógeno y Cuaternario, Institut Català de Paleontologia- Miquel Crusafont, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jorge Morales
- Departamento de Paleobiología, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC, Madrid, Spain
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12
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Gomez Cano AR, Kimura Y, Blanco F, Menéndez I, Álvarez-Sierra MA, Hernández Fernández M. Ecomorphological characterization of murines and non-arvicoline cricetids (Rodentia) from south-western Europe since the latest Middle Miocene to the Mio-Pliocene boundary (MN 7/8-MN13). PeerJ 2017; 5:e3646. [PMID: 28966888 PMCID: PMC5619236 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2017] [Accepted: 07/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Rodents are the most speciose group of mammals and display a great ecological diversity. Despite the greater amount of ecomorphological information compiled for extant rodent species, studies usually lack of morphological data on dentition, which has led to difficulty in directly utilizing existing ecomorphological data of extant rodents for paleoecological reconstruction because teeth are the most common or often the only micromammal fossils. Here, we infer the environmental ranges of extinct rodent genera by extracting habitat information from extant relatives and linking it to extinct taxa based on the phenogram of the cluster analysis, in which variables are derived from the principal component analysis on outline shape of the upper first molars. This phenotypic “bracketing” approach is particularly useful in the study of the fossil record of small mammals, which is mostly represented by isolated teeth. As a case study, we utilize extinct genera of murines and non-arvicoline cricetids, ranging from the Iberoccitanian latest middle Miocene to the Mio-Pliocene boundary, and compare our results thoroughly with previous paleoecological reconstructions inferred by different methods. The resultant phenogram shows a predominance of ubiquitous genera among the Miocene taxa, and the presence of a few forest specialists in the two rodent groups (Murinae and Cricetidae), along with the absence of open environment specialists in either group of rodents. This appears to be related to the absence of enduring grassland biomes in the Iberian Peninsula during the late Miocene. High consistency between our result and previous studies suggests that this phenotypic “bracketing” approach is a very useful tool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana R Gomez Cano
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.,Transmitting Science, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Yuri Kimura
- Department of Geology and Paleontology, National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Fernando Blanco
- Departamento de Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Iris Menéndez
- Departamento de Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.,Departamento de Cambio Medioambiental, Instituto de Geociencias (UCM, CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - María A Álvarez-Sierra
- Departamento de Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.,Departamento de Cambio Medioambiental, Instituto de Geociencias (UCM, CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Manuel Hernández Fernández
- Departamento de Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.,Departamento de Cambio Medioambiental, Instituto de Geociencias (UCM, CSIC), Madrid, Spain
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13
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An endemic rat species complex is evidence of moderate environmental changes in the terrestrial biodiversity centre of China through the late Quaternary. Sci Rep 2017; 7:46127. [PMID: 28393882 PMCID: PMC5385558 DOI: 10.1038/srep46127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2016] [Accepted: 03/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The underlying mechanisms that allow the Hengduan Mountains (HDM), the terrestrial biodiversity centre of China, to harbour high levels of species diversity remain poorly understood. Here, we sought to explore the biogeographic history of the endemic rat, Niviventer andersoni species complex (NASC), and to understand the long-term persistence of high species diversity in this region. In contrast to previous studies that have proposed regional refuges in eastern or southern of the HDM and emphasized the influence of climatic oscillations on local vertebrates, we found that HDM as a whole acted as refuge for the NASC and that the historical range shifts of NASC mainly occurred in the marginal regions. Demographic analyses revealed slight recent population decline in Yunnan and south-eastern Tibet, whereas of the populations in Sichuan and of the entire NASC were stable. This pattern differs greatly from classic paradigms of temperate or alpine and holarctic species. Interestingly, the mean elevation, area and climate of potential habitats of clade a (N. excelsior), an alpine inhabitant, showed larger variations than did those of clade b (N. andersoni), a middle-high altitude inhabitant. These species represent the evolutionary history of montane small mammals in regions that were less affected by the Quaternary climatic changes.
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14
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Laffranchi Z, Huertas AD, Jiménez Brobeil SA, Torres AG, Riquelme Cantal JA. Stable C &N isotopes in 2100 Year-B.P. human bone collagen indicate rare dietary dominance of C4 plants in NE-Italy. Sci Rep 2016; 6:38817. [PMID: 27934943 PMCID: PMC5146934 DOI: 10.1038/srep38817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2016] [Accepted: 11/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
C4 plants (e.g. maize, millet), part of our current diet, are only endemic of reduced areas in South-Europe due to their need of warm climates. Since the first vestiges of agriculture in Europe remains of C4 plants were recorded but their overall proportion in the human diet remains unknown. Therefore, isotopic (δ13C and δ15N) composition of bone collagen from the skeletal remains (human and animals) of a Celtic population, Cenomani Gauls, from Verona (3rd to 1st century BC) in the NE Italy provide a new perspective on this matter. The δ13C collagen values of 90 human skeletal individuals range between -20.2‰ and -9.7‰ (V-PDB) with a mean value of -15.3‰. As present day C4 plants have δ13C values around -11‰, which is equivalent to -9.5‰ for samples of preindustrial age, the less negative δ13C values in these individuals indicate a diet dominated by C4 plants. This palaeodietary study indicates that some European populations predominantly consumed cultivated C4 plants 2100 year B.P. This is supported by the paleobotanical records and ancient Roman sources (e.g. Pliny the Elder), which indicate that millet was a staple food in South-Europe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zita Laffranchi
- Department of Legal Medicine, Toxicology and Physical Anthropology, Medicine Faculty, University of Granada (UGR), Av. de la Investigación 11, 18016, Granada, Spain
| | - Antonio Delgado Huertas
- Biogeochemical of Stable Isotopes Laboratory, Andalusian Institute of Earth Sciences (IACT-CSIC-UGR), Av. de las Palmeras 4, 18100, Armilla, Granada, Spain
| | - Sylvia A. Jiménez Brobeil
- Department of Legal Medicine, Toxicology and Physical Anthropology, Medicine Faculty, University of Granada (UGR), Av. de la Investigación 11, 18016, Granada, Spain
| | - Arsenio Granados Torres
- Biogeochemical of Stable Isotopes Laboratory, Andalusian Institute of Earth Sciences (IACT-CSIC-UGR), Av. de las Palmeras 4, 18100, Armilla, Granada, Spain
| | - Jose A. Riquelme Cantal
- Department of Geography and Territorial Sciences, Area of Prehistory, University of Cordoba, Plaza del Cardenal Salazar 3, 14071, Cordoba, Spain
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15
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Senut B. Morphology and environment in some fossil Hominoids and Pedetids (Mammalia). J Anat 2015; 228:700-15. [PMID: 26712383 DOI: 10.1111/joa.12427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Linking the environment to functional anatomy is not an easy exercise, especially when dealing with fossils, which are often fragmentary and represent animals that are extinct. A holistic approach permits us to fill the gaps in reconstructing the evolutionary patterns in fossil groups. Identifying the environment where animals lived can help to interpret some anatomical structures and, vice versa, the functional morphological pattern can help to refine some fossil environments. Two examples focusing on locomotor behaviours in fossil mammals are considered in this paper: the hominoids and the origins of hominid bipedalism and the springing adaptations in fossil rodents (Pedetidae) in connection with different habitats. In the first case, the limits of the chimp-based models and the necessity to take into account detailed environmental reconstructions will be addressed. The famous 'savannah hypothesis' is no longer tenable because the palaeontological data support a more vegetated environment for the origins of bipedal hominids. Data from the environment will be considered. The earliest putative hominid fossils which preserve skeletal remains of the locomotor apparatus show mixed adaptations to terrestrial bipedalism and arboreal activities. The second example focuses on the variation in springing adaptations in Pedetidae in the Lower Miocene of East Africa and Southern Africa. In the East, the sites where Pedetidae were preserved were mainly forested, whereas in the South the region was more open and drier, with extensive grassy patches. In the first case, pedetids were robust and heavy jumpers, whereas in the South they were smaller, their skeleton more gracile and their springing was lighter. During the desertification of the southern part of Africa, the large pedetid species became extinct, but a smaller species developed. In the case of primates, as in the case of rodents, the skeletal morphology was adapted to its environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brigitte Senut
- Sorbonne-Universités - CR2P, MNHN, CNRS, UPMC - Paris 06, Paris, France
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16
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Wang Y, Momohara A, Wang L, Lebreton-Anberrée J, Zhou Z. Evolutionary History of Atmospheric CO2 during the Late Cenozoic from Fossilized Metasequoia Needles. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0130941. [PMID: 26154449 PMCID: PMC4511968 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0130941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2014] [Accepted: 05/27/2015] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The change in ancient atmospheric CO2 concentrations provides important clues for understanding the relationship between the atmospheric CO2 concentration and global temperature. However, the lack of CO2 evolution curves estimated from a single terrestrial proxy prevents the understanding of climatic and environmental impacts due to variations in data. Thus, based on the stomatal index of fossilized Metasequoia needles, we reconstructed a history of atmospheric CO2 concentrations from middle Miocene to late Early Pleistocene when the climate changed dramatically. According to this research, atmospheric CO2 concentration was stabile around 330-350 ppmv in the middle and late Miocene, then it decreased to 278-284 ppmv during the Late Pliocene and to 277-279 ppmv during the Early Pleistocene, which was almost the same range as in preindustrial time. According to former research, this is a time when global temperature decreased sharply. Our results also indicated that from middle Miocene to Pleistocene, global CO2 level decreased by more than 50 ppmv, which may suggest that CO2 decrease and temperature decrease are coupled.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuqing Wang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla 666303, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Arata Momohara
- Graduate School of Horticulture, Chiba University, 648 Matsudo, Chiba 271–8510, Japan
| | - Li Wang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla 666303, China
- Central Laboratory, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla 666303, China
| | - Julie Lebreton-Anberrée
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla 666303, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zhekun Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla 666303, China
- Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, CAS, Kunming 650204, China
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17
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Stable isotope paleoecology of Late Pleistocene Middle Stone Age humans from the Lake Victoria basin, Kenya. J Hum Evol 2015; 82:1-14. [PMID: 25805041 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2014.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2013] [Revised: 06/12/2014] [Accepted: 10/10/2014] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Paleoanthropologists have long argued that environmental pressures played a key role in human evolution. However, our understanding of how these pressures mediated the behavioral and biological diversity of early modern humans and their migration patterns within and out of Africa is limited by a lack of archaeological evidence associated with detailed paleoenvironmental data. Here, we present the first stable isotopic data from paleosols and fauna associated with Middle Stone Age (MSA) sites in East Africa. Late Pleistocene (∼100-45 ka, thousands of years ago) sediments on Rusinga and Mfangano Islands in eastern Lake Victoria (Kenya) preserve a taxonomically diverse, non-analog faunal community associated with MSA artifacts. We analyzed the stable carbon and oxygen isotope composition of paleosol carbonate and organic matter and fossil mammalian tooth enamel, including the first analyses for several extinct bovids such as Rusingoryx atopocranion, Damaliscus hypsodon, and an unnamed impala species. Both paleosol carbonate and organic matter data suggest that local habitats associated with human activities were primarily riverine woodland ecosystems. However, mammalian tooth enamel data indicate that most large-bodied mammals consumed a predominantly C4 diet, suggesting an extensive C4 grassland surrounding these riverine woodlands in the region at the time. These data are consistent with other lines of paleoenvironmental evidence that imply a substantially reduced Lake Victoria at this time, and demonstrate that C4 grasslands were significantly expanded into equatorial Africa compared with their present distribution, which could have facilitated dispersal of human populations and other biotic communities. Our results indicate that early populations of Homo sapiens from the Lake Victoria region exploited locally wooded and well-watered habitats within a larger grassland ecosystem.
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18
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Gómez Cano AR, Cantalapiedra JL, Álvarez-Sierra MÁ, Hernández Fernández M. A macroecological glance at the structure of late Miocene rodent assemblages from Southwest Europe. Sci Rep 2014; 4:6557. [PMID: 25297009 PMCID: PMC4190504 DOI: 10.1038/srep06557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2013] [Accepted: 09/10/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Deep-time perspectives in macroecology are essential with regard to understanding the impact of climate forcing on faunal communities. Using late Miocene rodent faunas (12 to 5 Ma) from two different biogeographical provinces from southwestern Europe, we asked whether the waxing and waning of faunas with dissimilar ecological affinities tracked climate in different ways. The latest middle Miocene featured a fauna dominated by dormice with forest and mixed-habitat affinities. This group declined towards the Upper Miocene. Rodent taxa with the highest values of richness at the beginning of the Upper Miocene are generalists in the southern province and specialists of forested habitats in the northern province. Finally, we identified a third, increasingly significant group of rodents linked to open landscapes towards the end of the Miocene. These three broad ecological groups showed differential responses to a complex set of interconnected circumstances, including the biogeographic structure of the study area and climatic changes throughout time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Rosa Gómez Cano
- Departamento de Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, José Antonio Novais 2, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan L Cantalapiedra
- Departamento de Paleobiología, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Pinar 25, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - M Ángeles Álvarez-Sierra
- 1] Departamento de Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, José Antonio Novais 2, 28040, Madrid, Spain [2] Departamento de Geología Sedimentaria y Cambio Medioambiental, Instituto de Geociencias (UCM, CSIC), José Antonio Novais 2, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Manuel Hernández Fernández
- 1] Departamento de Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, José Antonio Novais 2, 28040, Madrid, Spain [2] Departamento de Geología Sedimentaria y Cambio Medioambiental, Instituto de Geociencias (UCM, CSIC), José Antonio Novais 2, 28040, Madrid, Spain
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19
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Quan C, Liu YSC, Tang H, Utescher T. Miocene shift of European atmospheric circulation from trade wind to westerlies. Sci Rep 2014; 4:5660. [PMID: 25012454 PMCID: PMC4092332 DOI: 10.1038/srep05660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2014] [Accepted: 06/18/2014] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The modern European climatic regime is peculiar, due to its unitary winter but diverse summer climates and a pronounced Mediterranean climate in the south. However, little is known on its evolution in the deep time. Here we reconstruct the European summer climate conditions in the Tortonian (11.62–7.246 Ma) using plant fossil assemblages from 75 well-dated sites across Europe. Our results clearly show that the Tortonian Europe mainly had humid to subhumid summers and no arid climate has been conclusively detected, indicating that the summer-dry Mediterranean-type climate has not yet been established along most of the Mediterranean coast at least by the Tortonian. More importantly, the reconstructed distribution pattern of summer precipitation reveals that the Tortonian European must have largely been controlled by westerlies, resulting in higher precipitation in the west and the lower in the east. The Tortonian westerly wind field appears to differ principally from the trade wind pattern of the preceding Serravallian (13.82–11.62 Ma), recently deduced from herpetofaunal fossils. Such a shift in atmospheric circulation, if ever occurred, might result from the development of ice caps and glaciers in the polar region during the Late Miocene global cooling, the then reorganization of oceanic circulation, and/or the Himalayan-Tibetan uplift.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Quan
- Research Center of Paleontology and Stratigraphy, Jilin University, Changchun 130026, China
| | - Yu-Sheng Christopher Liu
- Department of Biological Sciences, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee 37614, USA
| | - Hui Tang
- Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, Helsinki FI-00014, Finland
| | - Torsten Utescher
- Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum, Frankfurt Main; Steinmann Institute, Bonn University, Bonn 53115, Germany
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