scispace - formally typeset
Journal ArticleDOI

Latitude matters: an examination of behavioural plasticity in dietary traits amongst extant and Pleistocene Rangifer tarandus

Florent Rivals, +1 more
- 01 Apr 2017 - 
- Vol. 46, Iss: 2, pp 254-263
TLDR
The authors investigated the dietary traits of Rangifer tarandus, a species with a wide geographical distribution, using tooth mesowear and microwear methods in eight extant populations from Canada.
Abstract
The geographical distribution of species affects their dietary traits relative to resources available in different latitudes. Dietary traits of Rangifer tarandus, a species with a wide geographical distribution, were investigated using tooth mesowear and microwear methods in eight extant populations from Canada. The data show a latitudinal shift corresponding to a vegetational gradient from the taiga to the tundra, i.e. an increase of lichen consumption from the low to the high latitudes. This pattern is also evidenced in the Pleistocene fossil record of Europe where R. tarandus populations from low latitude localities show a lower consumption of lichen than at higher latitudes.

read more

Citations
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI

Reframing the mammoth steppe: Insights from analysis of isotopic niches

TL;DR: Isotopic niche overlap, including at the level of core niche overlap (>60% overlap), was observed in at least one time and region for most species, suggesting high levels of functional redundancy in the ecosystem, whereby one species could fulfil another's ecological role in the latter's absence.
Journal ArticleDOI

Human paleoecological integration in subarctic eastern Beringia

TL;DR: This article investigated the role of humans as a predator and a competitor in the extinction and dispersal of megafauna in subarctic eastern Beringia by focusing on changes in the trophic dynamics of the large mammal community.
Journal ArticleDOI

Neanderthal faunal exploitation and settlement dynamics at the Abri du Maras, level 5 (south-eastern France)

TL;DR: In this article, the authors define the characteristics of human occupation developed in the rock shelter and show that Neanderthal groups used the Abri du Maras as a residential campsite for long-term occupation events during a whole season, mainly summer.
Journal ArticleDOI

Dietary traits of ungulates in northeastern Iberian Peninsula: Did these Neanderthal preys show adaptive behaviour to local habitats during the Middle Palaeolithic?

TL;DR: Dental cementum analysis allows accurately identifying the season of ungulate death and linking an individual's dietary preferences with the seasonal conditions in its last moments of life, and red deer at both sites were mixed-feeders in the annual cycle.
Journal ArticleDOI

Pollen and spores from molar folds reflect food choice of late Pleistocene and Early Holocene herbivores in The Netherlands and the adjacent North Sea area

TL;DR: Ecological and statistical analysis of the results shows dietary differences between the mammal species analyzed, and pollen spectra show valuable aspects of vegetation composition, food choice, age, and landscapes, from subarctic open areas to interglacial forest.
References
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI

Why Mountain Passes are Higher in the Tropics

TL;DR: In this article, it was suggested that the temperature gradient across a mountain range determines its effectiveness as a barrier, rather than the absolute height, and that animals and plants are evolutionarily adapted to, and/or have the ability to acclimate to, the temperatures normally encountered in their temporal and geographic habitat (or microhabitat).
Journal ArticleDOI

Functional Characterization of Ungulate Molars Using the Abrasion-Attrition Wear Gradient: A New Method for Reconstructing Paleodiets

TL;DR: The mesowear analysis as discussed by the authors is based on the physical properties of ungulate foods as reflected in the relative amounts of attritive and abrasive wear that they cause on the dental enamel of the occlusal surfaces.

Advances in the reconstruction of ungulate ecomorphology with application to early fossil equids. American Museum novitates ; no. 3366

TL;DR: In addition to the traditional scratch and pit numbers, the authors introduced four qualitative variables: scratch texture, cross scratches, large pits, and gouges, which provide finer subdivisions within the basic dietary categories.
Journal ArticleDOI

Advances in the Reconstruction of Ungulate Ecomorphology with Application to Early Fossil Equids

TL;DR: A new and greatly simplified methodology for the assessment of the dietary adaptations of living and fossil taxa has been developed which allows for microwear scar topography to be accurately analyzed at low magnification (35×) using a standard stereomicroscope, which provides finer subdivisions within the basic dietary categories.
Journal ArticleDOI

Weathering of rocks and neogenesis of minerals associated with lichen activity

Paola Adamo, +1 more
- 01 May 2000 - 
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors reviewed the role of lichens on rocks and the biogeophysical and biogeochemical alteration of rock-forming minerals, their influence in dissolution and precipitation reactions and in bioformation of new minerals.
Related Papers (5)