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Pleistocene Mammals of North America
15 Oct 1980-
About: The article was published on 1980-10-15 and is currently open access. It has received 907 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Platygonus & Homotherium.
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TL;DR: Using empirically scaled computer simulation models of continuous traits evolving along phylogenetic trees to obtain null distributions of F statistics for ANCOVA of comparative data sets is proposed.
Abstract: Biologists often compare average phenotypes of groups of species defined cladistically or on behavioral, ecological, or physiological criteria (e.g., carnivores vs. herbivores, social vs. nonsocial species, endotherms vs. ectotherms). Hypothesis testing typically is accomplished via analysis of variance (ANOVA) or covariance (ANCOVA; often with body size as a covariate). Because of the hierarchical nature of phylogenetic descent, however, species may not represent statistically independent data points, degrees of freedom may be inflated, and significance levels derived from conventional tests cannot be trusted. As one solution to this degrees of freedom problem, we propose using empirically scaled computer simulation models of continuous traits evolving along «known» phylogenetic trees to obtain null distributions of F statistics for ANCOVA of comparative data sets
1,188 citations
TL;DR: A phylogenetic tree shows that crown clade Placentalia and placental orders originated after the K-Pg boundary, but phenomic signals overturn molecular signals to show Sundatheria (Dermoptera + Scandentia) as the sister taxon of Primates, a close link between Proboscidea and Sirenia (sea cows), and the monophyly of echolocating Chiroptera (bats).
Abstract: To discover interordinal relationships of living and fossil placental mammals and the time of origin of placentals relative to the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary, we scored 4541 phenomic characters de novo for 86 fossil and living species. Combining these data with molecular sequences, we obtained a phylogenetic tree that, when calibrated with fossils, shows that crown clade Placentalia and placental orders originated after the K-Pg boundary. Many nodes discovered using molecular data are upheld, but phenomic signals overturn molecular signals to show Sundatheria (Dermoptera + Scandentia) as the sister taxon of Primates, a close link between Proboscidea (elephants) and Sirenia (sea cows), and the monophyly of echolocating Chiroptera (bats). Our tree suggests that Placentalia first split into Xenarthra and Epitheria; extinct New World species are the oldest members of Afrotheria.
1,003 citations
TL;DR: A larger genetic variation in East Asia than in other regions and the pattern of phylogeographic variation suggest an East Asian origin for the domestic dog, ∼15,000 years ago.
Abstract: The origin of the domestic dog from wolves has been established, but the number of founding events, as well as where and when these occurred, is not known. To address these questions, we examined the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence variation among 654 domestic dogs representing all major dog populations worldwide. Although our data indicate several maternal origins from wolf, >95% of all sequences belonged to three phylogenetic groups universally represented at similar frequencies, suggesting a common origin from a single gene pool for all dog populations. A larger genetic variation in East Asia than in other regions and the pattern of phylogeographic variation suggest an East Asian origin for the domestic dog, ∼15,000 years ago.
876 citations
TL;DR: The North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI) as discussed by the authors is a set of comprehensive and coordinated strategic actions modeled on the Joint Venture initiatives that were used to successfully implement the North American Waterfowl Management Plan.
Abstract: The widespread and ongoing declines of North American bird populations that have affinities for grassland and grass–shrub habitats (hereafter referred to as grassland birds) are on track to become a prominent wildlife conservation crisis of the 21st century. There is no single cause responsible for the declines of grassland birds. Rather, a cumulative set of factors such as afforestation in the eastern United States, fragmentation and replacement of prairie vegetation with a modern agricultural landscape, and large-scale deterioration of western U.S. rangelands are the major causes for these declines. The North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI) is a set of comprehensive and coordinated strategic actions modeled on the Joint Venture initiatives that were used to successfully implement the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. The NABCI is emerging as a potential broad-scale solution for conserving populations of grassland birds. Coordinating grassland bird conservation efforts with...
525 citations
Cites background from "Pleistocene Mammals of North Americ..."
...Along with these relatively recent cultural impacts on eastern forests, considerable evidence suggests that substantial grasslands existed prior to European settlement of the eastern United States (Kurten and Anderson 1980)....
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...Remains of animals from the Pleistocene, which were associated with grassland ecosystems, have been identified in Pennsylvania (Kurten and Anderson 1980)....
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TL;DR: The diagnostic characteristics of damage done by each taxon to femora and tibiae of herbivores whose body weights are 300 kg or more of large cats, canids, bears, and hyenas are described.
Abstract: Large cats, canids, bears, and hyenas create distinctive types of damage when they gnaw bones. This paper describes the diagnostic characteristics of damage done by each taxon to femora and tibiae of herbivores whose body weights are 300 kg or more. Pleistocene and Recent fossil collections that include gnawed bones might provide data on the presence of carnivores whose own remains are not found in the collections. Information might also be gained about predator and scavenger utilization of prey carcasses, often a reflection of prey vulnerability or availability in past communities.
473 citations