Dietary flexibility and niche partitioning of large herbivores through the Pleistocene of Britain

Rivals, Florent; Lister, Adrian M.

doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2016.06.007

Cited by 96 publications

(74 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…The significantly different mesowear signals of proboscidean species within each locality are supported by dental microwear results that also suggest dietary niche separation between the species (Rivals et al ., , 2015). Comparing mesowear with more microwear results from British Pleistocene proboscideans (Rivals and Lister, ) further shows that these proxies mostly give similar results, but there are a few cases where the interpretation is different. For example, at Ilford mesowear analysis suggests a relatively more browse‐dominated diet for P. antiquus and a more grass‐dominated diet for M. trogontherii , than do microwear analyses.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Dental mesowear reflects local vegetation and niche separation in Pleistocene proboscideans from Britain

Saarinen

Lister

2016

J Quaternary Science

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Proboscideans, and elephants in particular, played a key role in Pleistocene mammal communities in Europe. The British Pleistocene fossil record provides a unique opportunity to study changes in proboscidean feeding ecology associated with environmental proxy data such as pollen records and the presence of competitors. Here we utilize a recently introduced dietary analysis method, mesowear angle analysis, for studying relationships between dietary variation in proboscideans, changes in available vegetation and the presence of sympatric proboscidean species. The method is based on recording the relief of worn molar surfaces as angle measurements, which reflect attrition‐ vs. abrasion‐dominated feeding and serve as a proxy for grazing vs. browsing diets. By comparison with pollen records, we show that blunt mesowear angles specifically reflect grass eating rather than open‐ground feeding in general. We further find that all British Pleistocene proboscidean species were relatively flexible feeders able to shift their dietary preference according to local vegetation composition. Nonetheless, when more than one proboscidean species occurred in the same environment, they always show significantly different mean mesowear signal, suggesting dietary niche separation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Dental mesowear reflects local vegetation and niche separation in Pleistocene proboscideans from Britain

Saarinen

Lister

2016

J Quaternary Science

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“…The high-relief environments surrounding La Riera enabled them to successfully alter their feeding behaviour in response to those adverse environmental conditions. Niche partitioning of herbivores is a characteristic observed throughout the Pleistocene, both isotopically 45,66,112 and using dental microwear 113 . Archaeological studies have indicated that niche partitioning may not necessarily be predictable through time 45 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adaptability, resilience and environmental buffering in European Refugia during the Late Pleistocene: Insights from La Riera Cave (Asturias, Cantabria, Spain)

Jones

Marín-Arroyo

Straus

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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The Upper Palaeolithic in Europe was a time of extensive climatic changes that impacted on the survival and distribution of human populations. During the Late Glacial Maximum (LGM), southern European peninsulas were refugia for flora, fauna, and human groups. One of these refugia, the Cantabrian region (northern Atlantic Spain), was intensively occupied throughout the Upper Palaeolithic. Characterising how climatic events were expressed in local environments is crucial to understand human and animal survival. La Riera Cave (Asturias) has a rich geo-cultural sequence dating between 20.5kyr BP to 6.5kyr BP and represents an ideal location in which to explore this. Stable isotope analysis of red deer and ibex is used alongside other environmental and climatic proxies to reconstruct Late Upper Palaeolithic conditions. Results show that during the LGM, ibex adapted their niche to survive, and became a major prey species for humans. The diverse environmental opportunities offered in the high-relief and coastal environs of La Riera may help to explain the high human population levels in the Cantabrian Region throughout the Late Upper Palaeolithic. Despite fluctuating conditions, herbivores and humans had the flexibility and resilience to adapt, demonstrating the importance of southern European refugia for the survival of different species.The settlement of Europe during the Last Glacial (MIS2) period (c.30-10kyr BP) was directly affected by the climate which resulted in cycles of expansion and contraction of populations, linked to the ebb and flow of ice sheets 1-3 . Central and northern Europe during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) (c. 21-18kyr BP) were mostly covered by ice sheets or polar desert that pushed populations into the south, with Iberia and southwestern France, Italy and the Balkan peninsulas acting as refugial regions. Within these locations less drastic temperatures, associated with milder conditions, facilitated survival of a variety of plant and animal species 4-13 . Of these areas, the Cantabrian region, which occupies the northern Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula (Fig. 1) has been demonstrated to have been a genetic refuge for salmon 14 , red deer 15 and humans 16,17 . At least 55 archaeological sites dating to the Solutrean (24kyr BP) have been recorded in the Vasco-Cantabrian region, concurrent with a large increase in the number archaeological occupation levels recorded within many sites 13,18 , indicative of a shift of surviving populations in Europe to the region 10,11,[19][20][21] . During the Magdalenian (c. 17-11.5kyr BP), a further population expansion is observed with a dramatic increase in the number of archaeological sites recorded, linked to ameliorated climatic conditions 21,22 as identified in proxies such as ice and marine cores. This region has been described as a "dynamic cultural center in the Upper Palaeolithic world of western Europe" 23 , as reflected by and, in part, due to its extensive and rich cave art and portable art. These phenomena clearly demonstrate the importance...

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“…Abbreviations: N = number of specimens; MWS = mesowear score; NP = total number of pits; NS = total number of scratches; %LP = percentage of individuals with large pits; %G = percentage of individuals with gouges; SWS = scratch width score; %XS = percentage of individuals with cross scratches; %HC = percentage of individuals with hypercoarse scratches; S/P = scratch/pit ratio; %0-17 = percentage of individuals with NS between 0 and 17. Data for Kent's Cavern from Rivals & Lister (2016 to exogenous grit on food items. The high variation in mesowear corresponds to the high diversity in the type of vegetation consumed and/or grit encountered in foods depending on the seasonal shifts in vegetation available between willow and graminoids vs. lichens.…”

Section: Dietary Patterns In Extant Caribou From Canadamentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Rivals

Semprebon

2016

Boreas

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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. Florent Rivals

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Dietary flexibility and niche partitioning of large herbivores through the Pleistocene of Britain

Cited by 96 publications

References 69 publications

Dental mesowear reflects local vegetation and niche separation in Pleistocene proboscideans from Britain

Dental mesowear reflects local vegetation and niche separation in Pleistocene proboscideans from Britain

Adaptability, resilience and environmental buffering in European Refugia during the Late Pleistocene: Insights from La Riera Cave (Asturias, Cantabria, Spain)

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

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