Differential responses of Miocene rodent metacommunities to global climatic changes were mediated by environmental context

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.

MioceneCupressinoxylonfrom Gökçeada (Imbros), Turkey withProtophytobiacambium mining and the study of ecological signals of wood anatomy

“…Global and regional climatic changes influence on metacommunities includes the macroevolutionary patterns, namely: local biotic and abiotic interactions and regional speciation, extinction, emigration, and immigration. Blanco et al (2018) presented such a case study on highly distributed, diversified, and climatic sensitive Miocene rodent communities. The former work revealed two main affective factors of the correlation between metacommunities and long-term changes in the environmental and species characteristics.…”

“…Consequently, evidence from the terrestrial responses from Central Europe ( e.g ., Mosbrugger, Utescher & Dilcher, 2005 ), with the addition of palaeobotanical and mammal/hypsodonty data ( Saarinen, Mantzouka & Sakala, 2020 ) from the eastern Mediterranean (Greece and Turkey) during increased temperatures through the early and middle Miocene, could improve our knowledge significantly and provide a combined account of the biotic events that occurred during this crucial period. Additionally, the establishment of an eastern Mediterranean MCO hotspot, including Lesbos, Lemnos, and the Gökçeada (Imbros) Islands may be supported by the detection of palaeoclimatic signals through the wood anatomical traits of xylem ( Pandey, 2021 ), as well as the palaeocommunities sensu Watkins, Berry & Boucot (1973) ; metacommunities sensu Leibold et al (2004) and Leibold, Rudolph & Blanchet (2020) or palaeo–metacommunities following the example of Blanco et al (2018) and García-Girón et al (2021) .…”

Hungry for fruit? – A case study on the ecology of middle Miocene Moschidae (Mammalia, Ruminantia)

“…comm., 09.2018), indicates the presence of closed environments (predominantly browsing taxa dwelling mostly in closed environments like e.g. cervids, 'Palaeomeryx' eminens von Meyer, 1847, andBrachypotherium brachypus (Lartet, 1837) [Köhler 1993;Tütken et al 2006;Tütken & Vennemann 2009;Merceron et al 2012;Aiglstorfer et al 2014a]; small mammals categorized as "forest specialists" such as Muscardinus Kaup, 1829and Eumyarion Thaler, 1966in Blanco et al [2018) and open environments (mixed feeders like Gomphotherium steinheimense (Klähn, 1922), Lartetotherium sansaniense (Lartet in Laurillard, 1848) for large mammals [Tütken et al 2006;Tütken & Vennemann 2009;Aiglstorfer et al 2014a] (Fig. 7B), which are seen in extant ungulates that incorporate harder fruits and seeds in their diet or more twigs and bark (Solounias & Semprebon 2002).…”

Anterior ossicone variability in Decennatherium rex Ríos, et al. 2017 (Late Miocene, Iberian Peninsula)

“…Therefore, the assemblage was the result of a gradual, attritional mortality profile often observed in sites frequented by taxa over long periods of time, such as watering holes (Agenbroad 1978;Barnosky 1985). The site is placed in the middle of the occurrence of the Vallesian Crisis, a period of profound faunal reorganisation related to global changes in climate seasonality (Domingo et al 2014;Gómez-Cano et al 2014;Azanza et al 2017;Blanco et al 2018Blanco et al , 2021 that may have affected the possibilities of survival in the area.…”