Enzootic diseases and extinction of mammoths as a reflection of deep geochemical changes in ecosystems of Northern Eurasia

Leshchinskiy, Sergey V.

doi:10.1007/s12520-014-0205-4

Cited by 19 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…Nevertheless, higher values than 2 usually have no detrimental effect on herbivores (Whitehead ). On the contrary, the abundance of Ca and sufficient supply of P suggest that the pastures in the Altaian steppe‐tundra are good for bone development, which is in contrast with evidence of osteoporosis and other destructive changes observed in mammoth bones from the end of the Pleistocene, interpreted as a result of soil acidification and associated deficiency of essential nutrients (Leshchinskiy ). High concentrations of Ca and Mg also decrease the risk of hypomagnesaemia (grass tetany), as indicated by the values of the tetanic ratio K:(Ca+Mg) being lower than the critical value of 2.2 in nearly all sites of the Altaian steppe‐tundra.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A modern analogue of the Pleistocene steppe‐tundra ecosystem in southern Siberia

Chytrý

Horsák

Danihelka

et al. 2018

Boreas

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Steppe‐tundra is considered to have been a dominant ecosystem across northern Eurasia during the Last Glacial Maximum. As the fossil record is insufficient for understanding the ecology of this vanished ecosystem, modern analogues have been sought, especially in Beringia. However, Beringian ecosystems are probably not the best analogues for more southern variants of the full‐glacial steppe‐tundra because they lack many plant and animal species of temperate steppes found in the full‐glacial fossil record from various areas of Europe and Siberia. We present new data on flora, land snails and mammals and characterize the ecology of a close modern analogue of the full‐glacial steppe‐tundra ecosystem in the southeastern Russian Altai Mountains, southern Siberia. The Altaian steppe‐tundra is a landscape mosaic of different habitat types including steppe, mesic and wet grasslands, shrubby tundra, riparian scrub, and patches of open woodland at moister sites. Habitat distribution, species diversity, primary productivity and nutrient content in plant biomass reflect precipitation patterns across a broader area and the topography‐dependent distribution of soil moisture across smaller landscape sections. Plant and snail species considered as glacial relicts occur in most habitats of the Altaian steppe‐tundra, but snails avoid the driest types of steppe. A diverse community of mammals, including many species typical of the full‐glacial ecosystems, also occurs there. Insights from the Altaian steppe‐tundra suggest that the full‐glacial steppe‐tundra was a heterogeneous mosaic of different habitats depending on landscape‐scale moisture gradients. Primary productivity of this habitat mosaic combined with shallow snow cover that facilitated winter grazing was sufficient to sustain rich communities of large herbivores.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A modern analogue of the Pleistocene steppe‐tundra ecosystem in southern Siberia

Chytrý

Horsák

Danihelka

et al. 2018

Boreas

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“…The changes in the food source are one of the decisive factors that caused the range contraction of this large herbivorous mammoth (Kirillova et al, 2015). According to Leshchinskiy (Leshchinskiy, 2015), at the end of the Pleistocene, mammoth experienced a powerful geochemical stress which would manifest as mass destructive changes of bones due to enzootic diseases caused by mineral deficiency. In addition, the distribution patterns observed during the PB and BO indicate that the contraction of the mammoth range occurred under the influence of climate warming and the changes of vegetation.…”

Section: Regionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Eurasian mammoth distribution during the second half of the Late Pleistocene and the Holocene: Regional aspects

Puzachenko

Маркова

Косинцев

et al. 2017

Quaternary International

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a b s t r a c tBased on geographic information (database PALEOFAUNA), in combination with 14 C and other methods of paleo dating (1584 localities, 4033 dates, including 1501 direct dates), we first examined details of changes of mammoth distribution in Eurasia on the whole and in single parts of the range over the last 50ky. The analysis of regional features in the dynamics of mammoth range and the quantity of dated localities acknowledged a leading role of the climatic (environmental) factor in these processes. The maximum size of the Eurasian range, the largest number of remains of mammoths from dated localities and, probably, the maximum total number of population were established for the range of 38.2 e8.6 cal ky BP (Denekamp interstadial ¼ Bryansk interstadial). In Western and Central Europe, the increase of population was observed during Huneborg stadial (40.8e38.2 cal ky BP). In eastern Siberia, the maximum population growth occurred in the Last Glacial Maximum (28.6e22.5 cal ky BP), and in Western Siberia e during Deglaciation (22.5e14.7 cal ky BP). The population dynamics at the periphery of the range (Islands of Japan, British Isles, Northern Europe, Southern Siberia and Northern China, and, but to lesser extent, South-Eastern Europe) differs from the dynamics of its main part. The southernmost parts of the range e Southern Siberia and southeastern Europe experienced similar changes. Population dynamics in the Iberian Peninsula was much alike the changes in Western and Central Europe. We suggested that some peripheral populations could periodically be isolated from the populations of the main part of the range. Direct calibrated radiocarbon dates fixed upper boundary of extinction of this species in different parts of range within time interval from 21 (the Iberian Peninsula) to 4 (northeastern Siberia) thousands years BP. The hypotheses about the causes of the dynamics of the area and population of the mammoth in Eurasia, including those related to the extinction of certain genetic lines of a mammoth in the Late Pleistocene, are being discussed.

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“…Новейшее рассоление ландшафтов лесостепной зоны Западной Сибири коррелирует с общим окислением почв северной части континента, ярко выраженным после ~24 тыс. л. н. Данный процесс, по мнению автора, привел к хроническому геохимическому стрессу мамонтов, проявлением которого стали массовые заболевания скелетной системы этих крупнейших животных позднего плейстоцена Северной Евразии (Leshchinskiy , 2009(Leshchinskiy , 2012(Leshchinskiy , 2015. Однако, несмотря на глубокую деградацию Ca-Na геохимических ландшафтов в целом, на значительной части Барабинской низменности в самом конце плейстоцена (сартанское время) и раннем голоцене, вероятно, сохранялись относительно благоприятные условия обитания для крупных травоядных млекопитающих (Leshchinskiy 2001a;van der Plicht et al 2015).…”

Section: Discussionunclassified

“…Предварительный анализ ~1500 остатков мамонтов, обнаруженных при раскопках 2015-2017 гг., демонстрирует важные палеоэкологические результаты, хотя высокая степень выветривания и фрагментарность большинства костей резко осложняют диагностику прижизненных деструктивных изменений. Тем не менее опыт, приобретенный в аналогичных исследованиях крупных мамонтовых коллекций Северной Евразии (Leshchinskiy , 2012(Leshchinskiy , 2015(Leshchinskiy , 2017a, позволяет считать, что многие кости мамонтов, выявленные при новейших работах на Волчьей гриве, несут в себе признаки патологий. Наиболее распространенные из них остеопороз, экзостозы, остеолиз и периферические эрозии суставных поверхностей, причем обнаружены и такие дискуссионные деструкции, как дополнительные отверстия в остистых отростках позвонков (Рис.…”

Section: )unclassified

“…В 2015 г. начат новейший этап изучения Волчьей гривы, триггером которого послужило развитие геохимической гипотезы вымирания шерстистого мамонта (Leshchinskiy 2009(Leshchinskiy , 2012(Leshchinskiy , 2015. Современные палеонтолого-стратиграфические и геоархеологические работы имеют междисциплинарный характер и ставят своей целью всестороннее изучение плейстоценовых и голоценовых биогеоценозов юга Западной Сибири, включая биотические и абиотические связи мамонтовой фауны и палеолитического человека.…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

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Results of latest paleontological, stratigraphic and geoarchaeological research of the Volchia Griva mammoth fauna site

Leshchinskiy

2018

Proceedings ZIN

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The Volchia Griva is the largest site in Asia where the mammoth fauna remains are buried in situ. It is located in the Baraba forest-steppe (Western Siberia). In the 20th century, remains of at least 70 mammoths, 5 horses, 3 bisons and 1 wolf, as well as 37 stone artifacts were found here. The latest excavations of 2015–2017 on ~30 m2 revealed over 1500 bones and teeth, 95% of which belong to mammoths (at least 14 individuals), and the rest are from horses (3), bison, wolf, red fox, arctic fox, and rodents; associated artifacts – 23 items. With an average thickness of the bonebearing lens ~ 0.3–0.5 m, the local remain concentration exceeded 130/m2. The forty five crossed 14C dates were obtained from these materials, which reveal a burial period of ~20–10 ka BP. Obviously, there was the southernmost and one of the youngest mammoth refugia of Eurasia on this territory. The favorable Ca-Na geochemical landscape of the beast solonetz was the main reason for mammoth to visit the Volchia Griva. During the mineral starvation, the site attracted hundreds of large mammals, the remains of which were buried in mud baths and erosion forms. The main levels of the bone-bearing horizon have been forming for several thousand years, and that matched two waves of the megafauna’s geochemical stress in the Last Glacial Maximum and Late Glacial. Typical bone pathologies, such as exostoses, osteoporosis, erosion of articular surfaces, etc., characterize this process. These facts, together with the lack of strong evidence of hunting and butchering, indicate that the Volchia Griva was the natural mammoth death site, which was well known and used by Palaeolithic humans.

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Enzootic diseases and extinction of mammoths as a reflection of deep geochemical changes in ecosystems of Northern Eurasia

Cited by 19 publications

References 62 publications

A modern analogue of the Pleistocene steppe‐tundra ecosystem in southern Siberia

A modern analogue of the Pleistocene steppe‐tundra ecosystem in southern Siberia

The Eurasian mammoth distribution during the second half of the Late Pleistocene and the Holocene: Regional aspects

Results of latest paleontological, stratigraphic and geoarchaeological research of the Volchia Griva mammoth fauna site

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