Middle–late Holocene Caribbean aridity inferred from foraminifera and elemental data in sediment cores from two Cuban lagoons

Gregory, Braden R.B.; Peros, Matthew; Reinhardt, Eduard G.; Donnelly, Jeffrey P.

doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2015.02.029

Cited by 33 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 82 publications

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“…Paleoclimatic records throughout the Caribbean and circum-Caribbean show a shift from wetter, more mesic conditions during the early-middle Holocene to drier, more xeric conditions during the late Holocene, between 3000 and 1300 year BP (Hodell et al, 1995; Curtis et al, 2001; Peros et al, 2007). Our data do not agree with the overall tendency towards drier conditions after 2000 cal yr. BP interpreted from Cuban coastal lacustrine deposits (Peros et al, 2007; Peros et al, 2015; Gregory et al, 2015), and instead agree with those acquired from cave speleothem records (Pajón et al, 2001; Pajón, 2012; Fensterer et al, 2013) which indicate the inverse. Since our oxygen isotope values were acquired from bat dental apatite, they likely represent the bat’s life oxygen record acquired from the local diet and water source (Bocherens et al, 1996; Lee-Thorp et al, 1989; MacFadden et al, 1996).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

Late Holocene land vertebrate fauna from Cueva de los Nesofontes, Western Cuba: stratigraphy, last appearance dates, diversity and paleoecology

Orihuela

Orozco

Licourt³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Here we report a Late Holocene fossil-rich cave deposit from Cueva de los Nesofontes, Mayabeque Province, Cuba. The deposit’s formation and its fauna were studied through a multidisciplinary approach that included stable isotope analyses, radiocarbon chronology, stratigraphy, sedimentology, and taphonomy. Thousands of microvertebrate skeletal remains were recovered, representing a diverse land vertebrate fauna that included threatened and extinct species. The deposit is characterized by profuse Nesophontes remains due to raptor predation. Previously unreported last appearance dates are provided for the extinct island-shrew Nesophontes major, the bats Artibeus anthonyi and Phyllops vetus. Radiocarbon (14C AMS) age estimates between ∼1960 rcyr BP and the present were recovered. The presence of locally extinct species, including the endemic parakeet Psittacara eups, the flicker Colaptes cf. auratus/fernandinae, and the lipotyphlan Solenodon cubanus suggests that these species had broader distributions in the near past. Isotope analyses and faunal composition indicate the previous presence of diverse habitats, including palm grove savannas and mixed woodlands. Isotopes also provide insight into the habitat and coexistence of the extinct bat Artibeus anthonyi and extant A. jamaicensis, the diet of Nesophontes major, and local paleoenvironmental conditions. Oxygen isotopes reveal an excursion suggestive of drier/colder local conditions between 660 and 770 AD. Our research further expands the understanding of Cuban Quaternary extinction episodes and provides data on the distribution and paleoecology of extinct taxa. It supports the conclusion that many Cuban extinct species survived well into the pre-Columbian late Holocene and retained wide distribution ranges until human colonization.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

Late Holocene land vertebrate fauna from Cueva de los Nesofontes, Western Cuba: stratigraphy, last appearance dates, diversity and paleoecology

Orihuela

Orozco

Licourt³

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…yrs. BP interpreted from Cuban coastal lacustrine deposits (Peros et al, 2007;Gregory et al, 2015;Peros et al, 2015), and instead agree with those acquired from cave speleothem records (Pajón et al, 2001;Pajón, 2012;Fensterer et al, 2013), which indicate the inverse. Since our oxygen isotope values were acquired from bat dental apatite, they likely represent the bat's life oxygen record acquired from the local diet and water source (Lee-Thorp et al, 1989;Bocherens et al, 1996;MacFadden et al, 1996).…”

Section: Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction Gleaned From Fauna and Isosupporting

confidence: 73%

Late Holocene land vertebrate fauna from Cueva de los Nesofontes, Western Cuba: Stratigraphy, chronology, diversity, and paleoecology

Orihuela

Orozco

Licourt³

et al. 2020

Palaeontol Electron

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Here we report a late Holocene fossil-rich cave deposit from Cueva de los Nesofontes, Mayabeque Province, Cuba. The deposit's formation and its fauna were studied through a multidisciplinary approach that included stable isotope analyses, radiocarbon chronology, and stratigraphy. Thousands of microvertebrate skeletal remains were recovered, representing a diverse land vertebrate fauna that included threatened and extinct species. The deposit is characterized by profuse Nesophontes remains due to raptor predation. Previously unreported last appearance dates (LADs) are provided for the extinct 'island-shrew' Nesophontes major, the bats Artibeus anthonyi, and Phyllops vetus. Radiocarbon (14 C AMS) age estimates between ~1960 rcyr BP and the present were acquired for the assemblage. The presence of locally extinct species, including the endemic parakeet Psittacara eups, the flicker Colaptes cf. fernandinae, the bat Antrozous koopmani, and the eulipotyphlan Solenodon cubanus, suggests that these species had broader distributions in the near past. Isotope analyses and faunal composition indicate the previous presence of diverse habitats, including palm grove savannas and mixed woodlands near the cave. Isotopes also provide insight into the habitat and coexistence of the extinct bat Artibeus anthonyi and extant A. jamaicensis, the diet of Nesophontes major, and local paleoenvironmental conditions. Oxygen isotopes reveal an excursion suggestive of drier/colder local conditions between 660 and 770 AD. Our research further expands the understanding of Cuban Quaternary extinction episodes and provides data on the distribution and paleoecology of extinct taxa. It supports the conclusion that many Cuban extinct species survived well into the pre-Columbian late Holocene and retained wide distribution ranges until European colonization.

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“…However, a southern ITCZ displacement at 1000 Cal yrs BP could have increased precipitation and resultant accumulation rates of the Quelccaya Ice Cap 43 ; allowed C 3 vegetation to expand in South Africa 35 , and increased the likelihood of extreme precipitation events at Laguna Pallcacocha in Ecuador 36 . Further north, a southern displacement of the ITCZ at 1000 Cal yrs BP likely increased aridity at multiple sites in the northern subtropics such as in the Yucatan 44 , Dominican Republic 45 , and Cuba 46 , which could have decreased cyclogenesis in the MDR.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The intertropical convergence zone modulates intense hurricane strikes on the western North Atlantic margin

Hengstum

Donnelly

Fall

et al. 2016

Sci Rep

Self Cite

111

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Most Atlantic hurricanes form in the Main Development Region between 9°N to 20°N along the northern edge of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Previous research has suggested that meridional shifts in the ITCZ position on geologic timescales can modulate hurricane activity, but continuous and long-term storm records are needed from multiple sites to assess this hypothesis. Here we present a 3000 year record of intense hurricane strikes in the northern Bahamas (Abaco Island) based on overwash deposits in a coastal sinkhole, which indicates that the ITCZ has likely helped modulate intense hurricane strikes on the western North Atlantic margin on millennial to centennial-scales. The new reconstruction closely matches a previous reconstruction from Puerto Rico, and documents a period of elevated intense hurricane activity on the western North Atlantic margin from 2500 to 1000 years ago when paleo precipitation proxies suggest that the ITCZ occupied a more northern position. Considering that anthropogenic warming is predicted to be focused in the northern hemisphere in the coming century, these results provide a prehistoric analog that an attendant northern ITCZ shift in the future may again return the western North Atlantic margin to an active hurricane interval.

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Middle–late Holocene Caribbean aridity inferred from foraminifera and elemental data in sediment cores from two Cuban lagoons

Cited by 33 publications

References 82 publications

Late Holocene land vertebrate fauna from Cueva de los Nesofontes, Western Cuba: stratigraphy, last appearance dates, diversity and paleoecology

Late Holocene land vertebrate fauna from Cueva de los Nesofontes, Western Cuba: stratigraphy, last appearance dates, diversity and paleoecology

Late Holocene land vertebrate fauna from Cueva de los Nesofontes, Western Cuba: Stratigraphy, chronology, diversity, and paleoecology

The intertropical convergence zone modulates intense hurricane strikes on the western North Atlantic margin

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