“…The debated concept (Stanley, 1980) of an extinct distinct Pleistocene biome developed progressively (Hibbert, 1982). Controversies arose from reconciling actualist extrapolations to the Pleistocene and across latitudes of living vegetation formations (Hammen, Wijmstra, Zagwijn, 1971) with ecological incompatibilities between pollen and fossil mammal evidence (Colinvaux, 1980;Colinvaux, West, 1984;Laxton, Burn, Smith, 1996). Palynological arguments to the effect that glacial maxima, high-latitude, periglacial continental zones became sparse "desolate" tundras or polar deserts were refuted by comprehensive reviews, fossil and mummi ed mammal evidence (including stomach contents), pollen, plant/ animal ecology, insects, and dated sites (Nowak et al, 1930;Vereshchagin, 1971;Bader, 1968;Vereshchagin, Baryshnikov, 1982;Kislev, Nazarov, 1985;Guthrie, 1985Guthrie, , 1989Guthrie, , 2001Auguste, 1996;Laxton, Burn, Smith, 1996;Kahlke, 1999;Orlova, Kuzmin, Zolnikov, 2000;Orlova, Kuzmin, Dementiev, 2000;2007;Harington, Cinq-Mars, 2008): most Pleistocene cycles supported distinct habitats with few modern biota analogs of complex oral and faunal mosaics (Yurstev, 1982), "Pleistocene plaids versus Holocene stripes" (Guthrie, 1989); the Biome formed an extinct biotic zone unit encompassing a sympatric amalgam of different plant and animal communities and sub-communities throughout northern Eurasia and Beringida (Guthrie, 1985;Markova, Puzachenko, Kolfschoten, 2010).…”