Speciated mechanism in Quaternary cervids (Cervus and Capreolus) on both sides of the Pyrenees: a multidisciplinary approach

Abstract

Cervids, and especially the red deer Cervus elaphus, are among the most regularly and abundantly recorded ungulates in Pleistocene/Paleolithic bone assemblages. Numerous Pleistocene or Holocene subspecies have been described, reinforcing their status as essential proxies for environmental and chronological reconstructions. Despite this, at the beginning of the Late Pleistocene, their diversity seems to have decreased. In this study, we analysed teeth and some postcranial elements of Cervus and Capreolus from north-eastern Iberia and south-eastern France to clarify their morphological characteristics and ecological adaptations. We describe a transitional form in north-eastern Iberia between the western European stock and the current form C. e. hispanicus. Such sub-speciation processes are connected to biogeographical factors, as there were limited exchanges between north-eastern Iberia and the northern Pyrenees, whereas the north-western part of the peninsula seems more connected to the northern Pyrenees. The anatomical plasticity (morpho-functional adaptation and body size) of red deer is connected to dietary flexibility (dental meso- and microwear). Conversely, Capreolus shows greater morphological and ecological homogeneity. Body size variations seem directly correlated with their ability to browse throughout the year. The marked differences between the eco-bio-geographical responses of the two taxa can be explained by their habitat selection.

Transgressing the limits of palaeoenvironmental data for Southeast Asian Pleistocene faunal assemblages: A critical review to go further

“…This flexibility is well known in Cervidae, which are generally considered to be adaptive and often mixed vegetation eaters (Kitcheneret al, 1990;Oka, 1998). Actualist or palaeontological studies of long evolutionary periods or different environments show this (Berlioz et al, 2017;De Miguel et al, 2010;Gebert and Verheyden-Tixier,2001;Hofmann, 1989;Uzunidis et al, 2022) so that studies of dental micro-and meso-wear are particularly worthy of development in South-east Asia. Such studies indeed indicate local and global environmental trends, such as those recognised in several taxa, particularly Ungulates (Fortelius and Solounias, 2000;Merceron et al, 2004;Merceron et al, 2007;Rivals et al, 2010;Rivals and Semprebon, 2011).…”

The Exceptional Presence of Megaloceros giganteus in North-Eastern Iberia and Its Palaeoecological Implications: The Case of Teixoneres Cave (Moià, Barcelona, Spain)

“…Unit IIa corresponds to a stable period marked by a cool climate with heavy precipitation [28]. The environment must have been closed because tree pollen exceeds 65% of the spectrum [24] but at least seasonally open since the red deer fed on grass at their time of death according to dental microwear [29].…”

“…The mixture of temperate and cold-adapted taxa, and among them the giant deer from Teixoneres could reveal the ecotone position of the site, at the transition between the Mammuthus-Coelodonta complex in the North and the temperate refugium of the peninsula. In Teixoneres, the climate was cool and relatively humid and the environment was dominated by forest (arboreal pollen: 65%) with the presence of open areas [24,26,28,29]. This mosaic landscape will have been sufficient to allow the maintenance of several guilds of herbivorous ungulates, meeting especially the ecological requirements of both Megaloceros and Coelodonta.…”