Environmental correlates of the Late Quaternary regional
extinctions of large and small Palaearctic mammals

J 2018

Environmental correlates of the Late Quaternary regional extinctions of large and small Palaearctic mammals

PAVELKOVÁ ŘIČÁNKOVÁ, Věra, Michal HORSÁK, Martin HAIS, Jan ROBOVSKÝ, Milan CHYTRÝ et. al.

Basic information

Original name

Environmental correlates of the Late Quaternary regional extinctions of large and small Palaearctic mammals

Authors

PAVELKOVÁ ŘIČÁNKOVÁ, Věra (203 Czech Republic), Michal HORSÁK (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution), Martin HAIS (203 Czech Republic), Jan ROBOVSKÝ (203 Czech Republic) and Milan CHYTRÝ (203 Czech Republic, guarantor, belonging to the institution)

Edition

Ecography, Wiley, 2018, 0906-7590

Other information

Language

English

Type of outcome

Článek v odborném periodiku

Field of Study

10619 Biodiversity conservation

Country of publisher

Denmark

Confidentiality degree

není předmětem státního či obchodního tajemství

References:

URL

Impact factor

Impact factor: 5.946

RIV identification code

RIV/00216224:14310/18:00100876

Organization unit

Faculty of Science

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ecog.02851

UT WoS

000426725400008

Keywords in English

Last Glacial Maximum; Eastern-Central Europe; Late Pleistocene; Megafaunal extinctions; Modern analogs

Abstract

V originále

Most studies of mammal extinctions during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition explore the relative effects of climate change vs human impacts on these extinctions, but the relative importance of the different environmental factors involved remains poorly understood. Moreover, these studies are strongly biased towards megafauna, which may have been more influenced by human hunting than species of small body size. We examined the potential environmental causes of Pleistocene-Holocene mammal extinctions by linking regional environmental characteristics with the regional extinction rates of large and small mammals in 14 Palaearctic regions. We found that regional extinction rates were larger for megafauna, but extinction patterns across regions were similar for both size groups, emphasizing the importance of environmental change as an extinction factor as opposed to hunting. Still, the bias towards megafauna extinctions was larger in southern Europe and smaller in central Eurasia. The loss of suitable habitats, low macroclimatic heterogeneity within regions and an increase in precipitation were identified as the strongest predictors of regional extinction rates. Suitable habitats for many species of the Last Glacial fauna were grassland and desert, but not tundra or forest. The low-extinction regions identified in central Eurasia are characterized by the continuous presence of grasslands and deserts until the present. In contrast, forest expansion associated with an increase in precipitation and temperature was likely the main factor causing habitat loss in the high-extinction regions. The shift of grassland into tundra also contributed to the loss of suitable habitats in northern Eurasia. Habitat loss was more strongly related to the extinctions of megafauna than of small mammals. Ungulate species with low tolerance to deep snow were more likely to go regionally extinct. Thus, the increase in precipitation at the Pleistocene-Holocene transition may have also directly contributed to the extinctions by creating deep snow cover which decreases forage availability in winter.

Links

GAP504/11/0454, research and development project

Name: Změny biodiverzity na přechodu pleistocénu a holocénu: současné analogie v reliktních ekosystémech Sibiře

Investor: Czech Science Foundation

Citovat

PAVELKOVÁ ŘIČÁNKOVÁ, Věra, Michal HORSÁK, Martin HAIS, Jan ROBOVSKÝ and Milan CHYTRÝ. Environmental correlates of the Late Quaternary regional extinctions of large and small Palaearctic mammals. Ecography. Wiley, 2018, vol. 41, No 3, p. 516-527. ISSN 0906-7590. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ecog.02851.

@article{1412679,
   author = {Pavelková Řičánková, Věra and Horsák, Michal and Hais, Martin and Robovský, Jan and Chytrý, Milan},
   article_number = {3},
   doi = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ecog.02851},
   keywords = {Last Glacial Maximum; Eastern-Central Europe; Late Pleistocene; Megafaunal extinctions; Modern analogs},
   language = {eng},
   issn = {0906-7590},
   journal = {Ecography},
   title = {Environmental correlates of the Late Quaternary regional extinctions of large and small Palaearctic mammals},
   url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ecog.02851},
   volume = {41},
   year = {2018}
}

TY  - JOUR
ID  - 1412679
AU  - Pavelková Řičánková, Věra - Horsák, Michal - Hais, Martin - Robovský, Jan - Chytrý, Milan
PY  - 2018
TI  - Environmental correlates of the Late Quaternary regional extinctions of large and small Palaearctic mammals
JF  - Ecography
VL  - 41
IS  - 3
SP  - 516-527
EP  - 516-527
PB  - Wiley
SN  - 09067590
KW  - Last Glacial Maximum
KW  - Eastern-Central Europe
KW  - Late Pleistocene
KW  - Megafaunal extinctions
KW  - Modern analogs
UR  - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ecog.02851
N2  - Most studies of mammal extinctions during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition explore the relative effects of climate change vs human impacts on these extinctions, but the relative importance of the different environmental factors involved remains poorly understood. Moreover, these studies are strongly biased towards megafauna, which may have been more influenced by human hunting than species of small body size. We examined the potential environmental causes of Pleistocene-Holocene mammal extinctions by linking regional environmental characteristics with the regional extinction rates of large and small mammals in 14 Palaearctic regions. We found that regional extinction rates were larger for megafauna, but extinction patterns across regions were similar for both size groups, emphasizing the importance of environmental change as an extinction factor as opposed to hunting. Still, the bias towards megafauna extinctions was larger in southern Europe and smaller in central Eurasia. The loss of suitable habitats, low macroclimatic heterogeneity within regions and an increase in precipitation were identified as the strongest predictors of regional extinction rates. Suitable habitats for many species of the Last Glacial fauna were grassland and desert, but not tundra or forest. The low-extinction regions identified in central Eurasia are characterized by the continuous presence of grasslands and deserts until the present. In contrast, forest expansion associated with an increase in precipitation and temperature was likely the main factor causing habitat loss in the high-extinction regions. The shift of grassland into tundra also contributed to the loss of suitable habitats in northern Eurasia. Habitat loss was more strongly related to the extinctions of megafauna than of small mammals. Ungulate species with low tolerance to deep snow were more likely to go regionally extinct. Thus, the increase in precipitation at the Pleistocene-Holocene transition may have also directly contributed to the extinctions by creating deep snow cover which decreases forage availability in winter.
ER  -

PAVELKOVÁ ŘIČÁNKOVÁ, Věra, Michal HORSÁK, Martin HAIS, Jan ROBOVSKÝ and Milan CHYTRÝ. Environmental correlates of the Late Quaternary regional extinctions of large and small Palaearctic mammals. \textit{Ecography}. Wiley, 2018, vol.~41, No~3, p.~516-527. ISSN~0906-7590. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ecog.02851.

Detailed Information on Publication Record