학술논문
Early pleistocene ecological relations among omnivorous species: suids, ursids, cercopithecids and hominins
Document Type
Dissertation/Thesis
Author
Source
TDX (Tesis Doctorals en Xarxa)
Subject
Language
English
Abstract
Las especies grandes omnívoros han habitado en amplias zonas geográficas de África, Oriente Medio y otras regiones de Eurasia durante el Pleistoceno inferior (~ 2,0 - 1,0 Ma), El éxito en su evolución y sucesivas dispersiones se ha relacionado con cambios climáticos globales y sus modos de explotación de los recursos alimenticios. Su diversidad en la dieta refleja la especialización de su morfología craneodental, desarrollando rasgos anatómicos especializados y ampliando sus nichos ecológicos. El éxito co-evolutivo de suidos, úrsidos, cercopitécidos y homínidos dentro del gran proceso evolutivo de los mamíferos durante el Plio-Pleistoceno está relacionado con la convergencia evolutiva de su morfología dental y el éxito del aprovechamiento de una dieta con amplio espectro. En este estudio se aplican métodos combinados de anatomía, de micro desgaste delos dientes (microwear) y estadística multivariante, conjuntamente con datos isotópicos. Los resultados obtenidos a través de esta combinación de métodos ayuda a comprender el tipo de dieta y el hábitat de las especies omnívoras que habitaban en diferentes áreas geográficas. El registro de isótopos recuperados de cada yacimiento está en concordancia con los resultados paleoecológicos suministrados por el microdesgaste.
During the Early Pleistocene (~2.0 to 1.0 Ma), large omnivorous species have been inhabiting in a wide geographical range in Africa, Middle East and Eurasia. Their evolution and dispersals have been related to global climatic changes and their successful strategies of food resources exploitation. Their dietary diversity reflected the specialization of their craniodental morphology, developing specialized anatomical traits amplifying their ecological niche. The successful co-evolution of suids, ursids, cercopithecids and hominins-within the large mammalian evolving communities process-during the Plio-Pleistocene chronology can be related to the evolution of their analogous dental morphology and successful dietary trophy. The combined methods of dental anatomy, tooth microwear and statistical analyses together with isotope data from stable isotope studies, help to understand the dietary trophy and paleoecologcal habitat of the omnivorous species that inhabited different geographical areas. The record of stable isotopes signatures retrieved from each site is in agreement with the microwear data and paleoecological results.
During the Early Pleistocene (~2.0 to 1.0 Ma), large omnivorous species have been inhabiting in a wide geographical range in Africa, Middle East and Eurasia. Their evolution and dispersals have been related to global climatic changes and their successful strategies of food resources exploitation. Their dietary diversity reflected the specialization of their craniodental morphology, developing specialized anatomical traits amplifying their ecological niche. The successful co-evolution of suids, ursids, cercopithecids and hominins-within the large mammalian evolving communities process-during the Plio-Pleistocene chronology can be related to the evolution of their analogous dental morphology and successful dietary trophy. The combined methods of dental anatomy, tooth microwear and statistical analyses together with isotope data from stable isotope studies, help to understand the dietary trophy and paleoecologcal habitat of the omnivorous species that inhabited different geographical areas. The record of stable isotopes signatures retrieved from each site is in agreement with the microwear data and paleoecological results.