Abstract We analyse the evolution of carnivoran guilds (body mass, locomotor pattern, and diet preference) across the Middle to Upper Miocene boundary based on a comparison of the carnivoran fauna from Steinheim (Mammal Neogene zone MN 7/8; Servallian to early Tortonian), and from the Eppelsheim Formation (Mammal Neogene zone MN 9/10; mid-Tortonian), Germany. Results reveal a massive faunal turnover between these two communties due to taxonomic differences up to the family level. Guild structures of both carnivoran faunas were similar, implying that Late Miocene taxa replaced Middle Miocene taxa in their respective niches rather than new ecological strategies being added to the guild. This is not surprising, as (1) the majority of Late Miocene taxa were derived from European Middle Miocene ancestors and mostly share their paleoecology, (2) of the few undisputed Late Miocene immigrant taxa (Eomellivora, Simocyon, Sivaonyx), only Eomellivora adds new ecological strategies to the guild, and (3) both faunas occupied the same kind of partly open woodland paleoenvironment. Our paper supports previous studies, suggesting that ecological diversity remains stable across the Middle to Upper Miocene boundary and that similar environments produce similar carnivoran guild structures irrespective of taxonomical composition.

中文翻译：

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德国食肉目（食肉目，哺乳动物）行会结构的演化跨越中/上中新世边界

摘要 我们基于来自斯坦海姆（新近纪哺乳动物区 MN 7/8；塞尔瓦利安到托尔托尼阶早期）的食肉动物群的比较，分析了食肉动物行会（体重、运动模式和饮食偏好）在中新世边界的演变，以及来自德国的 Eppelsheim 组（哺乳动物新近纪带 MN 9/10；托顿期中期）。结果表明，由于高达家庭级别的分类学差异，这两个社区之间存在大量动物群更替。两种食肉动物群的行会结构相似，这意味着晚中新世分类群取代了中新世中期分类群在各自的生态位中，而不是向行会添加新的生态策略。这并不奇怪，因为 (1) 大多数晚中新世分类群来自欧洲中中新世祖先，并且大多共享他们的古生态，(2) 在少数无可争议的晚中新世移民类群 (Eomellivora, Simocyon, Sivaonyx) 中，只有 Eomellivora 为该类群增加了新的生态策略，并且 (3) 两个动物群都占据了同一种部分开放的林地古环境。我们的论文支持先前的研究，表明生态多样性在中新世到上中新世边界保持稳定，并且无论分类组成如何，类似的环境都会产生类似的食肉动物行会结构。