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Species distribution modeling reveals the ecological niche of extinct megafauna from South America

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 May 2021

Thaísa Araújo Open the ORCID record for Thaísa Araújo [Opens in a new window] ,
Helena Machado ,
Dimila Mothé  and
Leonardo dos Santos Avilla
Thaísa Araújo*
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Mastozoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. Av. Pasteur, 458, sala 501, Urca, 22290-255, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. Programa de Pós-graduação em Biodiversidade e Biologia Evolutiva (PPGBBE), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Cidade Universitária, 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
Helena Machado
Affiliation:
University of Oregon, Earth Sciences Department, 100 Cascade Hall, Eugene, OR97403-1272, USA.
Dimila Mothé
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Mastozoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. Av. Pasteur, 458, sala 501, Urca, 22290-255, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. Programa de Pós-graduação em Biodiversidade e Biologia Evolutiva (PPGBBE), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Cidade Universitária, 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
Leonardo dos Santos Avilla
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Mastozoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. Av. Pasteur, 458, sala 501, Urca, 22290-255, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. Programa de Pós-graduação em Biodiversidade e Biologia Evolutiva (PPGBBE), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Cidade Universitária, 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
*
*Corresponding author: Thaísa Araújo email address: thaisa.souza@hotmail.com
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Abstract

Climatic and environmental changes, as well as human action, have been cited as potential causes for the extinction of megafauna in South America at the end of the Pleistocene. Among megamammals lineages with Holarctic origin, only horses and proboscideans went extinct in South America during this period. This study aims to understand how the spatial extent of habitats suitable for Equus neogeus and Notiomastodon platensis changed between the last glacial maximum (LGM) and the middle Holocene in order to determine the impact that climatic and environmental changes had on these taxa. We used species distribution modeling to estimate their potential extent on the continent and found that both species occupied arid and semiarid open lands during the LGM, mainly in the Pampean region of Argentina, southern and northeastern Brazil, and parts of the Andes. However, when climate conditions changed from dry and cold during the LGM to humid and warm during the middle Holocene, the areas suitable for these taxa were reduced dramatically. These results support the hypothesis that climatic changes were a driving cause of extinction of these megamammals in South America, although we cannot rule out the impact of human actions or other potential causes for their extinction.

Keywords

Climatic changesEquusNotiomastodonQuaternaryPaleoecologyExtinction
Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 104 , November 2021 , pp. 151 - 158
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Copyright © University of Washington. Published by Cambridge University Press, 2021

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References

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