Paleoclimatic Reconstruction Based on the Late Pleistocene San Josecito Cave Stratum 720 Fauna Using Fossil Mammals, Reptiles, and Birds
Por:
Cruz, J. Alberto, Velasco, Julian A., Arroyo-Cabrales, Joaquin, Johnson, Eileen
Publicada:
1 jul 2023
Resumen:
Advances in technology have equipped paleobiologists with new analytical
tools to assess the fossil record. The functional traits of vertebrates
have been used to infer paleoenvironmental conditions. In Quaternary
deposits, birds are the second-most-studied group after mammals. They
are considered a poor paleoambiental proxy because their high vagility
and phenotypic plasticity allow them to respond more effectively to
climate change. Investigating multiple groups is important, but it is
not often attempted. Biogeographical and climatic niche information
concerning small mammals, reptiles, and birds have been used to infer
the paleoclimatic conditions present during the Late Pleistocene at San
Josecito Cave (similar to 28,000 C-14 years BP), Mexico. Warmer and
dryer conditions are inferred with respect to the present. The use of
all of the groups of small vertebrates is recommended because they
represent an assemblage of species that have gone through a series of
environmental filters in the past. Individually, different vertebrate
groups provide different paleoclimatic information. Birds are a good
proxy for inferring paleoprecipitation but not paleotemperature.
Together, reptiles and small mammals are a good proxy for inferring
paleoprecipitation and paleotemperature, but reptiles alone are a bad
proxy, and mammals alone are a good proxy for inferring paleotemperature
and precipitation. The current paleoclimatic results coupled with those
of a previous vegetation structure analysis indicate the presence of
non-analog paleoenvironmental conditions during the Late Pleistocene in
the San Josecito Cave area. This situation would explain the presence of
a disharmonious fauna and the extinction of several taxa when these
conditions later disappeared and do not reappear again.
Filiaciones:
Cruz, J. Alberto:
Coordinación Nacional de Arqueología, Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Ciudad de México, 06700, Mexico
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum, 5801 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036, United States
Velasco, Julian A.:
Instituto de Ciencias de la Atmósfera y Cambio Climático, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, 04510, Mexico
Arroyo-Cabrales, Joaquin:
Laboratorio de Arqueozoología, Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Ciudad de México, 06060, Mexico
Johnson, Eileen:
Museum of Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409-3191, United States
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