Holocene Distribution and Extinction of Ungulates in Northern Eurasia

Plasteeva, N.; Gasilin, V. V.; Devjashin, M. M.; Косинцев, П. А.

doi:10.1134/s1062359020080105

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…A notable example of survival deep into the Holocene is the widespread survival of woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) until the Middle Holocene in northern parts of continental Siberia and North America (Murchie et al, 2021;Wang et al, 2021). Similar late survival in Siberia is also noted for woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis), steppe bison (Bison priscus), giant deer (Megaloceros giganteus), and the extant muskox (Ovibos moschatus) (van der Plicht et al, 2015;Plasteeva et al, 2020;Wang et al, 2021). East Asian examples include the non-caballine horse Equus ovodovi, a temperate water buffalo (Bubalus mephistopheles), and the ostrich Pachystruthio anderssoni (Janz et al, 2009;Turvey et al, 2018;Cai et al, 2022).…”

Section: Temporal Patternsmentioning

confidence: 75%

The late-Quaternary megafauna extinctions: Patterns, causes, ecological consequences and implications for ecosystem management in the Anthropocene

Svenning,

Lemoine,

Bergman

et al. 2024

Camb. prisms Extinction

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Across the last ~50,000 years (the late Quaternary) terrestrial vertebrate faunas have experienced severe losses of large species (megafauna), with most extinctions occurring in the Late Pleistocene and Early to Middle Holocene. Debate on the causes has been ongoing for over 200 years, intensifying from the 1960s onward. Here, we outline criteria that any causal hypothesis needs to account for. Importantly, this extinction event is unique relative to other Cenozoic (the last 66 million years) extinctions in its strong size bias. For example, only 11 out of 57 species of megaherbivores (body mass ≥1,000 kg) survived to the present. In addition to mammalian megafauna, certain other groups also experienced substantial extinctions, mainly large non-mammalian vertebrates and smaller but megafauna-associated taxa. Further, extinction severity and dates varied among continents, but severely affected all biomes, from the Arctic to the tropics. We synthesise the evidence for and against climatic or modern human (Homo sapiens) causation, the only existing tenable hypotheses. Our review shows that there is little support for any major influence of climate, neither in global extinction patterns nor in fine-scale spatiotemporal and mechanistic evidence. Conversely, there is strong and increasing support for human pressures as the key driver of these extinctions, with emerging evidence for an initial onset linked to pre-sapiens hominins prior to the Late Pleistocene. Subsequently, we synthesize the evidence for ecosystem consequences of megafauna extinctions and discuss the implications for conservation and restoration. A broad range of evidence indicates that the megafauna extinctions have elicited profound changes to ecosystem structure and functioning. The late-Quaternary megafauna extinctions thereby represent an early, large-scale human-driven environmental transformation, constituting a progenitor of the Anthropocene, where humans are now a major player in planetary functioning. Finally, we conclude that megafauna restoration via trophic rewilding can be expected to have positive effects on biodiversity across varied Anthropocene settings.

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Section: Temporal Patternsmentioning

confidence: 75%

The late-Quaternary megafauna extinctions: Patterns, causes, ecological consequences and implications for ecosystem management in the Anthropocene

Svenning,

Lemoine,

Bergman

et al. 2024

Camb. prisms Extinction

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“…As shown by Niedziałkowska et al [6], the presence and abundance of C. elaphus at the beginning of Holocene was shaped by climate and habitat, namely winter temperatures and forest cover. As hunting steadily increased, this became the limiting factor that shaped the distributions of ungulates and even led to the extinction of some species [46]. Moreover, hunting shaped the landscape as, starting from medieval times, special hunting forests were established [47].…”

Section: Historic Presence Of Red Deer In Lithuania: Holocenementioning

confidence: 99%

Red Deer in Lithuania: History, Status and Management

Balčiauskas

Kawata

2022

Sustainability

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The history, current population status and (un)sustainable management of red deer (Cervus elaphus) in Lithuania are reviewed on the basis of 57 publications and, additionally, analysis of data on numbers and hunting bag. After the extinction of the species at the beginning of the 19th century, red deer were reintroduced into the northern part of the country during World War I. Population re-establishment was further fueled after WWII by immigration from neighboring countries and local translocations. After the introduction of the Law on Hunting in 2002, which enabled hunting organizations to rent hunting grounds for longer than 10 years, local wildlife management strategies were targeted at increasing the number of animals. However, a scientifically-based target population size for C. elaphus, agreed by all major stakeholders, has still not been defined. In the last 20 years, population growth has been exponential, deer numbers in Lithuania being estimated as 68,816 individuals in 2021. An increase in the size of the hunting bag is necessary for the sustainable management of the species at the national scale and to avoid risks of over-population as observed elsewhere in Europe.

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MIS 3–1 fauna from Krosinko: Implications for the past biogeography, chronology and palaeoenvironments of Poland

Pawłowska

2022

Quaternary International

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Holocene Distribution and Extinction of Ungulates in Northern Eurasia

Cited by 5 publications

References 42 publications

The late-Quaternary megafauna extinctions: Patterns, causes, ecological consequences and implications for ecosystem management in the Anthropocene

The late-Quaternary megafauna extinctions: Patterns, causes, ecological consequences and implications for ecosystem management in the Anthropocene

Red Deer in Lithuania: History, Status and Management

MIS 3–1 fauna from Krosinko: Implications for the past biogeography, chronology and palaeoenvironments of Poland

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