Palaeoecological differences underlie rare co-occurrence of Miocene European primates

Abstract

Background The two main primate groups recorded throughout the European Miocene, hominoids and pliopithecoids, seldom co-occur. Due to both their rarity and insufficiently understood palaeoecology, it is currently unclear whether the infrequent co-occurrence of these groups is due to sampling bias or reflects different ecological preferences. Here we rely on the densely sampled primate-bearing sequence of Abocador de Can Mata (ACM) in Spain to test whether turnovers in primate assemblages are correlated with palaeoenvironmental changes. We reconstruct dietary evolution through time (ca. 12.6–11.4 Ma), and hence climate and habitat, using tooth-wear patterns and carbon and oxygen isotope compositions of enamel of the ubiquitous musk-deer Micromeryx. Results Our results reveal that primate species composition is strongly correlated with distinct environmental phases. Large-bodied hominoids (dryopithecines) are recorded in humid, densely-forested environments on the lowermost portion of the ACM sequence. In contrast, pliopithecoids inhabited less humid, patchy ecosystems, being replaced by dryopithecines and the small-bodied Pliobates toward the top of the series in gallery forests embedded in mosaic environments. Conclusions These results support the view that pliopithecoid primates preferred less humid habitats than hominoids, and reveal that differences in behavioural ecology were the main factor underpinning their rare co-occurrence during the European Miocene. Our findings further support that ACM hominoids, like Miocene apes as a whole, inhabited more seasonal environments than extant apes. Finally, this study highlights the importance of high-resolution, local investigations to complement larger-scale analyses and illustrates that continuous and densely sampled fossiliferous sequences are essential for deciphering the complex interplay between biotic and abiotic factors that shaped past diversity.

A proximal radius of Barberapithecus huerzeleri from Castell de Barberà: Implications for locomotor diversity among pliopithecoids

“…However, in all probability the specimen was collected by Miquel Crusafont-Pairó's team during the late 1960s or 1970s, when systematic excavations were performed at the site (Alba et al, 2019). Castell de Barberà is one of the few sites where pliopithecoids and hominoids co-occur (Andrews et al, 1996;Sukselainen et al, 2015;Alba et al, 2019;DeMiguel et al, 2021). In particular, both the crouzeliine B. huerzeleri and a large-bodied dryopithecine (cf.…”

From leaves to seeds? The dietary shift in late Miocene colobine monkeys of southeastern Europe

“…2011; Begun 2015; DeMiguel et al. 2021). At the end of the Middle‐Miocene Climatic Transition (MMCT), the taxonomic diversity of European primates reached a peak for hominoids and the now extinct pliopithecoids (Fig.…”

“…2015; DeMiguel et al. 2021). Afterward, the fossil record progressively decreased for both pliopithecoids (Harrison 2005; Begun 2017) and hominoids (Casanovas‐Vilar et al.…”

“…1). This high specific diversity mirrors a wide ecological disparity, with species foraging on both soft and hard foods (Ungar and Kay 1995;King et al 1999;Merceron et al 2005;DeMiguel et al 2013DeMiguel et al , 2014, occupying different types of habitats (Eronen and Rook 2004;Merceron et al 2007Merceron et al , 2012Merceron et al , 2013Merceron et al , 2016Sukselainen et al 2015;DeMiguel et al 2021). Afterward, the fossil record progressively decreased for both pliopithecoids (Harrison 2005;Begun 2017) and hominoids (Casanovas-Vilar et al 2011), and the cercopithecids started occurring in Eurasia during the early Turolian (de Bonis et al 1990;Koufos 2009), where they persisted until Pleistocene times (Elton and O'Regan 2014).…”

“…1). The Miocene epoch is indeed characterized by a radiation of hominoid primates in Eurasia, with more than 10 genera ranging from Spain to south-eastern Asia (Moyà-Solà et al 2009;Casanovas-Vilar et al 2011;Begun 2015;DeMiguel et al 2021). At the end of the Middle-Miocene Climatic Transition (MMCT), the taxonomic diversity of European primates reached a peak for hominoids and the now extinct pliopithecoids (Fig.…”