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Diversity trends in Neogene European ungulates and rodents: large-scale comparisons and perspectives

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Abstract

The ungulate and rodent fossil records are often used independently to understand mammalian evolutionary history. Few studies have directly compared both records over long time periods and large geographic areas. Here, we compiled two datasets of European fossil localities containing rodents and/or ungulates over 20 My (Early Miocene–Early Pliocene) and processed the data with the same methodology. We counted the raw diversity and calculated a measure of evenness (Pielou’s index). After controlling for potential biases on diversity estimators, we identify the evenness index as a more reliable estimator bringing interesting insights into the way both mammal groups are structured by biotic or abiotic factors. In this study, we consider that an uneven distribution of the species richness among families, when only some families successfully diversify within the “continental-scale community”, represents a lower adaptability of this community to the environmental context. Pielou’s index is used to estimate this adaptability through time. The responses of ungulates and rodents to environmental changes are very divergent, especially facing the climatic changes known since the Middle Miocene. The general patterns suggest that rodent broad-scale assemblages are affected by all kinds of perturbations, even short biotic and abiotic events, but show a better adaptability when facing long-term abiotic changes. Unlike rodents, the ungulate assemblages show more stability in periods of relative environmental stability but show less adaptability to long-term climatic changes. Life-history traits of mammals can help explain patterns of diversity and biogeography at different spatial scales and may probably partly explain the opposite patterns evidenced here.

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Acknowledgements

This study was granted by the “Institut Français de la Biodiversité”. Both authors also acknowledge financial support from the French Ministry of Education and Research. A part of the results of this study follows from the PhD work of both authors; their supervisors C. Guerin, S. Legendre, and P. Mein have contributed to this study through many discussions and advices. The first author’s research is also supported by the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No. 20080430557) and the Research Fellowship for International Young Researchers of the Chinese Academy of Sciences 2008. Two anonymous reviewers have provided interesting comments which have significantly contributed to improve this study.

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  1. Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 142 Xizhimenwai Dajie, P.O. Box 643, Beijing, 100044, China

    Olivier Maridet

  2. Naturhistorisches Museum Basel, Augustinergasse 2, 4001, Basel, Switzerland

    Loïc Costeur

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  1. Olivier Maridet
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Maridet, O., Costeur, L. Diversity trends in Neogene European ungulates and rodents: large-scale comparisons and perspectives. Naturwissenschaften 97, 161–172 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-009-0623-9

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