A simple climate-driven semi-mechanistic vegetation model can explain the pan-Asian extent of the glacial mammoth steppe

Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown, P. 112962 - 112962

Published: April 1, 2025

Language: Английский

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Europe’s lost landscape sculptors: Today’s potential range of the extinct elephant Palaeoloxodon antiquus

Frontiers of Biogeography, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 18

Published: April 23, 2025

The straight-tusked elephant ( Palaeoloxodon antiquus ) was amongst the largest herbivores once engineering European landscape on a continental scale. In combination with glacial-interglacial cycles of Pleistocene, species an integral part control regimes that shaped flora and fauna. With human-facilitated extinction elephant, these landscape-forming processes were lost during last Glacial-Interglacial cycle. Given today’s climate, could elephants still be modern ecosystems in Europe? And if yes, where? Answers to questions can support nature conservation preserving historically adapted regimes. We reconstructed realised niche by allocating novel compilation fossil occurrences either cold or warm stages, based their assignment Marine Isotope Stages. Further, we quantified past potential distribution since its current given climate. Results show have persisted Mediterranean Basin until today climate across Central Western Europe, excluding Alps, as well Mediterranean, is highly suitable for occurrence. Our results that, without human-induced extinctions, fauna would comprise extinct megafauna, acting ecosystem engineers Local rewilding initiatives aim at restoring processes, but potentially cannot achieve lasting ecological effects comparable scales. ). cycle, considering Conserving top-down functions executed Europe may especially promising regions where exist today. Using reference Stages Species Distribution Modelling framework, attempt overcome dating uncertainties inhibiting more specific reconstructions species.

Language: Английский

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Wild and domesticated animal abundance is associated with greater late-Holocene alpine plant diversity

Nature Communications, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 16(1)

Published: April 25, 2025

Abstract In the face of human land use and climate dynamics, it is essential to know key drivers plant species diversity in montane regions. However, relative roles ungulates alpine ecosystem change an open question. Neither observational data nor traditional palaeoecological have power resolve this issue over decadal centennial timescales, but sedimentary ancient DNA ( sed aDNA) does. Here we record 603 taxa, as well 5 wild, 6 domesticated mammals from 14 lake sediment records last 14,000 years European Alps. Sheep were first animals detected (at 5.8 ka), with cattle appearing at early Bronze Age (4.2 ka) goats arriving later (3.5 ka). While sheep had impact similar wild ungulates, been associated increased 2 ka by promoting forbs graminoids. Modelling aDNA revealed a significantly larger effect than temperature on diversity. Our findings highlight significant alteration vegetation entire Alps herbivores. This study has immediate implications for maintenance management high ongoing anthropogenic changes

Language: Английский

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PALEO‐PGEM‐Series : A spatial time series of the global climate over the last 5 million years ( Plio‐Pleistocene )

Global Ecology and Biogeography, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 32(7), P. 1034 - 1045

Published: April 2, 2023

Abstract Motivation Climate change plays an important role in the generation and maintenance of biodiversity by driving processes such as diversification range shifts. As a result, patterns are often found to carry imprints palaeoclimatic changes. However, we still know little about spatial temporal variation climate over scale millennia affecting eco‐evolutionary dynamics, mostly because scarcity user‐friendly freely available spatio‐temporal palaeoclimate series at scales. Here, address this gap presenting PALEO‐PGEM‐Series, global dataset last 5 Myr, with 1 kyr resolution, spatially downscaled from emulations performed intermediate‐complexity atmosphere–ocean general circulation model PALEO‐PGEM. PALEO‐PGEM‐Series holds potential advance our understanding mechanisms behind strong relationship between climate, pressing need given projected responses anthropogenic climatic change. Main Types Variables Contained Spatio‐temporal monthly temperature precipitation 17 derived bioclimatic variables Pliocene–Pleistocene, along standard error estimates multiple runs emulator. Spatial Location Grain Global landmasses, 1° × 1°. Time Period Last Myr 1000 year resolution. Major Taxa Level Measurement Not applicable. Software Format Tab‐delimited text files accompanying R code derive variables.

Language: Английский

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Coupled climate-glacier modelling of the last glaciation in the Alps

Journal of Glaciology, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 69(278), P. 1956 - 1970

Published: Oct. 6, 2023

Abstract Our limited knowledge of the climate prevailing over Europe during former glaciations is main obstacle to reconstruct past evolution ice coverage Alps by numerical modelling. To address this challenge, we perform a two-step modelling approach: First, regional model used downscale time slice simulations global earth system in high resolution, leading snapshots Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and Marine Isotope Stage 4 (MIS4). Second, combine these signal proxy build transient last glacial period force Parallel Ice Sheet Model simulate dynamical glaciers Alps. The results show that extent modelled LGM agrees with several independent key geological imprints, including moraine-based maximal reconstructed extents, known transfluences trajectories erratic boulders origin deposition. highlight benefit multiphysical coupled glacier simpler approaches help paleo fluctuations agreement traces they have left on landscape.

Language: Английский

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