Biochronology and palaeoenvironmental changes from the Middle Pliocene to the Late Pleistocene in Central Italy

Geodiversitas

Luca Bellucci¹  Leonardo Salari¹  Edoardo Martiinetto¹  Carmelo Petronio¹  Luca Pandolfi¹ 

关键词: Biochronology;    Italy;    Pliocene;    Pleistocene;    large mammals;    Biochronologie;    Italie;    Pliocène;    Pléistocène;    grands mammifères;   

DOI  :  10.5252/g2011n3a4

学科分类：生物科学（综合）

来源: Museum National d Histoire Naturelle

【 摘 要 】

PaleoenvironmentalvariationsthatoccurredinItalyfromtheMiddlePliocenetotheLatePleistocenearedescribed.Thenumberoflargemammalspeciesseemsincreasedmoderately,especiallyfromtheGaleriantotheLateAurelianbiochronologicalunits.Onthecontrary,thepaleobotanicaldatashowadecreaseoftheforestcoverfromtheMiddlePliocenetothelateEarlyPleistoceneandanincreaseoflandsoccupiedbyprairiesandsteppes.Thischangeisalsosupportedbytheappearanceofhypsodonttaxaamongmammals.ThedistributionofmammalfaunasbetweentheAdriaticandTyrrheniansidesofCentralItaly,duringtheMiddleandLatePleistocene,seemsnottobeinfluencedbyclimaticandenvironmentdifferences.WhentheAdriaticdataaremorecomplete,itispossible,infact,toobserveatrendthatisfairlyclosetothatoftheTyrrhenian.ThemajorityofmegaherbivoroustaxahasanAsianorigin,anditcanbehypothesizedthatintheinterglacialphases,theTosco-EmilianApenninesallowedthetaxacomingfromthenortheasttoenterandspreadoutintothemorediversifiedTyrrhenianside,whereasduringtheglacialperiodsthenarrowLiguriancorridorwerefollowed.ThisresearchsupportstheroleoftheItalianPeninsulaasarefugeareaforcontinentalEurope;thisparticularconditionpermitstheItalianmammalfaunastodevelopendemiclineage(suchasElephasantiquusitalicusOsborn,1931,CervuselaphusrianensisLeonardiamp;Petronio,1974,C.e.aretinusAzzaroli,1947,etc.).Atlast,biodiversitysharplydroppedduringthelast30000years,probablyduetotheanthropicactivitiesandthestrongclimaticcoolingofthelastpleniglacial.

【 授权许可】

Unknown