Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Stephen J. Gaughran, Bridgett vonHoldt
Summary: The distribution and movement of species, known as biogeography, is a fundamental field in ecology and evolutionary biology. Recent genetic studies of ancient specimens have revealed important evidence on the migrations of brown bears and lions into North America during the late Pleistocene, highlighting the long-lasting impact of sea level changes on the dispersal of terrestrial carnivores.
Article
Environmental Studies
H. Gregory McDonald
Summary: Late Pleistocene sloths had a wide distribution and inhabited various habitats in South, Central, and North America and some Caribbean Islands. They were classified into 27 genera in four families, but the number of valid species remains uncertain. The paleoecology and natural history of sloths vary greatly depending on their relative abundance, resulting in different sloth faunas with distinct taxonomic compositions in different geographic regions.
Article
Plant Sciences
S. Fernandez, J. S. Carrion, J. Ochando, P. Gonzalez-Samperiz, M. Munuera, G. Amoros, J. M. Postigo-Mijarra, C. Morales-Molino, P. Garcia-Murillo, G. Jimenez-Moreno, J. A. Lopez-Saez, F. Jimenez-Espejo, L. M. Caceres, J. Rodriguez-Vidal, G. Finlayson, S. Finlayson, C. Finlayson
Summary: The Donana area in southern Iberia is renowned for its diverse and valuable wetland ecosystems. A recent study revisited El Asperillo Cliff to complete the paleobotanical record and refine the chronology of the site, revealing the presence of a coastal marshland system and stressing the importance and diversity of pines in the Late Pleistocene landscape of Donana. The results also highlight the persistence of a highly diverse woody flora in Donana during the harshest periods of the last glacial cycle.
REVIEW OF PALAEOBOTANY AND PALYNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gonzalo J. Linares-Matas, Norman Fernandez Ruiz, Maria Haber Uriarte, Mariano Lopez Martinez, Michael J. Walker
Summary: Recent research at Cueva Negra in Spain has provided important evidence concerning the behavioral and adaptive skills of early humans in Western Europe during the late Early Pleistocene. The study also sheds light on bone-altering activities of carnivores in the area. Fieldwork has allowed the re-examination of the spatial and taphonomical nature of the macrofaunal assemblage, suggesting a short-lived co-existence of hyaenas, humans, and other small carnivores in the region.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Richard J. Hall, Dann M. Mitchell, William J. M. Seviour, Corwin J. Wright
Summary: Sudden stratospheric warmings (SSWs) are related to surface temperature anomalies, but the connection to specific weather extremes and associated weather patterns remains uncertain. While SSW events generally lead to colder surface temperatures, there is considerable variability between events. Using reanalysis data, it has been found that SSWs increase the risk of snow across most of western Europe, especially in maritime locations like London. However, the surface temperature anomalies during SSWs can vary greatly, with warmer events associated with decreased risk of snow and cold spells. These warmer SSW events are becoming more frequent, in line with global warming.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Melissa Kennedy, Laura Strolin, Jane McMahon, Daniel Franklin, Ambika Flavel, Jacqueline Noble, Lauren Swift, Ahmed Nassr, Stewart Fallon, Hugh Thomas
Summary: Mustatil, monumental stone structures, have been discovered in Saudi Arabia since the 1970s. A recent excavation in AlUla revealed that these structures had a ritual purpose, with various elements found around a betyl. This study sheds light on the Late Neolithic cult, herding, and 'pilgrimage' in north-west Arabia.
Article
Economics
Marloes M. Hoogerbrugge, Martijn J. Burger, Frank G. Van Oort
Summary: The study examines the relationship between the spatial organization of regions and subjective well-being in North-West Europe. It found that regions with a higher degree of polycentricism tend to have higher life satisfaction, but urban residents in polycentric regions may experience lower levels of satisfaction compared to rural counterparts.
Article
Geology
Steven L. Wick
Summary: The discovery of Late Cretaceous characiform fish fossils in the Lowerverse locality of the Aguja Formation in West Texas includes two different morphotypes. These findings support previous estimates on the timing of characiform fish entering North America from Europe or South America, and indicate a possible south-to-north radiation of Laramidian characiforms.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Louis Arbez, Hadravova Tereza, Aurelien Royer, Montuire Sophie, Horacek Ivan
Summary: Taxonomic identification of fossil small mammals, especially morphologically close species, remains challenging. This study applied geometric morphometrics on Late Pleistocene Lemmini fossils from Central Europe and demonstrated the presence of Myopus, a wood lemming species, during Marine Isotopic Stage 3 and Last Glacial Maximum. The identification of Myopus has a strong impact on paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental reconstructions, revealing a colder climate and an undetected taiga biozone. This work emphasizes the essential contribution of geometric morphometric analyses in understanding small mammal communities.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Antigone Uzunidis, Florent Rivals, Anna Rufa, Ruth Blasco, Jordi Rosell
Summary: In this article, we report the discovery of Megaloceros giganteus remains in Catalonia, which is the first finding in this region from the Late Pleistocene. By analyzing its association with other herbivore guilds, we propose that Megaloceros migrated to the Iberian Peninsula during the coldest periods of the Late Pleistocene. The diet of the Iberian individuals suggests an adaptation to a different ecological niche compared to those in Northern Europe.
Article
Ornithology
John A. A. Moretti, Eileen Johnson
Summary: The fossil record of birds from the Quaternary Period in North America provides insights into modern diversity and distribution patterns. Fossils from the late Pleistocene and early Holocene reveal the presence of multiple species of rails on the Southern High Plains. The age and paleoenvironmental data associated with the rail remains connect past populations to current migrants in the region. Despite changes in climate and habitats, Black Rails, Virginia Rails, and Soras still occur on the Southern High Plains today. However, human-induced changes to wetlands pose a threat to these small rails.
Review
Geography, Physical
Adrian Marciszak, Grzegorz Lipecki, Kamilla Pawlowska, Gwidon Jakubowski, Urszula Ratajczak-Skrzatek, Katarzyna Zarzecka-Szubi, Adam Nadachowski
Summary: Panthera spelaea was recorded in Poland from 18 open-air and 42 cave sites dated in the range 750-28 ka, with the majority of records located in southern Poland during the second half of MIS 3. Adult individuals, mostly males, predominated in the studied sample and tended to hunt large prey and engage in conflicts with other carnivores. Three chronosubspecies were recognized within the species, with P. s. spelaea remains being the most numerous.
QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Letter
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Matthew Patterson
Summary: Europe has experienced an increase in the frequency and intensity of hot extremes, with the hottest summer days in North-West Europe warming at a faster rate than average summer days. This pattern is relatively unusual in the Northern Hemisphere and is not captured by comprehensive climate models. The hypothesis suggests that the differential rate of warming is due to warm advection from Iberia and North Africa, which are warming faster than North-West Europe. Further research is needed to understand the drivers of this difference in trends.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jose Carlos Brito, Andack Saad Sow, Candida Gomes Vale, Cristian Pizzigalli, Dieng Hamidou, Duarte Vasconcelos Goncalves, Fernando Martinez-Freiria, Frederico Santarem, Hugo Rebelo, Joao Carlos Campos, Juan Manuel Pleguezuelos, Maria Joana Ferreira da Silva, Marisa Naia, Pedro Tarroso, Raquel Godinho, Teresa Luisa Silva, Tiago Macedo, Zbyszek Boratynski, Zeine El Abidine Sidatt, Francisco Alvares
Summary: Detailed knowledge about biodiversity distribution is critical for monitoring the biological effects of global change processes. However, biodiversity knowledge gaps, especially in the desert biome, hinder the monitoring of conservation trends. The study assessed the diversity, distribution, and conservation of land mammals in Mauritania. Results showed concentrations of mammal species richness in coastal areas, along the Senegal River valley, and in mountain plateaus. The current work serves as a baseline for future research on threatened mammals and highlights the need for collaborative action to ensure the long-term conservation of land mammals in Mauritania.
Article
Biology
Shaheer Sherani, Liongvi Perng, Maryam Sherani
Summary: This study presents evidence of two cave lion specimens from the Middle and Late Pleistocene Songhua River fossil assemblages, which were not previously reported in the region. The lower population due to vegetation shifts and misidentification of specimens as tigers may explain this absence. The specimens show both primitive and advanced traits, indicating a morphological transition within the species and a possible ancestral relationship to the American lion.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Anthropology
Mietje Germonpre, Sergey Fedorov, Petr Danilov, Patrik Galeta, Elodie-Laure Jimenez, Mikhail Sablin, Robert J. Losey
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2017)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Liisa Loog, Olaf Thalmann, Mikkel-Holger S. Sinding, Verena J. Schuenemann, Angela Perri, Mietje Germonpre, Herve Bocherens, Kelsey E. Witt, Jose A. Samaniego Castruita, Marcela S. Velasco, Inge K. C. Lundstrom, Nathan Wales, Gontran Sonet, Laurent Frantz, Hannes Schroeder, Jane Budd, Elodie-Laure Jimenez, Sergey Fedorov, Boris Gasparyan, Andrew W. Kandel, Martina Lazni-kova-Galetov, Hannes Napierala, Hans-Peter Uerpmann, Pavel A. Nikolskiy, Elena Y. Pavlova, Vladimir V. Pitulko, Karl-Heinz Herzig, Ripan S. Malhi, Eske Willerslev, Anders J. Hansen, Keith Dobney, M. Thomas P. Gilbert, Johannes Krause, Greger Larson, Anders Eriksson, Andrea Manica
Article
Anthropology
Kate Britton, Elodie-Laure Jimenez, Mael Le Corre, Sarah Pederzani, Camille Daujeard, Klervia Jaouen, Delphine Vettese, Thomas Tuetken, Jean-Jacques Hublin, Marie-Helene Moncel
Summary: This study investigated the paleoecology of ungulates and the environmental conditions during the Late Pleistocene in southern France. The results showed differences in diet among different ungulate species, including the extinct giant deer. The study also revealed behavioral plasticity in Late Pleistocene reindeer and their seasonal use of the site by Neanderthals. These findings provide important insights into early human subsistence strategies and decision-making.
JOURNAL OF HUMAN EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Edana Lord, Aurelio Marangoni, Mateusz Baca, Danijela Popovic, Anna Goropashnaya, John R. Stewart, Monika Knul, Pierre Noiret, Mietje Germonpre, Elodie-Laure Jimenez, Natalia Abramson, Sergey Vartanyan, Stefan Prost, Nickolay G. Smirnov, Elena A. Kuzmina, Remi-Andre Olsen, Vadim B. Fedorov, Love Dalen
Summary: This study analyzed ancient and modern genomes of the Eurasian collared lemming and found evidence of population growth and genetic diversification during the early Late Pleistocene. The results also suggest that the warm Eemian interglacial may have caused a genetic bottleneck in the species. Additionally, the study identified temporally structured mitochondrial genome clades during the Late Pleistocene, indicating a dynamic population history. There was also a population in northeastern Siberia that maintained genetic diversity and population size during the end of the Pleistocene, possibly due to suitable conditions during the Holocene.
BMC ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Archaeology
Elodie-Laure Jimenez
PAPERS FROM THE INSTITUTE OF ARCHAEOLOGY
(2016)
