Late Pleistocene climatic change in the French Jura (Gigny) recorded in the δO of phosphate from ungulate tooth enamel     

Magali Fabre  Christophe Lcuyer  Jean-Philip Brugal  Romain Amiot  Franois Fourel  Franois Martineau 《Quaternary Research》2011,75(3):605-613

Oxygen isotope compositions of phosphate in tooth enamel from large mammals (i.e. horse and red deer) were measured to quantify past mean annual air temperatures and seasonal variations between 145 ka and 33 ka in eastern France. The method is based on interdependent relationships between the δ¹⁸O of apatite phosphate, environmental waters and air temperatures. Horse (Equus caballus germanicus) and red deer (Cervus elaphus) remains have δ¹⁸O values that range from 14.2‰ to 17.2‰, indicating mean air temperatures between 7°C and 13°C. Oxygen isotope time series obtained from two of the six horse teeth show a sinusoidal-like signal that could have been forced by temperature variations of seasonal origin. Intra-tooth oxygen isotope variations reveal that at 145 ka, winters were colder (? 7 ± 2°C) than at present (3 ± 1°C) while summer temperatures were similar. Winter temperatures mark a well-developed West–East thermal gradient in France of about ? 9°C, much stronger than the ?4°C difference recorded presently. Negative winter temperatures were likely responsible for the extent and duration of the snow cover, thus limiting the food resources available for large ungulates with repercussions for Neanderthal predators.  相似文献   

Trade-offs between food availability and predation risk in desert environments: The case of polygynous monomorphic guanaco (Lama guanicoe)     

《Journal of Arid Environments》2013

Habitat selection by ungulates is determined by the quantity, quality and distribution of trophic resources as well as by predation risk. It may also vary in relation to species-specific reproductive strategies and social organization. The guanaco (Lama guanicoe), a highly social and sexually size-monomorphic wild camelid typical of arid lands, is ideal for evaluating behavioural responses of this type, since most studies have done on dimorphic ungulates in temperate environments, where trophic resources are abundant. We recorded the group size and social structure of guanaco during both dry and wet seasons of 2005–2007 in an Argentinean desert, where pumas (Puma concolor) are the sole predators. Remote sensing data were used to calculate five variables that reflected trophic availability and terrain morphology for each guanaco group and for an equivalent number of random controls. Habitat use did not differ between types of social groups but differed between seasons. Guanacos used less productive and less steep areas during the breeding season, irrespective of juvenile:adult ratios in the family groups, and larger groups occupied flatter areas. Overall, guanaco habitat selection prioritizes reducing predation risk to the extent that animals occupy areas offering the minimum productivity capable of meeting their energy requirements.  相似文献