An assessment of the contribution of fossil cave deposits to the Quaternary paleontological record

Abstract

Mammal-bearing cave deposits are an important part of the Quaternary fossil record, but the exact nature of the contribution that caves make to the fossil record is a research area that is largely unexplored. To explore this issue, late Pleistocene species representation in cave versuses non-cave deposits was examined. Additionally, this study examined how fossiliferous cave deposits influence perceptions of past biogeographic distributions, and evaluated factors that impact the distribution of cave deposits. Across the United States, cave deposits account for a high proportion of the individual species records known from the late Pleistocene and caves provide the only late Pleistocene records of 14 individual taxa. Calculated ratios of individual taxonomic records from caves relative to the total number of individual taxonomic records resulted in a value of 0.62. The impact of cave data on understanding of late Pleistocene biogeographic distribution patterns vary among individual species of sciurid rodents. Geographic analyses comparing the distribution of cave and non-cave sites in Texas suggest a strong relationship between site distribution and specific geologic and hydrologic features. Ultimately, understanding potential biases recorded in distinct depositional settings provides improved frameworks for interpreting the adequacy of the fossil record.