Relative size variations in two vole species: A climatic proxy for the identification of humid-arid pulses during Late Pleistocene in Southwestern Europe?

Abstract

In this study, we analysed the relative size variations of the first lower molar of the common vole Microtus arvalis and the field vole Microtus agrestis from three Late Pleistocene sites with long sequences: Fumane Cave (north-eastern Italy), Portalón and Arbreda Cave (northern and north-eastern Iberian Peninsula). The relative size variations of the two species have been quantified applying the Lagr/Larv index. We tried to relate the changes in the index values to the climatic fluctuations that characterize Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 and 2. The obtained results are compared with previous studies of palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental reconstructions to investigate the efficacy of the Lagr/Larv index as proxy for climatic oscillations through MIS 3-2. The data have also been compared with other available data from Late Pleistocene sites of Spain, Italy, and Hungary, to analyse the responses of the two species to the climatic oscillations in different geographic and climatic areas. Our study showed that the Lagr/Larv index is a potential tool to identify climatic oscillations and changes between humid/dry conditions in Southwestern Europe.