Pleistocene Fauna Research Articles

Paleobiology and paleoecology of the woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis) in Northern and Central Europe: New insights from multi-proxy data

The woolly rhinoceros, Coelodonta antiquitatis, was an emblematic component of Pleistocene faunas in Eurasia, which went extinct around ca. 12.5 ky BP. The loss of its tundra-steppe habitat due to climatic changes is considered the main cause for its extinction, whereas human impact was limited. In this study, we investigated the paleobiology and paleoecology of C. antiquitatis during the last glacial interval (Würm/Weichselian; 130 to 11.7 kya). We explored evolutionary trends for diet, physiology, and habitat via dental wear, enamel hypoplasia, body mass, age structure, mortality curves and stable isotopes (carbon and oxygen). Our results confirmed that C. antiquitatis was a large-sized species, with body mass around 2000–2500 kg, and with C3 grazing or mixed-feeding habits. Age structure and mortality curves revealed potential sampling and/or taphonomical biases at a few localities (e.g., Brixham cave, Ofnethöhle, North Sea), and indicated several vulnerability periods (birth, weaning, cow-calf separation/maturity) also retrieved by hypoplasia analyses. We observed some spatio-temporal fluctuations of body mass (1850–2955 kg), dietary preferences (strict to variable grazing) and hypoplasia prevalence (7.41–47.06 %) of C. antiquitatis depending on the locality, but correlation to specific climatic events (stadials-interstadials) is difficult without exact datation. These variations were however limited, highlighting a rather strict climatic niche and suggesting a high vulnerability to climatic and vegetation changes.

Plio-Pleistocene Small Mammal-Based Biochronology of Eastern Anatolia and Transcaucasus

The known Plio-Pleistocene mammalian record, mainly represented by small mammals, and its biotic and geological context in the vast region of Eastern Turkey and Transcaucasus provides a sound base for regional biochronology. Recently obtained faunal associations and the main evolutionary lineages found in the region support direct correlations to the European (ELMA/MN/MQ) and the Eastern European (faunal complexes/MQR-MNR) biochronological systems. Important data on palynology, aquatic and terrestrial mollusks, and magnetostratigraphy integrate the reviewed material into a robust local biochronology. The range of standard biochrons of Early Pliocene through late Early Pleistocene and the regional Anatolian zones M-P are reliably detected. The Early Pleistocene time range (zone P) is refined based on rhizodont lagurines Borsodia and Euro-Asian larger voles Mimomys ex gr. pliocaenicus. The successive zone R for Early Pleistocene faunas with early rootless Microtini is proposed.

Early Pleistocene fauna of large mammals from Palan-Tyukan site (northwestern Azerbaijan)

Early Pleistocene fauna of large mammals from Palan-Tyukan site (northwestern Azerbaijan)

Distribution history of the cave lion (Panthera spelaea (Goldfuss, 1810))

The paper provides an overview of the distribution of the cave lion (Panthera spelaea) in Eurasia and North America, spanning the period from the first documented appearance of the species in the fossil record at the end of the Early Pleistocene to its extinction at the end of the Late Pleistocene. A summary of the paleontological materials obtained over the last 50 years, after N.K. Vereshchagin review, is presented. The database utilised in this study encompasses 1044 palaeontological sites and 1506 localities. The hypotheses regarding the migrations (dispersal) of the species, including the migration from Asia to North America, and the timing of extinction in different parts of the range are discussed. The paper presents a synthesis of current research into the distribution of the cave lion, establishing a foundation for further investigation of this distinctive representative of the Pleistocene fauna of the Holarctic.

The Early Pleistocene freshwater mollusks of the Denizli Basin (Turkey): a new long-lived lake fauna at the crossroads of Pontocaspian and Aegean-Anatolian realms

We describe here a newly discovered, diverse fossil fauna of freshwater gastropods and bivalves from the Denizli Basin in SW Turkey. The material was collected from the Kolankaya Formation, for which latest chronostratigraphic and magnetostratigraphic data indicate an Early Pleistocene age, which is much younger than previously assumed for the fossil-bearing strata of the Denizli Basin. The fauna consists of at least 27 species (25 gastropods, 2 bivalves) and includes a new genus,Harzhauseriagen. nov., and 6 new species within the Hydrobiidae: Falsipyrgula ? coronatasp. nov., Graecoanatolica ? alcicekorumsp. nov.,Harzhauseria schizopleuragen. et sp. nov.,Iraklimelania minutissimasp. nov.,Iraklimelania submediocarinatasp. nov., and Xestopyrguloides ? sagittasp. nov.Additionally, we define lectotypes forStaja orientalis(Bukowski, 1896) andValvata orientalisFischer, 1866, as well as a neotype forTheodoxus percarinatus(Oppenheim, 1919). Nine of the recovered species (33.3%) are only known from the Denizli Basin. Almost half of the fauna (44.7%) is endemic to the Aegean–Anatolian region, with biogeographical affinities to the Pliocene–Early Pleistocene faunas of Rhodes, Kos, and mainland Greece, as well as the Çameli and Eşen Basin in Turkey. On the genus level, the fauna also contains several typical Pontocaspian elements. The composition points toward a typical long-lived lake environment with oligohaline conditions.

The Pleistocene grassland-dominated mammal fauna from Tham Kra Duk (Nakhon Si Thammarat, Peninsular Thailand)

ABSTRACT Controversy exists as to whether the Pleistocene vegetation in northern Sundaland was dominated by lowland tropical grasslands or rainforests, due to limited palaeoecological evidence recorded from the region. We describe a new Pleistocene large mammal fauna from Tham Kra Duk, a cave in the Tham Phedan mountain, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province in Peninsular Thailand, with emphasis on its palaeoecological and palaeoenvironmental investigations using the stable isotope analysis of mammalian tooth enamel. The fossil site has yielded at least nine mammalian taxa almost comparable to late middle to latest Pleistocene faunas in the mainland, thus suggesting the same biogeographic mammal elements with a range extension south of the Kra Isthmus. The stable isotope results indicate that mixed woodland to grassland ecosystems were dominated by C4 vegetation in the area. This supports the assumption that the expansion of Pleistocene tropical savanna ecosystems might have held the key to facilitating the southward distribution range of grazing mammals such as gaurs and Himalayan gorals into the Thai-Malay Peninsula. The presence of the Tham Kra Duk fauna was probably linked to some major biogeographic events of Pleistocene hominin and mammal migration through the land-bridge peninsula into the islands of Southeast Asia during a period of glaciation.

Paleobiology of Pleistocene large land mammals from the Brazilian Pampa

The southern Brazilian Pleistocene fauna exhibited a rich diversity of large mammalian herbivores, which are now extinct or locally extinct. In this study, we employed stable isotope analysis to investigate the past ecology of these animals. Specifically, we examined the carbonate fraction of bones and teeth and utilized compiled carbon and oxygen isotopic ratios from previous research publications. The δ13C values indicated that most specimens inhabited grassland environments, which aligns with environmental reconstructions based on pollen records of the “Campos” region. The dominant food resource for these herbivores consisted of C3 photosynthesizers, mainly cool-season grasses. This preference can be attributed to the higher abundance and nutritional quality of cool-season grasses compared with warm-season grasses employing C4 photosynthesis. The variability in δ18O values within and between taxa may suggest a seasonal climate. Based on these findings, we conclude that the environmental changes during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition were detrimental to the survival of these large herbivores.

Pleistocene Bats (Late Irvingtonian and Late Rancholabrean) from Nuckolls and Sherman Counties, Nebraska

We documented rare finds of fossil bats from two localities representing the Pleistocene epoch in southern and central Nebraska, Albert Ahrens locality (No-104, late Irvingtonian age, Middle Pleistocene), Nuckolls County, and Litchfield (Sm-102, late Rancholabrean age, latest Pleistocene), Sherman County. The Albert Ahrens local fauna with strong boreal influence yielded two bats, Lasiurus cf. borealis and Cf. Myotis sp. The Litchfield local fauna, also with a strong boreal influence, yielded two bats, Eptesicus fuscus and Cf. Myotis, among a diverse Pleistocene fauna of small vertebrates and pollen record indicating a boreal mixed conifer and deciduous woodland that contrasts with mixed grass prairies of the area in historic times prior to anthropogenic conversion. Vertebrate fauna from the Litchfield site can be assigned to the Rancholabrean land mammal age based on the presence of Bison, on faunal correlation, and on several extralimital taxa of small mammals. The fossil bat taxa are widespread in North America and still extant in Nebraska today; their glacial stage occurrences in a nonkarstic (caveless) region is consistent with previous interpretations of the Albert Ahrens and Litchfield local faunas as indicating cool equable climates and wooded parkland environments. These are the first bats to be reported from each of the respective paleofaunas.

The geoheritage of Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania: providing geological answers to human origin questions

Abstract While Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, is most famous for its impressive and formative record of early human technology, Pleistocene fauna and hominin fossils, its geological record is equally important. At Olduvai, palaeoanthropologically significant sites are often preserved in primary context (not redeposited), and they can be contextualized within the palaeoenvironments in which the hominins lived. This has provided an exceptional opportunity to assess not only hominin evolutionary changes over time, but also to understand their adaptive behaviour including toolmaking, foraging and sociality. Abundant volcanic material from the nearby Ngorongoro Volcanic Highlands, interspersed within and between archaeology-bearing deposits, made Olduvai a target for some of the earliest applications of radiometric dating using the K/Ar system. Ultimately, the 40 Ar/ 39 Ar dating system has produced ages with exceptional precision. Early radiometric dating at Olduvai helped establish the antiquity of the hominin lineage, and early palaeomagnetic studies (and the ‘Olduvai event,’ the longest normal subchron within the reversed Matuyama Chron) were critical in establishing the importance of Olduvai in the field of geochronology. More recently, high-resolution palaeoclimate studies of the palaeolake that once occupied the Olduvai Basin have helped to reconstruct the palaeoenvironments encountered by hominin species. Over a century of geological research has secured Olduvai's status as an important site for geoheritage.

Late Middle Pleistocene sequences in the lower Ob’ and Irtysh (West Siberia) and new multi-proxy records of terrestrial environmental change

The Middle Pleistocene environmental history of the north of West Siberia is very incomplete. Only a few poorly preserved paleoarchives are known so far in this huge part of Eurasia encompassing up to one million square kilometers. Here we present new data (micromammals, insects, plant macrofossils and luminescence dating) from the lower reaches of the Ob’ and Irtysh Rivers. We reconstruct the circumstances of the formation of the fossil-bearing sites Bolshaya Ob 440 km – Khashgort (BOB440) and Gornopravdinsk 2 (GP2) and compare the results with the current state of knowledge of the environmental change in this area. The combined evidence suggests that the fossil-bearing unit known as the Khashgort diagonal sands at BOB440 yields 1) a late Middle Pleistocene complex of fauna and flora of a cold terrestrial environment with tundra-like vegetation, 2) a Middle Pleistocene flora of interglacial environment with temperate vegetation, and 3) reworked fossils form the Late Cretaceous – Oligocene. Geochronometric data suggest that the Khashgort sand unit at BOB440 might have been formed during the Middle/Late Pleistocene transition. However, because of a high variation in results obtained on repeated samples from the same strata, some uncertainty of the luminescence dating remains, which requires further verification. The fossil-bearing fluvial sequence at GP2 represents the lower part of the Chembakchino Formation and encompasses the lower part of the Tobolian Horizon (correlated with Holsteinian). The micromammal complex comprises Dicrostonyx simplicior (intermediate morphological stage S2 sensu Smirnov et al., 1997), Lasiopodomys gregalis, Microtus nivaloides lidiae and other taxa, which are characteristic of the early evolutionary stage of late Middle Pleistocene faunas in the north of West Siberia. The paleoecological analysis of plant and animal remains at GP2 suggests an environmental change from cold, tundra-like landscapes at the Shaitanian/Tobolian transition (MIS 12 – MIS 11) to non-analogous open patchy landscapes with highly productive moss and herbaceous vegetation during the early Tobolian time.

Late Pleistocene Paramylodon harlani (Xenarthra, Mylodontidae) from Térapa, Sonora, Mexico

While the North American mylodont sloth, Parmylodon harlani, has been identified in multiple localities in Mexico, most of these records are from the southern part of the country. Consequently, there is a large geographic gap between its distribution in Mexico and the more northern records of the species in the United States. The recovery of the remains of multiple individuals of Paramylodon harlani, as part of a late Pleistocene fauna in San Clemente de Térapa, Sonora, Mexico, partially fills this geographic gap and provides a broader understanding of the differences in the species’ ecology over a wide latitudinal range. A comparison of the paleoecology of the Térapa site with other sites with P. harlani in the fauna to the south and north provides valuable information on how regional topography and different plant communities impact the sloth’s distribution and underlying causes for its extinction.

Rhinocerotoid fossils of the Linxia Basin in northwestern China as late Cenozoic biostratigraphic markers

This study reports on rhinocerotoid fossils from the Oligocene-Pleistocene strata of the Linxia Basin of Gansu Province, northwestern China. Rhinoceroses have been important components of mammalian faunas of these beds, and include the Late Oligocene giant rhinos (paraceratheres) and the Late Miocene hornless rhinos (aceratheres). As a result of their high diversity, wide geographical distribution and rapid evolution, rhinoceroses are good markers for stratigraphic division and may be used for intercontinental correlations. The Late Oligocene fauna of the Linxia Basin occurs in the lower part of the Jiaozigou Formation. Among 12 species of large mammal fossils, nine are of the superfamily Rhinocerotoidea, and giant rhinos are dominant. Rhinoceroses of the Middle Miocene fauna reflect a forest environment. Comparison with contemporaneous European rhinoceroses suggests a dispersal route for populations along the north side of the Tibetan Plateau. Rhinoceroses were most abundant in the Linxia Basin in the Late Miocene times. The most primitive species of the genus Chilotherium and the huge elasmotheres are key indicators for the base of the Upper Miocene (Tortonian). From the Late Miocene to Early Pliocene, the assemblages of the three-toed horse Hipparion comprise five horizons, each of which has different rhinocerotid fossils as markers of division and correlation. Because of the strong competition by ruminants, rhinoceroses declined greatly in the Early Pleistocene fauna. At that time, only a species of the woolly rhino persisted, but as an intermediate form, Coelodonta nihowanensis of the Linxia Basin can still connect the Pliocene Zanda Basin of the Tibetan Plateau and the Early Pleistocene Nihewan Basin of the North China Plain.

The First Finding of the Genus <i>Megalovis</i> (Artiodactyla, Bovidae) in the Lower Pleistocene of the Taurida Cave in the Crimea

The presence of Megalovis latifrons Schaub, 1923 is discovered in the composition of the Early Pleistocene fauna (1.8–1.5 Ma) of Taurida Cave in the Crimea. A fragment of the frontal bone with a part of the horn core, the incomplete upper and lower jaws, the metacarpus and metatarsus of M. latifrons are described. This large fossil representative of Ovibovini has been known only by the very rare finds from the Lower Pleistocene of the south of Western and Central Europe. Megalovis inhabited Eurasia in the late Early Pleistocene and a very beginning of the Middle Pleistocene. In Russia this species is found for the first time. The data obtained are important for clarifying the morphological features and geographic and stratigraphic distribution of this species.

Ancient DNA reveals interstadials as a driver of common vole population dynamics during the last glacial period

AbstractAimMany species experienced population turnover and local extinction during the Late Pleistocene. In the case of megafauna, it remains challenging to disentangle climate change and the activities of Palaeolithic hunter‐gatherers as the main cause. In contrast, the impact of humans on rodent populations is likely to be negligible. This study investigated which climatic and/or environmental factors affect the population dynamics of the common vole. This temperate rodent is widespread across Europe and was one of the most abundant small mammal species throughout the Late Pleistocene.LocationEurope.TaxonCommon vole (Microtus arvalis).MethodsWe generated a dataset comprised of 4.2 kb long fragment of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from 148 ancient and 51 modern specimens sampled from multiple localities across Europe and covering the last 60 thousand years (ka). We used Bayesian inference to reconstruct their phylogenetic relationships and to estimate the age of the specimens that were not directly dated.ResultsWe estimated the time to the most recent common ancestor of all last glacial and extant common vole lineages to be 90 ka ago and the divergence of the main mtDNA lineages present in extant populations to between 55 and 40 ka ago, which is earlier than most previous estimates. We detected several lineage turnovers in Europe during the period of high climate variability at the end of Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS 3; 57–29 ka ago) in addition to those found previously around the Pleistocene/Holocene transition. In contrast, data from the Western Carpathians suggest continuity throughout the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) even at high latitudes.Main ConclusionsThe main factor affecting the common vole populations during the last glacial period was the decrease in open habitat during the interstadials, whereas climate deterioration during the LGM had little impact on population dynamics. This suggests that the rapid environmental change rather than other factors was the major force shaping the histories of the Late Pleistocene faunas.

Seasonality of precipitation in the southwestern United States during the late Pleistocene inferred from stable isotopes in herbivore tooth enamel

The late Pleistocene was a climatically dynamic period, with abrupt shifts between cool-wet and warm-dry conditions. Increased effective precipitation supported large pluvial lakes and long-lived spring ecosystems in valleys and basins throughout the western and southwestern U.S., but the source and seasonality of the increased precipitation are debated. Increases in the proportions of C4/(C4+ C3) grasses in the diets of large grazers have been ascribed both to increases in summer precipitation and lower atmospheric CO2 levels. Here we present stable carbon and oxygen isotope data from tooth enamel of late Pleistocene herbivores recovered from paleowetland deposits at Tule Spring Fossil Beds National Monument in the Las Vegas Valley of southern Nevada, as well as modern herbivores from the surrounding area. We use these data to investigate whether winter or summer precipitation was responsible for driving the relatively wet hydroclimate conditions that prevailed in the region during the late Pleistocene. We also evaluate whether late Pleistocene grass C4/(C4+ C3) was higher than today, and potential drivers of any changes.Tooth enamel δ18O values for Pleistocene Equus, Bison, and Mammuthus are generally low (average 22.0 ± 0.7‰, 2 s.e., VSMOW) compared to modern equids (27.8 ± 1.5‰), and imply lower water δ18O values (−16.1 ± 0.8‰) than modern precipitation (−10.5‰) or in waters present in active springs and wells in the Las Vegas Valley (−12.9‰), an area dominated by winter precipitation. In contrast, tooth enamel of Camelops (a browser) generally yielded higher δ18O values (23.9 ± 1.1‰), possibly suggesting drought tolerance. Mean δ13C values for the Pleistocene grazers (−6.6 ± 0.7‰, 2 s.e., VPDB) are considerably higher than for modern equids (−9.6 ± 0.4‰) and indicate more consumption of C4 grass (17 ± 5%) than today (4 ± 4%). However, calculated C4 grass consumption in the late Pleistocene is strikingly lower than the proportion of C4 grass taxa currently present in the valley (55–60%). δ13C values in Camelops tooth enamel (−7.7 ± 1.0‰) are interpreted as reflecting moderate consumption (14 ± 8%) of Atriplex (saltbush), a C4 shrub that flourishes in regions with hot, dry summers.Lower water δ18O values, lower abundance of C4 grasses, and the inferred presence of Atriplex are all consistent with general circulation models for the late Pleistocene that show enhanced delivery of winter precipitation, sourced from the north Pacific, into the interior western U.S. but do not support alternative models that infer enhanced delivery of summer precipitation, sourced from the tropics. In addition, we hypothesize that dietary competition among the diverse and abundant Pleistocene fauna may have driven the grazers analyzed here to feed preferentially on C4 grasses. Dietary partitioning, especially when combined with decreased pCO2 levels during the late Pleistocene, can explain the relatively high δ13C values observed in late Pleistocene grazers in the Las Vegas Valley and elsewhere in the southwestern U.S. without requiring additional summer precipitation. Pleistocene hydroclimate parameters derived from dietary and floral records may need to be reevaluated in the context of the potential effects of dietary preferences and lower pCO2 levels on the stability of C3 vs. C4 plants.

Chrono-contextual issues at open-air Pleistocene vertebrate fossil sites of central and peninsular India and implications for Indian palaeoanthropology

Abstract Pleistocene vertebrate fossils are prominently known from several regions across the Indian Subcontinent including the Siwalik Hills, the numerous river valleys across India and some cave sites. Unfortunately, most of this evidence is lacking a robust chronological framework and very few fossil specimens have been subjected to absolute dating methods. All of the known fossil evidence is found in diverse sedimentary contexts and these faunal assemblages have mostly been assigned broad or relative age brackets such as Early Pleistocene (i.e. the Pinjore Formation of the Upper Siwalik Subgroup) and Late Pleistocene (almost all the remaining fossil vertebrate fauna in the rest of the Subcontinent). This paper discusses contextual and chronological perspectives and associated interpretative issues of open-air Pleistocene faunal sites south of the Siwalik Hills, such as north-central and peninsular India. For instance, the virtual lack of Early and Middle Pleistocene fauna across most of India requires consideration and explanations beyond just the lack of absolute dates. A general review of the known data demonstrates a critical need for absolute dates for the various fauna as well as more rigorous field and lab methods for Indian palaeontology in general, and to avoid erroneous implications for Indian palaeoanthropology.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE OF PREHISTORIC CAVES IN BA THUOC DISTRICT, THANH HOA PROVINCE: PRESERVATION AND PROMOTION

Ba Thuoc is a mountainous district in western Thanh Hoa Province, where more than 20 archaeological sites have been discovered. One of the outstanding features here is the presence of Middle Pleistocene fauna in Lang Trang cave, including fossils of Gigantopithecus blacki, a giant ape. The appearance of early modern human fossils in the Late Pleistocene proves that Vietnam was the site of the earliest modern human evolution in Southeast Asia. In Ba Thuoc district, human communities were in continuous residence from 30,000 to 7,000 years BP and developed the Dieu stone craft industry. This industry merged with the Hoabinhian industry in the development process, creating a cultural nuance for the land of Ba Thuoc. By 7,000 years BP, the boundary between the two industries was virtually nonexistent. The prehistoric inhabitants here contributed to the formation of Middle Neolithic cultures in North Central Vietnam. In addition, the caves in Ba Thuoc were also places for the mountain-dwelling inhabitants of the Dong Son culture to visit and bury their dead in the centuries before and after the beginning of the common era. In this study, we systematized the documents on monuments and artifacts, and evaluated the outstanding cultural heritage of the prehistoric caves in Ba Thuoc district, which need to be preserved and promoted in the present day.

The first complete cranium of Homotherium (Machairodontinae, Felidae) from the Nihewan Basin (northern China).

The Nihewan Basin is famous for producing a rich Early Pleistocene fauna, the most classic and standard for the Early Pleistocene of northern China, as well as rich paleolithic remains, documenting the early presence of humans. Many fossil Carnivora, including the scimitar toothed cat Homotherium, were found from this basin, but no complete material of this cat was known, which hampers a deep study of its taxonomy. Here, we report a complete cranium of Homotherium, found in Shigou, a recently discovered locality in the Nihewan Basin. The morphology of the cranium supports its assignment to Homotherium crenatidens teilhardipiveteaui, a terminal evolutionary stage of the species with a Palearctic distribution. Our analyses suggest that Homotherium evolved largely contemporarily in different regions of Eurasia, suggesting a continuous gene flow within the continent, and the subspecies delimitation should be more chronological than geographical.

Bone histology in a fossil elephant (Elephas maximus) from Pulau Bangka, Indonesia

ABSTRACT Analyses of Pleistocene fossil proboscideans have long been used as indirect evidence for climactic and environmental shifts in the Sunda shelf of Southeast Asia. Reconstructing the biological effects of rainforest expansion at the Last Glacial Maximum on elephants can be enhanced by a better understanding of fossil proboscidean palaeobiology. We studied fragmented post-cranial fossil remains of an Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) from Pulau Bangka, an island to the east of Sumatra, hypothesised to be within the Late Pleistocene Sundaland savannah corridor. Bone histology of the humerus, rib, and vertebrae from the Bangka fossil were examined and compared with modern conspecifics to reconstruct remodelling. We measured secondary osteon population density, osteon area, diameter, and infill ratios in Haversian bone. Intra-skeletally, we found that the histology of the largely weight-bearing humerus indicated slower remodelling than that of the ribs and vertebrae, which are less biomechanically constrained. Inter-skeletally, the fossil rib histology showed relatively smaller osteons and Haversian canals when compared to the modern samples. Differences in lifestyles, including range-expansion, may have influenced micro-morphometric differences in elephant rib histology. Our results contribute indirect evidence of the effects of climactic variability in the Sunda palaeoenvironment on Pleistocene fauna.

Assemblages of Meiobenthic and Planktonic Microcrustaceans (Cladocera and Copepoda) from Small Water Bodies of Mountain Subarctic (Putorana Plateau, Middle Siberia)

The Putorana Plateau (Krasnoyarsk Territory, Russia) is one of the largest mountainous regions of subarctic Eurasia. Studies of aquatic ecosystems of this are far from complete. In particular, microcrustaceans (Cladocera и Copepoda) of the Putorana Plateau are poorly investigated, although they are one of the main components of meiobenthic and zooplanktonic communities and a target for monitoring of the anthropogenic influence and climate change. An open question is a biogeographical status of the crustacean fauna of the plateau. Additionally, it is unknown which environmental factors significantly affect benthic and planktonic crustacean assemblages? Based on the samples collected in tundra and forest tundra ponds in the western and central parts of the plateau, analysis of the composition of crustacean fauna and factors regulating the assemblage structure was performed. In total, 36 Cladocera and 24 Copepoda species were found. Of these, 23 taxa are new for the region, and four are new to science. Species richness of Copepoda is higher in the central part and on the western slopes of the plateau than in foothills, while number of the Cladocera species in contrast decreases in mountainous areas. Variations in meiobenthic assemblages are due to the research area, type of water supply and less affected by altitude above sea level. For planktonic assemblages the size of the water body and, to a lesser degree, by macrophytes species composition was significant. Almost 12.8% of microcrustacean species of the Putorana Plateau can be attributed to glacial relics. Crustacean fauna of the Putorana Plateau has a high species richness and distinguishes significantly from the fauna of both western and eastern regions of the Arctic. The specifics of faunal composition of the region are connected to the climatic features of Middle Siberia and the retaining of the Pleistocene fauna in some glacial refugia.