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Diet reconstruction for an extinct deer (Cervidae: Cetartiodactyla) from the Quaternary of South America
- Source :
- Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 497:244-252
- Publication Year :
- 2018
- Publisher :
- Elsevier BV, 2018.
-
Abstract
- Among the extinct cervids of the Pleistocene in South America, Morenelaphus has the most abundant fossil record and the broadest geographic distribution. However, the paleoecology of Morenelaphus is poorly known, especially its dietary patterns; thus, this study aims to recognize the feeding habits of this extinct cervid through analysis of microwear. The microwear analysis indicated a mixed-feeder diet for Morenelaphus ; both high pit values and frequency of individuals with low number of fine scratches indicated the consumption of grasses, possibly including grit (siliciclastic sediment), ingested during feeding. Also, our results suggest that Morenelaphus possibly went extinct at the Pleistocene-Holocene transition as a result of climate/environmental changes and/or a physiological/nutritional crisis.
- Subjects :
- 0106 biological sciences
010506 paleontology
Fossil Record
biology
Pleistocene
Ecology
Paleontology
Sediment
Oceanography
biology.organism_classification
010603 evolutionary biology
01 natural sciences
Geographic distribution
Cetartiodactyla
Paleoecology
Siliciclastic
Quaternary
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Geology
0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Earth-Surface Processes
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 00310182
- Volume :
- 497
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi...........a98f223f66f03ea8f11e0c75251c5762