Bone histology of the Late Pleistocene Prolagus sardus (Lagomorpha: Mammalia) provides further insights into life-history strategy of insular giant small mammal
Fernández-Bejarano, Eva (Universidade da Coruña. Departamento de Física e Ciencias da Terra)
Blanco, Alejandro (Universidade da Coruña. Departamento de Física e Ciencias da Terra)
Angelone, Chiara (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont)
Zhang, Zhaoqun (Chinese Academy of Sciences. Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology)
Moncunill Solé, Blanca (Universidade da Coruña. Departamento de Física e Ciencias da Terra)

Date:	2024
Abstract:	Fossils provide an excellent opportunity to study and understand the evolution of insular environments free of human-made perturbations. Here, we evaluated the life-history traits and strategy of the extinct insular giant Prolagus sardus (Mammalia: Lagomorpha) by examining microscopically its fossilized bone tissues (osteohistology, skeletochronology, and quantitative geometry). For this task, a complete ontogenetic series of femora retrieved from the Late Pleistocene Grotta della Medusa (NW Sardinia, Italy) were analysed. Our results reveal that: (i) P. sardus' pups were weaned at large size; (ii) the species' maturation was delayed in its life cycle; and (iii) P. sardus lived longer than expected for its size. Hence, the giant P. sardus should have a slow pace of life triggered by the low levels of extrinsic mortality of the insular habitat. On the other hand, bone tissue differences between P. sardus and Ochotona were found in the vascularization, slow- growing bone presence, and cortical and medullary growth trajectories. The results obtained in this study concur with the eco-evolutionary responses described to date in extinct insular lagomorphs, as well as provide new empirical evidence about the phenomenon known as 'insular gigantism' as a pattern of evolution of small-sized mammals in genuine insular ecosystems.
Grants:	Agencia Estatal de Investigación RYC2021-034269-I Agencia Estatal de Investigación CGL2016-76431-P
Note:	Altres ajuts: CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya; Consellería de Cultura, Educación e Universidade, Xunta de Galicia (ED481D-2022-013)
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, i la comunicació pública de l'obra, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original. No es permet la creació d'obres derivades.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Insular gigantism ; Grotta della Medusa ; Life-history strategy ; Lagomorpha ; Mammalia ; Palaeohistology ; Osteohistology ; Sardinia ; Skeletochronology
Published in:	Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, Vol. 201, Núm. 1 (May 2024) , p.169-183, ISSN 1096-3642

DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlad112

15 p, 7.9 MB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP)
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Articles > Published articles