Paleoenvironmental inferences on the Late Miocene hominoid-bearing site of Can Llobateres (NE Iberian Peninsula) : an ecometric approach based on functional dental traits
Arranz, Sara G. (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont)
Casanovas i Vilar, Isaac (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont)
Žliobaitė, Indrė (University of Helsinki. Department of Computer Science)
Abella, Juan (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont)
Angelone, Chiara (Università degli Studi Roma Tre. Dipartimento di Scienze)
Azanza, Beatriz (Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Ciencias Ambientales de Aragón)
Bernor, Raymond L. (Smithsonian Institution. National Museum of Natural History. Department of Anthropology)
Cirilli, Omar (Howard University. Department of Anatomy)
DeMiguel, Daniel (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont)
Furió Bruno, Marc (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Geologia)
Pandolfi, Luca (Università della Basilicata. Dipartimento di Scienze)
Robles Gimenez, Josep Maria (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont)
Sánchez, Israel M. (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont)
Van Den Hoek Ostende, L. W. (Naturalis Biodiversity Center (Holanda))
Alba, David M.. (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont)

Date:	2023
Abstract:	Hispanopithecus laietanus from the Late Miocene (9. 8 Ma) of Can Llobateres 1 (CLL1; Vallès-Penedès Basin, NE Iberian Peninsula) represents one of the latest occurrences of fossil apes in Western mainland Europe, where they are last recorded at ∼9. 5 Ma. The paleoenvironment of CLL1 is thus relevant for understanding the extinction of European hominoids. To refine paleoenvironmental inferences for CLL1, we apply ecometric models based on functional crown type (FCT) variables-a scoring scheme devised to capture macroscopic functional traits of occlusal shape and wear surfaces of herbivorous large mammal molars. Paleotemperature and paleoprecipitation estimates for CLL1 are provided based on published regional regression models linking average FCT of large herbivorous mammal communities to climatic conditions. A mapping to Whittaker's present-day biome classification is also attempted based on these estimates, as well as a case-based reasoning via canonical variate analysis of FCT variables from five relevant biomes. Estimates of mean annual temperature (25 °C) and mean annual precipitation (881 mm) classify CLL1 as a tropical seasonal forest/savanna, only in partial agreement with the canonical variate analysis results, which classify CLL1 as a tropical rainforest with a higher probability. The former biome agrees better with previous inferences derived from fossil plants and mammals, as well as preliminary isotopic data. The misclassification of CLL1 as a tropical forest is attributed to the mixture of forest-adapted taxa with others adapted to more open environments, given that faunal and plant composition indicates the presence of a dense wetland/riparian forest with more open woodlands nearby. The tested FCT ecometric approaches do not provide unambiguous biome classification for CLL1. Nevertheless, our results are consistent with those from other approaches, thus suggesting that FCT variables are potentially useful to investigate paleoenvironmental changes through time and space-including those that led to the extinction of European Miocene apes.
Grants:	European Commission 341623 Agencia Estatal de Investigación PID2020-117289GB-I00 Agencia Estatal de Investigación PID2020-116908GB-I00 Agencia Estatal de Investigación PID2020-116220GB-I00 Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2001/SGR-00620
Note:	This work is part of the Ph.D. Dissertation of the first author, in the framework of the Ph.D. Programme in Biodiversity of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.
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 acceptada per publicar
Subject:	Fossil apes ; Hispanopithecus ; Functional crown types ; Paleoecology ; Vallesian ; Spain
Published in:	Journal of Human Evolution, Vol. 185, art. 103441 (Dec. 2023) , ISSN 1095-8606

DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2023.103441

Available from: 2024-12-30 Postprint

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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)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles