DOCSLIB.ORG

Subfossiles De Madagascar)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Subfossiles De Madagascar) UNIVERSITEUNIVERSITEUNIVERSITE D’ANTANANARIVO D’ANTANANARIVO D’ANTANANARIVO DOMAINE DES SCIENCES ET DOMAINEDOMAINE DES SCIENCES DES SCIENCES ET TECHNOLOGIES ET TECHNOLOGIES TECHNOLOGIES MENTIONMENTIONMENTION BASSINS BASSINS BASSINS SEDIMENTAIRES SEDIMENTAIRES EVOLUTIONEVOLUTIONEVOLUTION CONSERVATION CONSERVATION CONSERVATION PARCOURSPARCOURS COLLECTION COLLECTION - CONSERVATION - CONSERVATION PARCOURS COLLECTION PALEONTOLOGIQUE - CONSERVATION MEMOIRE DE FIN D’ETUDE DE MASTER ANALYSES DESCRIPTIVES ET MORPHOMETRIQUES DE FEMUR, DE TIBIOTARSE ET DE TARSOMETATARSE D’AEPYORNITHIFORMES (Subfossiles de Madagascar) Présenté par : RAMANAMBITATSOA Tahiry Albertine Soutenu publiquement le 03 Février 2020 Membres de Jury: - Président: Madame RANAIVOSOA Voajanahary, Maître de Conférences - Rapporteur-Encadreur: Madame RANIVOHARIMANANA Lovasoa, Professeur - Examinateur : Monsieur RAKOTONDRAZAFY Toussaint, Maître de Conférences UNIVERSITEUNIVERSITEUNIVERSITE D’ANTANANARIVO D’ANTANANARIVO D’ANTANANARIVO DOMAINE DES SCIENCES ET DOMAINEDOMAINE DES SCIENCES DES SCIENCES ET TECHNOLOGIES ET TECHNOLOGIES TECHNOLOGIES MENTIONMENTIONMENTION BASSINS BASSINS BASSINS SEDIMENTAIRES SEDIMENTAIRES EVOLUTIONEVOLUTIONEVOLUTION CONSERVATION CONSERVATIONCONSERVATION PARCOURSPARCOURS COLLECTION COLLECTION - CONSERVATION - CONSERVATION PARCOURS COLLECTION PALEONTOLOGIQUE - CONSERVATION MEMOIRE DE FIN D’ETUDE DE MASTER ANALYSES DESCRIPTIVES ET MORPHOMETRIQUES DE FEMUR, DE TIBIOTARSE ET DE TARSOMETATARSE D’AEPYORNITHIFORMES (Subfossiles de Madagascar) Présenté par : RAMANAMBITATSOA Tahiry Albertine Soutenu publiquement le 03 Février 2020 Membres de Jury: - Président: Madame RANAIVOSOA Voajanahary, Maître de Conférences - Rapporteur-Encadreur: Madame RANIVOHARIMANANA Lovasoa, Professeur - Examinateur : Monsieur RAKOTONDRAZAFY Toussaint, Maître de Conférences REMERCIEMENTS Nous adressons ici nos vifs remerciements à tous ceux qui, par leur appui ; leur sollicitude ; leur bonne volonté ; leurs conseils et enseignements, nous ont aidée à mener à terme ce travail. Tout d’abord nous tenons à exprimer notre gratitude à : Dieu Tout-Puissant qui nous conserve dans la santé et en tant que Premier Conseiller. Monsieur RAMAHAZOSOA Irrish Parker, Maitre de Conférences, Doyen de la Faculté des Sciences et Responsable du Domaine Sciences et Technologies, pour avoir facilité et autorisé la soutenance de ce mémoire. Monsieur RASOLOFOTIANA Edmond, Maître de Conférences, Responsable de la Mention Bassins sédimentaires Evolution Conservation (BEC) de m’avoir donné aussi l’autorisation de cette soutenance de Mémoire. Madame RANIVOHARIMANANA Lovasoa, Professeur, notre rapporteur qui nous a conduite le long de ce travail et qui n’a pas ménagé sa peine pour nous prodiguer les meilleurs appuis. Madame, trouvez ici le témoignage de notre profonde reconnaissance pour vos précieux conseils. Madame RANAIVOSOA Voajanahary, Maitre de Conférences, Responsable du parcours COLCO (COLection paléontologique et COnservation), qui nous fait l’honneur de présider cette soutenance de mémoire. Madame veuillez trouver ici l’expression de nos respects les plus sincères. Monsieur RAKOTONDRAZAFY Toussaint, Maitre de Conférences, qui a bien voulu siéger en tant qu’examinateur et qui nous a apporté son expérience. Monsieur, veuillez accepter nos sincères remerciements pour l’honneur que vous nous faites. Nous exprimons aussi notre vive reconnaissance à : • tous les enseignants et les personnels administratifs et techniques de la Mention BEC ainsi que ceux qui ont contribué à notre formation au sein de cet établissement, nous donnant la capacité pour mener cette étude. • tous nos amis dans notre Mention pour les conseils et les soutiens qu’ils nous ont apportés tout au long de ce travail, en particulier Fifaliana et Ravo. • tous les membres de notre famille de nous avoir soutenue et encouragée pour que ce travail aboutisse i RESUME Des analyses descriptives et morphométriques menées au niveau des os longs (fémur, tibiotarse et tarsométatarse) constitutifs des membres postérieurs des Aepyornithiformes montrent que chaque os long présente des caractères spécifiques qui leur distinguent des autres oiseaux. Ces os sont généralement robustes et solides chez les Vorombe et les Aepyornis, qui permettent de déduire que ces oiseaux sont de très grande taille et de masse lourde. Ces éléments osseux sont graciles chez les Mullerornis d’où ils avaient une masse corporelle moins lourde. Les Aepyiornithiformes sont des oiseaux marcheurs graviporteurs. Le tarsométatarse des Vorombe et d’Aepyornis sont courts et robustes, ils sont donc des graviporteurs actifs c’est-à-dire qu’ils avaient une vitesse de déplacement relativement lente. Mais le tarsométatarse de Mullerornis est long et gracile, ils pouvaient déplacer plus rapidement. La disparition des Aepyornithiformes vers la fin de l’Holocène aurait une relation étroite avec le changement climatique et l’arrivée de l’homme, il y a 2000 ans BP. Mots clés : Vorombe, Aepyornis, Mullerornis, morphométrie, fémur, tibiotarse, tarsométatarse. ABSTRACT Descriptive and morphometric analyzes carried out on the long bones (femur, tibiotarsus and tarsometatarsus) constituting the hind limbs of Aepyornithiformes show that each long bone has specific characteristics which distinguish them from other birds. These bones are generally robust and solid in Vorombe and Aepyornis, which allow deducing that these birds are very large size and heavy mass. These bony elements are slender in Mullerornis from where they had a lighter body mass. Aepyiornithiformes are graviporting walking birds. The tarsometatarsus of Vorombe and Aepyornis are short and robust, so they are active graviporters, that is to say that they had a relatively slow speed of movement. Or, the tarsometatarsus of Mullerornis is long and slender, they could move faster. The disappearance of Aepyornithiformes towards the end of the Holocene would have a close relationship with climate change and the arrival of humans 2000 years ago BP. Key words: Vorombe, Aepyornis, Mullerornis, morphometry, femur, tibiotarsus, metatarsus. ii TABLE DES MATIERES ANALYSES DESCRIPTIVES ET MORPHOMETRIQUES ........................................................... i DE FEMUR, DE TIBIOTARSE ET DE TARSOMETATARSE ...................................................... i D’AEPYORNITHIFORMES (Subfossiles de Madagascar) ............................................................. i REMERCIEMENTS ................................................................................................................. i RESUME ................................................................................................................................ ii TABLE DES MATIERES ........................................................................................................ iii Liste des figures ..................................................................................................................... v Liste des tableaux ................................................................................................................ vii Liste des abréviations .......................................................................................................... viii INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... - 1 - CHAPITRE I. GENERALITES ........................................................................................... - 2 - I.1. Intérêts des subfossiles ................................................................................................. - 2 - I.2. Historique des subfossiles de Madagascar ................................................................... - 2 - I.3. Répartition géographique des subfossiles de Madagascar ........................................... - 3 - I.4. Les Aepyornithiformes de Madagascar ........................................................................ - 6 - I.4.1. Découverte et historique ........................................................................................ - 6 - I.4.2. Répartition géographique des Aepyornithiformes ................................................. - 7 - CHAPITRE II. MATERIELS ET METHODES ..................................................................... - 9 - II.1. Matériels ..................................................................................................................... - 9 - II.1.1 Matériels paléontologiques ................................................................................... - 9 - II.1.2. Matériels informatiques ........................................................................................ - 9 - II.1.3. Autres matériels utilisés dans le laboratoire de la Paléontologie des Vertébrés (BEC) ............................................................................................................................ - 10 - II.2. Méthodes ................................................................................................................... - 11 - II.2.1. Approche technique ............................................................................................ - 11 - II.2.2. Approche scientifique ........................................................................................ - 12 - CHAPITRE III. RESULTATS ET INTERPRETATIONS .................................................... - 17 - III.1. Résultats du tri des spécimens ................................................................................. -
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Beyond Endocasts: Using Predicted Brain-Structure Volumes of Extinct Birds to Assess Neuroanatomical and Behavioral Inferences
    diversity Article Beyond Endocasts: Using Predicted Brain-Structure Volumes of Extinct Birds to Assess Neuroanatomical and Behavioral Inferences 1, , 2 2 Catherine M. Early * y , Ryan C. Ridgely and Lawrence M. Witmer 1 Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, USA 2 Department of Biomedical Sciences, Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, USA; [email protected] (R.C.R.); [email protected] (L.M.W.) * Correspondence: [email protected] Current Address: Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA. y Received: 1 November 2019; Accepted: 30 December 2019; Published: 17 January 2020 Abstract: The shape of the brain influences skull morphology in birds, and both traits are driven by phylogenetic and functional constraints. Studies on avian cranial and neuroanatomical evolution are strengthened by data on extinct birds, but complete, 3D-preserved vertebrate brains are not known from the fossil record, so brain endocasts often serve as proxies. Recent work on extant birds shows that the Wulst and optic lobe faithfully represent the size of their underlying brain structures, both of which are involved in avian visual pathways. The endocasts of seven extinct birds were generated from microCT scans of their skulls to add to an existing sample of endocasts of extant birds, and the surface areas of their Wulsts and optic lobes were measured. A phylogenetic prediction method based on Bayesian inference was used to calculate the volumes of the brain structures of these extinct birds based on the surface areas of their overlying endocast structures. This analysis resulted in hyperpallium volumes of five of these extinct birds and optic tectum volumes of all seven extinct birds.
    [Show full text]
  • Ancient Bird Bones Redate Human Activity in Madagascar by 6,000 Years 12 September 2018
    Ancient bird bones redate human activity in Madagascar by 6,000 years 12 September 2018 first arrived in Madagascar 2,400-4,000 years ago. However, the new study provides evidence of human presence on Madagascar as far back as 10,500 years ago—making these modified elephant bird bones the earliest known evidence of humans on the island. Lead author Dr. James Hansford from ZSL's Institute of Zoology said: "We already know that Madagascar's megafauna—elephant birds, hippos, giant tortoises and giant lemurs—became extinct less than 1,000 years ago. There are a number of theories about why this occurred, but the extent of human involvement hasn't been clear. Disarticulation marks on the base of the tarsometatarsus. These cut marks were made when removing the toes from the foot. Credit: ZSL Analysis of bones, from what was once the world's largest bird, has revealed that humans arrived on the tropical island of Madagascar more than 6,000 years earlier than previously thought—according to a study published today, 12 September 2018, in the journal Science Advances. A team of scientists led by international conservation charity ZSL (Zoological Society of London) discovered that ancient bones from the This chop mark would have been made with a large extinct Madagascan elephant birds (Aepyornis and sharp tool. The clear straight line of the cut with no Mullerornis) show cut marks and depression continued cracks indicate the mark was made on fresh fractures consistent with hunting and butchery by bone and chopped into different cuts of meat. Credit: ZSL prehistoric humans.
    [Show full text]
  • Generality and Antiquity of the Island Rule Mark V
    Journal of Biogeography (J. Biogeogr.) (2013) 40, 1427–1439 SYNTHESIS Of mice and mammoths: generality and antiquity of the island rule Mark V. Lomolino1*, Alexandra A. van der Geer2, George A. Lyras2, Maria Rita Palombo3, Dov F. Sax4 and Roberto Rozzi3 1College of Environmental Science and ABSTRACT Forestry, State University of New York, Aim We assessed the generality of the island rule in a database comprising Syracuse, NY, 13210, USA, 2Netherlands 1593 populations of insular mammals (439 species, including 63 species of fos- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, The Netherlands, 3Dipartimento di Scienze sil mammals), and tested whether observed patterns differed among taxonomic della Terra, Istituto di Geologia ambientale e and functional groups. Geoingegneria, Universita di Roma ‘La Location Islands world-wide. Sapienza’ and CNR, 00185, Rome, Italy, 4Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Methods We measured museum specimens (fossil mammals) and reviewed = Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI, the literature to compile a database of insular animal body size (Si mean 02912, USA mass of individuals from an insular population divided by that of individuals from an ancestral or mainland population, M). We used linear regressions to investigate the relationship between Si and M, and ANCOVA to compare trends among taxonomic and functional groups. Results Si was significantly and negatively related to the mass of the ancestral or mainland population across all mammals and within all orders of extant mammals analysed, and across palaeo-insular (considered separately) mammals as well. Insular body size was significantly smaller for bats and insectivores than for the other orders studied here, but significantly larger for mammals that utilized aquatic prey than for those restricted to terrestrial prey.
    [Show full text]
  • The Biogeography of Large Islands, Or How Does the Size of the Ecological Theater Affect the Evolutionary Play
    The biogeography of large islands, or how does the size of the ecological theater affect the evolutionary play Egbert Giles Leigh, Annette Hladik, Claude Marcel Hladik, Alison Jolly To cite this version: Egbert Giles Leigh, Annette Hladik, Claude Marcel Hladik, Alison Jolly. The biogeography of large islands, or how does the size of the ecological theater affect the evolutionary play. Revue d’Ecologie, Terre et Vie, Société nationale de protection de la nature, 2007, 62, pp.105-168. hal-00283373 HAL Id: hal-00283373 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00283373 Submitted on 14 Dec 2010 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. THE BIOGEOGRAPHY OF LARGE ISLANDS, OR HOW DOES THE SIZE OF THE ECOLOGICAL THEATER AFFECT THE EVOLUTIONARY PLAY? Egbert Giles LEIGH, Jr.1, Annette HLADIK2, Claude Marcel HLADIK2 & Alison JOLLY3 RÉSUMÉ. — La biogéographie des grandes îles, ou comment la taille de la scène écologique infl uence- t-elle le jeu de l’évolution ? — Nous présentons une approche comparative des particularités de l’évolution dans des milieux insulaires de différentes surfaces, allant de la taille de l’île de La Réunion à celle de l’Amé- rique du Sud au Pliocène.
    [Show full text]
  • Complete Mitochondrial Genome Sequences of Two Extinct Moas
    letters to nature ................................................................. the small amounts of sequence data available, particularly for the Complete mitochondrial genome extinct moa. To resolve this issue we used ancient DNA techniques to generate sequences of two extinct moas contiguous sequences of the complete mitochondrial genomes of two moa genera, Emeus crassus and Dinornis giganteus, as a series of clarify ratite evolution 400±600 base-pair (bp) ampli®cations from subfossil bones 1,300± 1,500 years old (see Methods). Competitive polymerase chain reac- Alan Cooper*², Carles Lalueza-Fox*³, Simon Anderson*, tion (PCR) assays indicated that mtDNA was preserved at around Andrew Rambaut², Jeremy Austin§ & Ryk Ward* 0.3±1.5 million copies per gram of bone in the specimens, roughly three orders of magnitude higher than the Neanderthal (2,500± * Department of Biological Anthropology and Henry Wellcome Ancient 3,750 copies per g) and Ice Man DNA (8,600 copies per g), but Biomolecules Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 6UE, UK similar to some Hohokam mummies from the US southwest (2 ² Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 3PS, UK million copies per g)12,13. The high concentration of moa mtDNA ³ Seccio Antropologia, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, indicates that ampli®ed sequences are unlikely to be in¯uenced by Barcelona 08028, Spain damage to individual template molecules12,13. This was con®rmed by § Department of Zoology, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, cloning experiments (Table 1) where sequencing discrepancies London SW7 5BD, UK occurred at rates comparable to modern taxa (,2 errors per .............................................................................................................................................. 1,000 bp) and consisted mainly of singletons.
    [Show full text]
  • A Chronology for Late Prehistoric Madagascar
    Journal of Human Evolution 47 (2004) 25e63 www.elsevier.com/locate/jhevol A chronology for late prehistoric Madagascar a,) a,b c David A. Burney , Lida Pigott Burney , Laurie R. Godfrey , William L. Jungersd, Steven M. Goodmane, Henry T. Wrightf, A.J. Timothy Jullg aDepartment of Biological Sciences, Fordham University, Bronx NY 10458, USA bLouis Calder Center Biological Field Station, Fordham University, P.O. Box 887, Armonk NY 10504, USA cDepartment of Anthropology, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Amherst MA 01003, USA dDepartment of Anatomical Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook NY 11794, USA eField Museum of Natural History, 1400 S. Roosevelt Rd., Chicago, IL 60605, USA fMuseum of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA gNSF Arizona AMS Facility, University of Arizona, Tucson AZ 85721, USA Received 12 December 2003; accepted 24 May 2004 Abstract A database has been assembled with 278 age determinations for Madagascar. Materials 14C dated include pretreated sediments and plant macrofossils from cores and excavations throughout the island, and bones, teeth, or eggshells of most of the extinct megafaunal taxa, including the giant lemurs, hippopotami, and ratites. Additional measurements come from uranium-series dates on speleothems and thermoluminescence dating of pottery. Changes documented include late Pleistocene climatic events and, in the late Holocene, the apparently human- caused transformation of the environment. Multiple lines of evidence point to the earliest human presence at ca. 2300 14C yr BP (350 cal yr BC). A decline in megafauna, inferred from a drastic decrease in spores of the coprophilous fungus Sporormiella spp. in sediments at 1720 G 40 14C yr BP (230e410 cal yr AD), is followed by large increases in charcoal particles in sediment cores, beginning in the SW part of the island, and spreading to other coasts and the interior over the next millennium.
    [Show full text]
  • The Phylogeny and Taxonomy of Hippopotamidae (Mammalia: Artiodactyla): a Review Based on Morphology and Cladistic Analysis
    Blackwell Science, LtdOxford, UKZOJZoological Journal of the Linnean Society0024-4082The Lin- nean Society of London, 2005? 2005 143? 126 Original Article J.-R. BOISSERIEHIPPOPOTAMIDAE PHYLOGENY AND TAXONOMY Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2005, 143, 1–26. With 11 figures The phylogeny and taxonomy of Hippopotamidae (Mammalia: Artiodactyla): a review based on morphology and cladistic analysis JEAN-RENAUD BOISSERIE1,2* 1Laboratoire de Géobiologie, Biochronologie et Paléontologie Humaine, UMR CNRS 6046, Université de Poitiers, 40 avenue du Recteur, Pineau 86022 Cedex, France 2Laboratory for Human Evolutionary Studies, Department of Integrative Biology, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California at Berkeley, 3101 Valley Life Science Building, Berkeley, CA 94720-3160, USA Received August 2003; accepted for publication June 2004 The phylogeny and taxonomy of the whole family Hippopotamidae is in need of reconsideration, the present confu- sion obstructing palaeoecology and palaeobiogeography studies of these Neogene mammals. The revision of the Hip- popotamidae initiated here deals with the last 8 Myr of African and Asian species. The first thorough cladistic analysis of the family is presented here. The outcome of this analysis, including 37 morphological characters coded for 15 extant and fossil taxa, as well as non-coded features of mandibular morphology, was used to reconstruct broad outlines of hippo phylogeny. Distinct lineages within the paraphyletic genus Hexaprotodon are recognized and char- acterized. In order to harmonize taxonomy and phylogeny, two new genera are created. The genus name Choeropsis is re-validated for the extant Liberian hippo. The nomen Hexaprotodon is restricted to the fossil lineage mostly known in Asia, but also including at least one African species.
    [Show full text]
  • Madagascar Conservation & Development
    MADAGASCAR CONSERVATION & DEVELOPMENT VOLUME 7 | ISSUE 1 — JUNE 2012 PAGE 23 ARTICLE http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/mcd.v7i1.5 Early Holocene fauna from a new subfossil site: A first assessment from Christmas River, south cen- tral Madagascar Kathleen M. MuldoonI,II, Brooke E. CrowleyIII, Laurie Correspondence: R. GodfreyIV, Armand RasoamiaramananaV, Adam Kathleen M. Muldoon AronsonVI, Jukka JernvallVII, Patricia C. WrightVI and Department of Anatomy, The Geisel School of Medicine at Elwyn L. SimonsVIII Dartmouth, HB 7100, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755 U.S.A. E - mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT les écosyst�mes modernes qui sont dans un état de bouleverse-bouleverse- We report on faunal remains recovered during recent explo- ment écologique. Certaines plantes endémiques, par exemple, rations at ‘Christmas River’, the only subfossil locality known ont perdu d’importantes esp�ces mutualistes, des animaux from Madagascar’s south central plateau. Recovered remains ont été obligés d’exploiter d’autres ressources ou habiter des of several extinct taxa date to approximately 10,000 14C years endroits auxquels ils sont mal adaptés. La diversité des plantes before present (BP), including crocodiles, tortoises, the elephant et des animaux a diminué, est menacée ou a même compl�te- bird Aepyornis, the carnivoran Cryptoprocta spelea, the lemurs ment disparue de certaines routes de dissémination. Bien que Archaeolemur majori, Pachylemur insignis, and Megaladapis l’Homme soit largement incriminé dans son rôle de déclencheur edwardsi, and abundant remains of the dwarf hippopotamus, de ces extinctions massives, les transformations anthropiques Hippopotamus lemerlei. The presence of southern - limited, qui ont contribué au changement du climat sont controversées.
    [Show full text]
  • Pleistocene Hippopotamuses of Mediterranean Islands
    18 PLEISTOCENE HIPPOPOTAMUSES OF MEDITERRANEAN ISLANDS: LOOKING FOR ANCESTORS Antonella Cinzia MARRA MARRA, A.c. 2005. Pleistocene Hippopotamuses of Mediterranean islands: looking for ancestors. InALcoVER, J.A. & BOVER, P. (eds.): Pro­ ceedings ofthe International Symposium "Insular Vertebrate Evolution: the Palaeontological Approach': Monografies de la Societat d'His­ tòria Natural de les Balears, 12: 193-204. Resum Al registre fossilífer del Pleistocè de les illes mediterrànies es coneixen hipopòtams que presenten adaptacions als ambients insulars: Hippopotamus pentlandi a Sicília i Malta, Hippopotamus melitensis a Malta, Hippopotamus cteutzburgi a Creta, Phanourios minutus a Xipre. Hi ha incerteses en la recerca dels ancestres dels hipopòtams insulars, les quals es deuen al desenvolupament de caràcters endèmics i a la confusió existent a la sistemàtica de les espècies continentals europees. A aquest treball es compara la morfologia craniana i la biometria dels hipopòtams insulars del Pleistocè amb la de les espècies continentals, i s'introdueix una discussió sobre la seva sistemàtica. Hippopotamus amphibius podria ser l'ancestre d'Hippo­ potamus pentlandi, el qual a la seva volta podria ser l'ancestre d'Hippopotamus melitensis. Hippopotamus antiquus sembla ser ]'ancestre d' Hippopotamus creutzburgi. Les característiques de Phanourios minutus similars a amphibius podrien estar relacionades amb una relació filogenètica amb aquesta espècie. Keywords: Hippopòtams, Pleistocè, illes mediterrànies. Summary Hippopotamuses, having endemic adaptations related to insular environment, are known in the Pleistocene fossil record of Mediterranean islands: Hippopotamus pentlandi in Sicily and Malta, Hippopotamus melitensis in Malta, Hippopo­ tamus creutzburgi in Crete, Phanourios minutus in Cyprus. The uncertainties in searching for ancestors of the insular hippo­ potamuses are caused by the development of endemic characters and by the confusion in the systematics of European main­ land species.
    [Show full text]
  • World Atlas of Biodiversity
    WORLD ATLAS OF BIODIVERSITY EARTH'S LIVING RESOURCES IN THE 21st CENTURY ^ > (\ X >r BRIAN GROOMBRIDGE and MARTIN D. JENKINS UNEP WCMC World Atlas of Biodiversity addresses the remark- ible growth in concern at all levels for living things and the environment and the increased appreciation ' the links between the state of ecosystems and the state of humankind. Building on a wealth of re- search and analysis by the conservation community worldwide, this book provides a comprehensive and accessible view of key global issues in biodiver- sity. It outlines some of the broad ecological relationships between humans and the rest of the iterial world and summarizes information on the health of the planet. Opening with an outline of some fundamental aspects of material cycles and energy flow in the biosphere, the book goes on to discuss the expansion of this diversity through geo- logical time and the pattern of its distribution over the surface of the Earth, and analyzes trends in the condition of the main ecosystem types and the species integral to them. Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive in 2010 witii funding from UNEP-WCIVIC, Cambridge Iittp://www.arcliive.org/details/worldatlasofbiod02groo World Atlas of Biodiversity Published in association witli Ihe contents of this volume do not UNEP-WCMC by the University of necessarily reflect the views or policies of California Press UNEP-WCfvIC, contributory organizations, University of California Press editors or publishers. The designations Berl<eley and Los Angeles, California employed and the presentations do not imply University of California Press, Ltd. the expression of any opinion whatsoever on London, England the part of UNEP-WCIvIC or contributory organizations, editors or publishers © 2002 UNEP World Conservation concerning the legal status of any country, Monitoring Centre territory, city or area or its authority, or UNEP-WCMC concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or 219 Huntingdon Road boundaries or the designation of its name or Cambridge CB3 DDL, UK allegiances.
    [Show full text]
  • Science Journals — AAAS
    SCIENCE ADVANCES | RESEARCH ARTICLE ARCHAEOLOGY Copyright © 2018 The Authors, some rights reserved; Early Holocene human presence in Madagascar exclusive licensee American Association evidenced by exploitation of avian megafauna for the Advancement James Hansford1,2*, Patricia C. Wright3,4, Armand Rasoamiaramanana5, Ventura R. Pérez6, of Science. No claim to 6 7 7 1 original U.S. Government Laurie R. Godfrey , David Errickson , Tim Thompson , Samuel T. Turvey Works. Distributed under a Creative Previous research suggests that people first arrived on Madagascar by ~2500 years before present (years B.P.). This Commons Attribution hypothesis is consistent with butchery marks on extinct lemur bones from ~2400 years B.P. and perhaps with ar- NonCommercial chaeological evidence of human presence from ~4000 years B.P. We report >10,500-year-old human-modified bones License 4.0 (CC BY-NC). for the extinct elephant birds Aepyornis and Mullerornis, which show perimortem chop marks, cut marks, and de- pression fractures consistent with immobilization and dismemberment. Our evidence for anthropogenic perimortem modification of directly dated bones represents the earliest indication of humans in Madagascar, predating all other archaeological and genetic evidence by >6000 years and changing our understanding of the history of human colonization of Madagascar. This revision of Madagascar’s prehistory suggests prolonged human-faunal coexis- tence with limited biodiversity loss. INTRODUCTION Evidence for the timing of first human arrival in Madagascar Madagascar’s Holocene vertebrate megafauna included giant lemurs, during the late Holocene informs how researchers define pre-human hippopotami, giant tortoises, and the world’s largest birds—the ele- or “pristine” ecosystems, frameworks for understanding ecological phant birds [Aepyornithidae, ~500 kg (1)].
    [Show full text]
  • On Ratites and Their Interactions with Plants*
    Revista Chilena de Historia Natural 64: 85-118, 1991 On ratites and their interactions with plants* Las rátidas y su interacci6n con las plantas JAMES C. NOBLE CSIRO, Division of Wildlife and Ecology, National Rangelands Program, P.O. Box 84, Lyneham, A.C.T. 2602, Australia RESUMEN Se revisan las historias de los fosiles, patrones de distribucion y preferencias de medio ambiente natural-nabitat, tanto de miembros extintos como sobrevivientes de las ratidas. Se pone especial enfasis en aquellas caracterlsticas f{sicas y anatomicas de las rátidas que tienen aparente significacion desde el punto de vista de Ia dinamica vegetal, especialmente aquellos aspectos relacionados con Ia germinacion de las semillas y establecimiento de los brotes. Aparte de los kiwis de Nueva Zelanda (Apteryx spp.), Ia caracteristica principal que distingue a las ratidas de otras aves es su gran tamafio. En tanto que las consecuencias evolutivas del gigantismo han resultado en Ia extincion comparativamente reciente de algunas especies, tales como, las moas (las Dinornidas y Emeidas) de Nueva Zelanda y los pajaros elefantes (Aeporní- tidas) de Madagascar, el gran tamaño de las rátidas contemporáneas les confiere Ia capacidad de ingerior considerables cantidades de alimentos, como as{ tambien {temes particulares como frutas y piedras demasiado grandes para otras aves, sin sufrir ningún menoscabo en el vuelo. Muchos de estos alimentos vegetates, especialmente frutas como las de los Lauranceae, pueden ser altamente nutritivos, pero las ratidas son omnivoras y pueden utilizar una gama de alternativas cuando es necesario. Es aún incierto si Ia seleccion de alimentos está relaeionada directamente con Ia recompensa nutritiva; sin embargo, Ia estacion de reproduccion del casuario australiano (Casuarius casuarius johnsonii) está estrecha- mente ligada al per{odo de máxima produccion frutal de los árboles y arbustos en sus habitat de selvas tropicales lluviosas.
    [Show full text]