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Review of the Actualistic Taphonomy of Small Mammals Ingested by South American Predators

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Review of the Actualistic Taphonomy of Small Mammals Ingested by South American Predators ISSN 2469-0228 www.peapaleontologica.org.ar REVIEW OF THE ACTUALISTIC TAPHONOMY OF SMALL MAMMALS INGESTED BY SOUTH AMERICAN PREDATORS. ITS IMPORTANCE IN THE INTERPRETATION OF THE FOSSIL RECORD CLAUDIA I. MONTALVO 1 FERNANDO J. FERNÁNDEZ 2,3,4 1Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de La Pampa. Uruguay 151, L6300CLB Santa Rosa, La Pampa, Argentina. 2Cátedra de Anatomía Comparada, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Calle 64 s/n, B1900AMC La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina. 3Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET). 4Grupo de Estudios en Arqueometría (GEA), Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Buenos Aires. Av. Paseo Colón 850, C1063ACV Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina. Recibido: 13 de octubre de 2018 - Aceptado: 11 de marzo de 2019 Para citar este artículo: Claudia I. Montalvo, and Fernando J. Fernández (2019). Review of the actualistic taphonomy of small mammals ingested by South American predators. Its importance in the interpretation of the fossil record. Publicación Electrónica de la Asociación Paleontológica Argentina 19 (1): 18–46. Link a este artículo: http://dx.doi.org/ 10.5710/PEAPA.11.03.2019.275 DESPLAZARSE HACIA ABAJO PARA ACCEDER AL ARTÍCULO Asociación Paleontológica Argentina Maipú 645 1º piso, C1006ACG, Buenos Aires República Argentina Tel/Fax (54-11) 4326-7563 Otros artículos en Publicación Electrónica de la APA 18(1): Web: www.apaleontologica.org.ar Aldo R. Prieto M. Virginia Mancini et al. Dominique Mourelle et al. HISTORIA DE LA PALINOLOGÍA DEL ANÁLISIS Y MÉTODOS PALEOECOLÓGICOS ANÁLISIS PALINOLÓGICO ACTUAL Y DEL CUATERNARIO EN LA ARGENTINA: PARA LA RECONSTRUCCIÓN DE CUATERNARIO TARDÍO EN LA REGIÓN DE UNA RESEÑA A 90 AÑOS DE SUS COMUNIDADES DE BOSQUE Y ESTEPAS LOS CAMPOS (URUGUAY Y SUR DE BRASIL): COMIENZOS DE PATAGONIA, ARGENTINA ESTADO DE LAS INVESTIGACIONES, DIFICULTADES Y POTENCIALIDADES Año 2019 - 19(1): 18–46 ARTÍCULO ISSN 2469-0228 REVIEW OF THE ACTUALISTIC TAPHONOMY OF SMALL MAMMALS INGESTED BY SOUTH AMERICAN PREDATORS. ITS IMPORTANCE IN THE INTERPRETATION OF THE FOSSIL RECORD CLAUDIA I. MONTALVO 1, AND FERNANDO J. FERNÁNDEZ 2,3,4 1Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de La Pampa. Uruguay 151, L6300CLB Santa Rosa, La Pampa, Argentina. [email protected] 2Cátedra de Anatomía Comparada, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Calle 64 s/n, B1900AMC La Plata, Buenos Aires, Ar gentina. [email protected] 3Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET). 4Grupo de Estudios en Arqueometría (GEA), Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Buenos Aires. Av. Paseo Colón 850, C1063ACV Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina. Abstract . In this paper, the current state of knowledge of the taphonomic characteristics of micromammal (rodents and marsupials) remains generated by the action of the different predators (avian raptors and carnivore mammals) of South America (particularly of Argentina), known through actualistic studies, is reviewed. The analyzed taphonomic attributes enabled the adjustment, by means of extensive comparisons among different groups of predators and prey, of the modification categories indicated in the original papers. The data herein revised and as sessed suggest that the evaluated South American predators may be grouped into four categories of modification: a) Light ( Tyto alba , Bubo virginianus , Strix chacoensis and Asio flammeus ); b) Moderate ( Athene cunicularia , Geranoaetus melanoleucus , Geranoaetus polyosoma and Pseudo - scops clamator ); c) Heavy ( Circus buffoni , Caracara plancus , Elanus leucurus , Didelphis albiventris , Leopardus geoffroyi and Lontra longicaudis ); d) Ex - treme ( Milvago chimango , Puma concolor , Puma yagouaroundi , Conepatus chinga and Lycalopex griseus ). Finally, the research herein discussed evaluates how these studies were applied in the fossil record of both palaeontological and archaeological sites of South America . Key words . Bone modifications. Neotaphonomy. Micromammals. Predators. Actualistic analogous. Argentina . Resumen. REVISIÓN DE LA TAFONOMÍA ACTUALÍSTICA DE LOS MICROMAMÍFEROS INGERIDOS POR DEPREDADORES DE AMÉRICA DEL SUR. SU IMPORTANCIA EN LA INTERPRETACIÓN DEL REGISTRO FÓSIL. En este trabajo se valora el estado actual del conocimiento de las caracte - rísticas tafonómicas de los restos de micromamíferos (roedores y marsupiales) generados por la acción de los diferentes depredadores (aves rapaces y mamíferos carnívoros) de América del Sur (particularmente de Argentina), a través de la revisión de los estudios actualísticos. Los atri - butos tafonómicos analizados permitieron ajustar, a través de comparaciones extensas entre los diferentes grupos de depredadores y presas, las categorías de modificación indicadas en los artículos originales. La información revisada sugiere que los depredadores de América del Sur evaluados pueden agruparse en cuatro categorías de modificación: a) Ligera ( Tyto alba , Bubo virginianus , Strix chacoensis y Asio flammeus ); b) Mo - derada ( Athene cunicularia , Geranoaetus melanoleucus , Geranoaetus polyosoma y Pseudoscops clamator ); c) Fuerte ( Circus buffoni , Caracara plancus , Elanus leucurus , Didelphis albiventris , Leopardus geoffroyi y Lontra longicaudis ); d) Extrema ( Milvago chimango , Puma concolor , Puma yagouaroundi , Conepatus chinga y Lycalopex griseus ). Finalmente, se evalúa cómo estos estudios se aplicaron al registro zooarqueológico y paleontológico de América del Sur. Palabras clave . Modificaciones óseas. Neotafonomía. Micromamíferos. Depredadores. Análogos actuales. Argentina . THE SMALL mammal assemblages constitute a particular part Ortiz, 2001; Quintana, 2001, 2016a,b; Pardiñas et al ., 2002; of the fossil record identified as a group consisting of mam - Saavedra and Simonetti, 2003; Montalvo et al ., 2008a,b, mals of less than 5 kg in weight (Andrews, 1990). Neogene 2016c, 2017; Rodrigues, 2008; Verzi et al ., 2008; Fernández and Quaternary micromammal assemblages are well repre - et al ., 2009a, 2012, 2015, 2016a,b; Deschamps et al ., 2012; sented throughout all South America; however, most re - Fernández, 2012; Salemme et al ., 2012; Pokines, 2014 ; An - lated studies have focused on the Southern Cone (Saavedra, drade, 2015; Torres et al ., 2015; Hadler et al ., 2016; Kerber et 1994; Pardiñas and Galliari, 1998; Pardiñas, 1999b, 2004; al ., 2017; Stutz et al ., 2017; Fernández and Pardiñas, 2018). 18 APA Publicación Electrónica - 2019 - Volumen 19(1): 18–46 In addition to addressing taxonomic and phylogenetic groups of predators and prey are herein drawn. Finally, the is sues, it is interesting to explain the mechanisms that in - ways in which these studies were applied in fossil (both ar - tervened in the production of these fossil assemblages chaeological and palaeontological) sites of South America since this would allow us to adjust the interval of their for - are hereby pondered. mation and thus formulate more precise palaeoecological interpretations ( e.g. , Andrews, 1995). Andrews (1990) desig - Current status of the taphonomy of small mammals nated the biological agents as responsible for many of the Among the accumulating agents, the action of predators biases that can be identified in fossil assemblages although produces identifiable faunal associations according to the he did not rule out the importance of other factors linked characteristics that each one prints on the bone assem - with the nature of the bearing levels in which the remains blages that they generate. In this sense, the bone accumu - were found. It is essential to remark that the sedimentary lations of current mammals (and of other vertebrates to a context of the fossil bearing levels must be known. Even lesser extent) recovered from pellets and scats produced by though, in this case, we only attempt to investigate the different predators were evaluated from a taphonomic point ways in which we are enabled to explain the history of fossil of view. The action of each predator and the consequent small mammal assemblages of biological origin, the sedi - modifications can be compared with those of other preda - mentary context is very important when interpreting its tors in order to explain the origin of the accumulations in the taphonomic history. record. Predators are the main accumulator agents of bone re - There are numerous papers on actualistic studies for the mains of small vertebrates ( e.g. , Mellet, 1974; Andrews, northern hemisphere; thus, there is currently a fairly broad 1990; Fernández-Jalvo et al ., 2016; Fernández et al ., 2017). picture of the modifications that different predators pro - On this basis, the actualistic assessments that analyze the duce on the bones of small mammals ( e.g. , Andrews, 1990; modifications produced by predators to the bones of their Fernández-Jalvo and Andrews, 1992; Laudet and Selva, prey constitute good tools to use as analogues to contribute 2005; Lloveras et al ., 2008; Esteban-Nadal et al ., 2010; in the interpretation of the characteristics of fossil assem - Denys, 2011; Souttou et al ., 2012; Fernández-Jalvo et al ., blages. Within the diversity of predators and prey, we in - 2016; Campmas et al ., 2018; Denys et al ., 2018; Royer et al ., tend to find the possible biological explanations to the 2019). Samples of small fish, amphibians, reptiles and birds processes acting in the accumulations that can be recovered were only occasionally
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