RT Journal Article
T1 The bioclimatic model: a method of palaeoclimaticqualitative inference based on mammal associations
A1 Hernández Fernández, Manuel
A1 Peláez-Campomanes de Labra, Pablo
AB Aim The bioclimatic model is a new method for palaeoclimaticreconstruction built on the assumption of a significantcorrelation between climate and mammal community composition.The goal of this approach is to infer past climaticconditions using mammal fossil associations as source data.Location The study used mammal faunas from all over theworld to develop the bioclimatic model. As an example of thepotential of the model, we have applied it to Quaternaryfaunas from Eurasia.Methods The proposed model was constructed by applyingmultivariate discriminant analysis to modern mammal faunasand climates from throughout the world. The model was validatedwith a different set of modern faunas than those usedin the discriminant analysis, including some from transitionalzones between different climates (ecotones). To test the reliabilityof the method in the Pleistocene, the results have beencompared to those obtained with data from other disciplines,such as palaeobotany.Results The results obtained in the validation of themodel show that more than 90% of the localities havebeen classified correctly. Comparisons of results in the latePleistocene-Holocene of Barová between a palaeobotanicalstudy and the bioclimatic analysis show the latter to behighly accurate. The results for early Pleistocene faunas showsomewhat drier and more open climatic conditions forEurope than the present day, with larger areas of steppeenvironments.Main Conclusions The bioclimatic model could be used toinfer climatic conditions from mammal faunas. The resultspresented in this work provide a preliminary example ofthe potential that bioclimatic analysis has as a tool forpalaeoclimatic inference. Finally, this method offers theopportunity to standardize data coming from vertebratepalaeontology for use in the construction and evaluationof climatic models.
PB Blackwell Science
SN 1466-822X
YR 2003
FD 2003
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/57370
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/57370
LA eng
NO The definitive version is available at www.blackwell-synergy.com
DS Docta Complutense
RD 3 abr 2025