L'écologie alimentaire d'Eucladoceros ctenoides : un outil pour suivre les variations environnementales régionales en Europe au Pléistocène inférieur

The early Pleistocene is represented by a succession of glacial-interglacial cycles character-ized by a general tendency towards global cooling, with increasing aridity and seasonality.The large deer Eucladoceros is found in abundance in Europe during this period of faunaldispersions. The dietary plasticity of Eucladoceros and how it can mirror early Pleistoceneclimatic variations will be explored here using Dental Microwear Texture Analysis. Thewide range of dental microwear textures for Eucladoceros reflects a low selectivity and highplasticity in its diet. It is an appropriate proxy to track vegetal resource availability. Oscil-lations were identified between a browsing and a grazing signal. This study proposes thata browsing signal is associated with a fossil assemblage deposited during an interglacialevent characterized by warmer temperatures and deciduous vegetation. A grazing signalmore likely indicates a glacial event with cooler temperatures and a developed herbaceous,bushy layer.Le Pléistocène inférieur correspond à une succession de cycles glaciaires-interglaciairescaractérisée par une tendance générale au refroidissement global, avec une aridité et unesaisonnalité croissantes. Le cervidé de grande taille Eucladoceros est abondant en Europedurant cette période de dispersions fauniques. Grâce à l'analyse de texture de la micro-usuredentaire, nous explorons la plasticité alimentaire d'Eucladoceros et la manière dont celle-ci reflète les variations climatiques du Pléistocène inférieur. La large gamme de texturesde micro-usure dentaire d'Eucladoceros reflète sa faible sélectivité et sa forte plasticité ali-mentaire. De fait, il constitue un outil approprié pour aborder la disponibilité en ressources végétales dans le milieu. Nous identifions des oscillations entre un signal brouteur et unsignal paisseur. Nous proposons qu'un signal brouteur soit associé à un assemblage fossiledéposé lors d'un évènement interglaciaire caractérisé par des températures plus chaudeset une végétation décidue, tandis qu'un signal paisseur correspondrait plutôt à un évène-ment glaciaire, avec des températures plus froides et la présence d?une strate herbacée etarbustive développée.This project was supported by the “Agence nationale dela recherche” (ANR TRIDENT: grant number: ANR-13-JSV7-0008-01; PI.: Gildas Merceron)

Correction: Konidaris et al. Dating of the Lower Pleistocene Vertebrate Site of Tsiotra Vryssi (Mygdonia Basin, Greece): Biochronology, Magnetostratigraphy, and Cosmogenic Radionuclides. Quaternary 2021, 4, 1

Background and scope: The late Villafranchian large mammal age (~2.0–1.2 Ma) of the Early Pleistocene is a crucial interval of time for mammal/hominin migrations and faunal turnovers in western Eurasia. However, an accurate chronological framework for the Balkans and adjacent territories is still missing, preventing pan-European biogeographic correlations and schemes. In this article, we report the first detailed chronological scheme for the late Villafranchian of southeastern Europe through a comprehensive and multidisciplinary dating approach (biochronology, magnetostratigraphy, and cosmogenic radionuclides) of the recently discovered Lower Pleistocene vertebrate site Tsiotra Vryssi (TSR) in the Mygdonia Basin, Greece. Results: The minimum burial ages (1.88 ± 0.16 Ma, 2.10 ± 0.18 Ma, and 1.98 ± 0.18 Ma) provided by the method of cosmogenic radionuclides indicate that the normal magnetic polarity identified below the fossiliferous layer correlates to the Olduvai subchron (1.95–1.78 Ma; C2n). Therefore, an age younger than 1.78 Ma is indicated for the fossiliferous layer, which was deposited during reverse polarity chron C1r. These results are in agreement with the biochronological data, which further point to an upper age limit at ~1.5 Ma. Overall, an age between 1.78 and ~1.5 Ma (i.e., within the first part of the late Villafranchian) is proposed for the TSR fauna. Conclusions: Our results not only provide age constraints for the local mammal faunal succession, thus allowing for a better understanding of faunal changes within the same sedimentary basin, but also contribute to improving correlations on a broader scale, leading to more accurate biogeographic, palaeoecological, and taphonomic interpretations

Late Miocene bovids from Serefkoy-2 (SW Turkey) and their position within the sub-Paratethyan biogeographic province

WOS: 000351081500005We describe new fossil bovid craniodental remains from the Upper Miocene fossil site of Serefkoy-2, Yatagan Basin, SW Turkey. The new material belongs to six species: Gazella cf. G. capricornis, Palaeoryx pallasi, Sporadotragus parvidens, Skoufotragus cf. Sk. schlosseri, Urmiatherium rugosifrons, and ?Sinotragus sp., which together indicate a latest middle-early Late Turolian (Late Miocene) age. Medium-to-large bovid taxa prevail over small ones, and protoryxoid bovids clearly dominate the assemblage. An analysis of the taxonomic structure, size and diet spectra of several Turolian bovid assemblages from Greece and Turkey reveals Serefkoy-2 to be a member of a mammalian palaeocommunity particular to southwestern Anatolia, which in turn forms part of the sub-Paratethyan biogeographic province.Wenner-Gren International Collaborative Research Grant; Ege UniversityEge University [TTM/001/2008, TTM/001/2010]; Scientific and Technological Research Council of TurkeyTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [108Y047]We thank Tanju Kaya and Serdar Mayda (both Ege University, Izmir, Turkey), Robert Scott (Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA), and Gildas Merceron (Poitiers University, France) for their help and support in the field and lab, and Mehmet Cihat Alcicek (Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey) for helpful discussions on SW Anatolia geodynamics. Thanks are also due to Kaye Reed (Arizona State University, Tempe, USA), Denis Geraads (CNRS MNHN, Paris, France) and Felix G. Marx (University of Otago, New Zealand) for their fruitful comments and suggestions, as well as to Katerina Vasileiadou (Natural History Museum of the Petrified Forest of Lesvos, Greece) for linguistic improvements. This work was supported by a "Wenner-Gren International Collaborative Research Grant" ("Environmental Dynamics of Western Eurasian Hominids during the Late Miocene"; PI: Robert Scott), as well as grants from Ege University (TTM/001/2008 and TTM/001/2010) and the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (108Y047)

Les <i>Palaeotragus</i> Gaudry, 1861 (Mammalia: Giraffidae) du Vallésien de Grèce du Nord

Nous re-discutons ici de la systématique des représentants du Miocène supérieur du genre de girafide eurasien le plus commun mais mal documenté, Palaeotragus à l’occasion de revision et de la description originale de matériel vallésiens du nord de la Grèce. Nos résultats permettent de détecter cinq morphotypes de Palaeotragus du Miocène supérieur, reconnaissant au moins quatre espèces. Les « paléotrages de petite taille» sont représentés par l’espèce type P. rouenii et P. microdon chinoise, alors que la validité de P. pavlowae de Grebeniki, Ukraine est mise en doute. Les « paléotrages de grande taille » sont principalement représentés par P. coelophrys (synonyme de P. expectans, P. borissiaki, P. hoffstetteri, P. quadricornis, et probablement P. moldavicus), une espèce qui a prospéré dans les territoires péri-Mer Noire pendant Vallesian et a survécu au Turolien dans le domaine irano-anatolien, probablement en adoptant une apparence plus robuste. De grands paléotrages des faunes vallésiennes du Pentalophos et du Ravin de la Pluie (vallée d’Axios, Grèce) sont attribués à P. coelophrys avec une certaine confiance. Le vallésien paléotrage de Berislav (P. berislavicus) d’Ukraine présente des caractéristiques morphométriques intermédiaires entre P. rouenii et P. coelophrys et il est donc reconnu comme une espèce très probablement valide. Le grand paléotrage de Nikiti-1 (péninsule de Chalcidique) présente des ressemblances importantes avec P. berislavicus, ce qui suggère que l’espèce pourrait envahir les Balkans à la fin du Vallésien et y survivre jusqu’au Turolien moyen. Palaeotragus asiaticus d’Asie centrale est une espèce assez problématique; il apparaît étroitement lié à P. cf. coelophrys de Chine et les deux peuvent être liés à l’ancien taxon de Berislav.We herein re-discuss the systematics of the Late Miocene representatives of the most common but poorly documented Eurasian giraffid genus Palaeotragus on the occasion of the review and description of new samples from the Vallesian faunas of Northern Greece. Our results detect five Late Miocene Palaeotragus morphotypes, recognizing at least four species. The so called ‘small-sized palaeotrages’ are represented by the type species P. rouenii and the Chinese P. microdon, whereas the validity of P. pavlowae from Grebeniki (Ukraine) is doubted. ‘Large-sized palaeotrages’ are mainly represented by P. coelophrys (synonym of P. expectans, P. borissiaki, P. hoffstetteri, P. quadricornis, and probably P. moldavicus), a species that thrived in the peri- Black Sea territories during Vallesian and survived during Turolian in the Irano-Anatolian domain, likely by adopting a more robust appearance. Large palaeotrages from the Vallesian faunas of Pentalophos and Ravin de la Pluie (Axios Valley, Greece) are identidied as P. coelophrys with certain confidence. The Vallesian P. berislavicus from Berislav (Ukraine) has intermediate morphometric features between P. rouenii and P. coelophrys and it is, therefore, recognized as a most probably valid species. The latest Vallesian Nikiti-1 (Chalkidiki peninsula) large palaeotrage shares many morphometric features with P. berislavicus, suggesting that the species may have invaded Balkans by the end of Vallesian and possibly survived there until middle Turolian. The Late Miocene Palaeotragus asiaticus from Central Asia is a quite problematic species; it appears closely related to the Turolian equivalent P. cf. coelophrys from China and both may be linked to the older Berislav taxon.</p