Speaker
Description
In Asia, previous studies have shown changes across the Eocene–Oligocene Transition (EOT, a global cooling event; 34 Ma) from perissodactyl-dominated faunas to those dominated by smaller-bodied Glires, better adapted to dry environments with limited resources (the Mongolian Remodelling). However, recent paleoenvironmental records and novel climate models show drying already occurring in Central Asia during the mid-Eocene due to global cooling, the growing Tibetan Plateau, and the retreating Paratethys Sea. We calculated sampling-corrected fossil mammal taxonomic richness across the Paleogene of Central Asia. We recover substantially lower diversity in the mid-Eocene, concurrent with the onset of regional aridification. Mammal richness increased throughout the remainder of the Eocene, but declined again across the EOT and throughout the Oligocene. In addition, we recover increased mammal turnover and decreases in mean and maximum body size in the mid-Eocene and across the EOT, concurrent with shifting environmental conditions. This suggests that regional mid-Eocene aridification in Central Asia may have driven faunal shifts similar in magnitude to those linked to the EOT global cooling event. Furthermore, our analyses indicate declines in both perissodactyl and rodent diversity across the EOT, suggesting that the Mongolian Remodelling may be partially influenced by sampling biases in the fossil record.
| Status Group | Doctoral Researcher |
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