Evolution of the Earliest Horses Driven by Climate Change in the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum

Body size plays a critical role in mammalian ecology and physiology. Previous research has shown that many mammals became smaller during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), but the timing and magnitude of that change relative to climate change have been unclear. A high-resolution record of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2012-02, Vol.335 (6071), p.959-962
Main Authors: Secord, Ross, Bloch, Jonathan I., Chester, Stephen G. B., Boyer, Doug M., Wood, Aaron R., Wing, Scott L., Kraus, Mary J., Mclnerney, Francesca A., Krigbaum, John
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Atmosphere
Atmospherics
Biological Evolution
Body Size
Body temperature
Carbon Dioxide - analysis
Climate
Climate Change
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Equidae - anatomy & histology
Exact sciences and technology
Fossils
Genera
Global Warming
Horses - anatomy & histology
Humidity
Mammals
Oxygen Isotopes - analysis
Paleontology
Proxy reporting
Proxy statements
Temperature
Tooth enamel
Vertebrate paleontology
Wyoming
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Summary:Body size plays a critical role in mammalian ecology and physiology. Previous research has shown that many mammals became smaller during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), but the timing and magnitude of that change relative to climate change have been unclear. A high-resolution record of continental climate and equid body size change shows a directional size decrease of ~30% over the first ~130,000 years of the PETM, followed by a ~76% increase in the recovery phase of the PETM. These size changes are negatively correlated with temperature inferred from oxygen isotopes in mammal teeth and were probably driven by shifts in temperature and possibly high atmospheric CO₂ concentrations. These findings could be important for understanding mammalian evolutionary responses to future global warming.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.1213859