Ecological response of large herbivores to the late Quaternary climatic changes in northeast Iberian Peninsula refugium
Ecology and Biodiversity of Animals and Ecosystems, Organismic Interactions
Prehistory and World Archaeology
Final Report Abstract
The Iberian Peninsula acted as one of the southern refuge areas in Europe where terrestrial ecosystem could persist over changing climatic conditions during the late Quaternary. Despite the climatic instability of the MIS-3 (ca. 60 to 28 kyrs cal BP or ka) and the MIS-2 (ca. 28 to 15 ka), archaeological and genetic records show a continuous human occupation of the north-eastern Iberian Peninsula, with red deer (Cervus elaphus) and horse (Equus ferus) as main animal resources for human subsistence. We thus intended to explore two alternative scenarios explaining the persistence of these two preys in this region: was their ecological flexibility allowing them to adapt to changing environmental conditions or was a local buffering of the climatic impact allowing them to maintain the same diet and habitat over time? We could consider a long-time record through the stratigraphical sequences of the Serinyà caves (Arbreda, Reclau Viver and Bora Gran), spanning from ca. 45 to 15 ka, including the Last Glacial Maximum period. The meso- and micro-wear analysis revealed distinct diet between horse and red deer over the last years-months and last weeks-days, respectively. While horses maintained a consistent grazing diet, the red deer exhibited mixed-feeding habits, with variable contributions of grasses and leaves from one archaeological level to another. Isotopic measurement on bone collagen (d13C and d 15N), reflecting foraging sources and conditions over the last years of life, also showed a difference in diet and habitat with higher d13C values in red deer than in horses, likely linked to a dryer habitat for the deer. Intra-individual measurements along the third molar crown were conducted to capture changes in temperature and/or humidity (d18O) together with foraging conditions (d13C) during the seasons of formation of the enamel. They show no substantial intra-individual variation in d13C in horse despite clear seasonal change in d18O. The red deer teeth provided again higher enamel d13C values than horse teeth with increasing trend parallel to decreasing d18O values, testifying access to high 13C plants during winter in a xeric environment. The isotopic distinction between red deer and horse is also found at higher altitude (Montlleó, ca. 19.9 to 17.3 ka) in the Pyrenees where the horse seems again to have a restricted ecological niche connected to more humid valleys. The high isotopic and dental wear variability of red deer among several post-LGM sites, from ca. 16.2 to 11.5 ka, confirm the higher ecological flexibility of this species. If the red deer adaptation to contrasted conditions would confirm our first scenario, the persistence of a graze-dominated diet in relatively humid conditions for the horses show that a large diversity of habitats can buffer the impact of the climatic conditions. Altogether, the contrasted results between red deer and horse bring a more nuanced view on the functioning of the north-eastern Peninsula as a refuge zone.
Publications
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Habitat and ecology of red deer and horse from the high-altitude site of Montlleó (Catalonia, Spain) during the Magdalenian. Collection of Abstracts, UISPP, Meknès, 2021
Drucker, D.G., Rey, R., Nadal, J., Lloveras, L., Sánchez de la Torre, Fullola J.M. & Mangado, X.
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Northeast Iberian Peninsula as a refuge ecosystem during the last Glacial Period: Insights from stable isotope and tooth wear analyses. Abstracts, INQUA, Rome, 2023
Drucker, D.G., Rivals, F., Nadal, J., Soler, J., Rufí, I. & Maroto, J.
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Ecology of large ungulates in the northeastern Iberian Peninsula during the Upper Palaeolithic through stable isotopes and tooth wear analysis. Quaternary Environments and Humans, 2(4), 100011.
Drucker, Dorothée G.; Rivals, Florent; Nadal, Jordi; Rufí, Isaac; Soler, Joaquim; Soler, Narcís & Maroto, Julià
