Nature Communications (Jul 2022)
Late quaternary biotic homogenization of North American mammalian faunas
- Danielle Fraser,
- Amelia Villaseñor,
- Anikó B. Tóth,
- Meghan A. Balk,
- Jussi T. Eronen,
- W. Andrew Barr,
- A. K. Behrensmeyer,
- Matt Davis,
- Andrew Du,
- J. Tyler Faith,
- Gary R. Graves,
- Nicholas J. Gotelli,
- Advait M. Jukar,
- Cindy V. Looy,
- Brian J. McGill,
- Joshua H. Miller,
- Silvia Pineda-Munoz,
- Richard Potts,
- Alex B. Shupinski,
- Laura C. Soul,
- S. Kathleen Lyons
Affiliations
- Danielle Fraser
- Palaeobiology, Canadian Museum of Nature
- Amelia Villaseñor
- Department of Anthropology, University of Arkansas
- Anikó B. Tóth
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales
- Meghan A. Balk
- National Ecological Obervatory Network, Battelle Memorial Institute
- Jussi T. Eronen
- Ecosystems and Environment Research Programme & Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki
- W. Andrew Barr
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University
- A. K. Behrensmeyer
- Department of Paleobiology and Evolution of Terrestrial Ecosystems Program, Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History
- Matt Davis
- Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
- Andrew Du
- Department of Anthropology and Geography, Colorado State University, 1787 Campus Delivery
- J. Tyler Faith
- Natural History Museum of Utah, University of Utah
- Gary R. Graves
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
- Nicholas J. Gotelli
- Department of Biology, University of Vermont, Burlington
- Advait M. Jukar
- Department of Paleobiology and Evolution of Terrestrial Ecosystems Program, Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History
- Cindy V. Looy
- Department of Integrative Biology and Museum of Paleontology, University of California, Berkeley, Valley Life Sciences Building
- Brian J. McGill
- School of Biology and Ecology and Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, University of Maine
- Joshua H. Miller
- Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati
- Silvia Pineda-Munoz
- Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Indiana University
- Richard Potts
- Human Origins Program, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
- Alex B. Shupinski
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska Lincoln
- Laura C. Soul
- Department of Paleobiology and Evolution of Terrestrial Ecosystems Program, Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History
- S. Kathleen Lyons
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska Lincoln
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-31595-8
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 13,
no. 1
pp. 1 – 11
Abstract
Biotic homogenization, which is increased similarity in the composition of species among communities, is rising due to human activities. Using North American mammal fossil records from the past 30,000 years, this study shows that this phenomenon is ancient, beginning between 12,000 and 10,000 years ago with the extinction of the mammal megafauna.
