Evolution of the earliest horses driven by climate change in the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum.
Journal Article (Journal Article)
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 CO(2) concentrations. These findings could be important for understanding mammalian evolutionary responses to future global warming.
Full Text
Duke Authors
Cited Authors
- Secord, R; Bloch, JI; Chester, SGB; Boyer, DM; Wood, AR; Wing, SL; Kraus, MJ; McInerney, FA; Krigbaum, J
Published Date
- February 2012
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 335 / 6071
Start / End Page
- 959 - 962
PubMed ID
- 22363006
Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)
- 1095-9203
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
- 0036-8075
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1126/science.1213859
Language
- eng