[dinosaur] Smilodon hunted in forest + New Zealand bird extinctions + Yaminuechelys

Ben Creisler
[email protected]

Some new non-dino papers:

Free pdf (for now):

Larisa R.G. DeSantis, Jonathan M. Crites, Robert S. Feranec, John M.
Harris, Gary T. Takeuchi & Thure E. Cerling (2019)
Causes and Consequences of Pleistocene Megafaunal Extinctions as Revealed
from Rancho La Brea Mammals
Current Biology 29(15): P2488-2495
DOI: https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__doi.org_10.1016_j.cub.2019.06.059&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=kj9jjwuRc_Xq65MqLnn00Sd8ajqlXJWbeZK0Pk-8jFM&s=YBxTt7cOLS4jqT3GO23PMOsL9JvVtZxAp_v7KO8zUO0&e= 
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.cell.com_current-2Dbiology_fulltext_S0960-2D9822-2819-2930786-2D9&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=kj9jjwuRc_Xq65MqLnn00Sd8ajqlXJWbeZK0Pk-8jFM&s=i8WLcYFt9MWsmSx36FqpjE0QcOXBoyWiFybmPSghWP0&e= 
Free pdf:
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.cell.com_action_showPdf-3Fpii-3DS0960-2D9822-252819-252930786-2D9&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=kj9jjwuRc_Xq65MqLnn00Sd8ajqlXJWbeZK0Pk-8jFM&s=A0qKXcvAlbbAEppCj_xpWRj7TLU67ZgJRdM6iAjtaec&e= 


Highlights

Sabertooth cats and dire wolves were not in competition for similar prey
Sabertooth cats scavenged more intensively during cooler intervals
Coyote diets were substantially affected by the extinction of megafauna
Rancho La Brea fossils reveal that diets of carnivorans are not always
conserved

Summary

The fossils preserved in the Rancho La Brea "tar" seeps in southern
California span the past ∼50,000 years and provide a rare opportunity to
assess the ecology of predators (e.g., the American lion, sabertooth cats,
cougars, dire wolves, gray wolves, and coyotes), including clarifying the
causes and consequences of the terminal Pleistocene extinction event. Here,
a multi-proxy approach elucidates dietary responses of carnivorans to
changing climates and megafaunal extinctions. Using sample sizes that are
unavailable anywhere else in the world, including hundreds of carnivoran
and herbivore specimens, we clarify the paleobiology of the extinct
sabertooth cats and dire wolves--overturning the idea that they heavily
competed for similar prey. Canids (especially the dire wolf) consumed prey
from more open environments than felids, demonstrating minimal competition
for prey throughout the latest Pleistocene and largely irrespective of
changing climates, including just prior to their extinction. Coyotes
experienced a dramatic shift in dietary behavior toward increased carcass
utilization and the consumption of forest resources (prey and/or plant
resources) after the terminal Pleistocene megafaunal extinction. Extant
predators’ ability to effectively hunt smaller prey and/or utilize
carcasses may have been a key to their survival, especially after a
significant reduction in megafaunal prey resources. Collectively, these
data suggest that dietary niches of carnivorans are not always static and
can instead be substantially affected by the removal of top predators and
abundant prey resources.

**

News:

Saber-tooth surprise: Fossils redraw picture of the fearsome big cat

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.nationalgeographic.com_science_2019_08_saber-2Dtooth-2Dcats-2Dsurprise-2Dfossils-2Dredraw-2Dpicture-2Dof-2Dbig-2Dcat_&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=kj9jjwuRc_Xq65MqLnn00Sd8ajqlXJWbeZK0Pk-8jFM&s=PyKxEOOjN0-It1oGVVFmQWR0_L8fyg-sjBTXJKsLJNc&e= 

Intense look at La Brea Tar Pits explains why we have coyotes, not
saber-toothed cats

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__phys.org_news_2019-2D08-2Dintense-2Dla-2Dbrea-2Dtar-2Dpits.html&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=kj9jjwuRc_Xq65MqLnn00Sd8ajqlXJWbeZK0Pk-8jFM&s=7PyYg-Z_Z3cX_C8uLch91_GLOVOFYyeYvvV-IyU-ldo&e= 

====

Free pdf (for now):

Luis Valente, Rampal S. Etienne & Juan C. Garcia-R. (2019)
Deep Macroevolutionary Impact of Humans on New Zealand’s Unique Avifauna.
Current Biology 29(15): P2563-2569
DOI: https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__doi.org_10.1016_j.cub.2019.06.058&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=kj9jjwuRc_Xq65MqLnn00Sd8ajqlXJWbeZK0Pk-8jFM&s=03KSWNOSEdd4wf-pYWKe53doZlKApW0c8jDVTCz8aC8&e= 
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.cell.com_current-2Dbiology_fulltext_S0960-2D9822-2819-2930785-2D7&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=kj9jjwuRc_Xq65MqLnn00Sd8ajqlXJWbeZK0Pk-8jFM&s=TIacoOqNC6pFh9wTC0t2ROEftuAHj1ylx_vIZyxFUCU&e= 
Free pdf:
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.cell.com_action_showPdf-3Fpii-3DS0960-2D9822-252819-252930785-2D7&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=kj9jjwuRc_Xq65MqLnn00Sd8ajqlXJWbeZK0Pk-8jFM&s=KEzxHZDK-iAauRh10gbo4haVOwwECLBjLjncPmZPlKM&e= 


Highlights

Large numbers of bird species went extinct in New Zealand after human
colonization
We reconstruct diversity dynamics of New Zealand’s birds
It would take 50 million years (Ma) to recover the diversity of bird
species lost
If threatened species go extinct, up to 10 Ma needed to return to today’s
levels

Summary

Islands are at the frontline of the anthropogenic extinction crisis. A vast
number of island birds have gone extinct since human colonization, and an
important proportion is currently threatened with extinction. While the
number of lost or threatened avian species has often been quantified, the
macroevolutionary consequences of human impact on island biodiversity have
rarely been measured. Here, we estimate the amount of evolutionary time
that has been lost or is under threat due to anthropogenic activity in a
classic example, New Zealand. Half of its bird taxa have gone extinct since
humans arrived and many are threatened, including lineages forming highly
distinct branches in the avian tree of life. Using paleontological and
ancient DNA information, we compiled a dated phylogenetic dataset for New
Zealand’s terrestrial avifauna. We extend the method DAISIE developed for
island biogeography to allow for the fact that many of New Zealand’s birds
are evolutionarily isolated and use it to estimate natural rates of
speciation, extinction, and colonization. Simulating under a range of
human-induced extinction scenarios, we find that it would take
approximately 50 million years (Ma) to recover the number of species lost
since human colonization of New Zealand and up to 10 Ma to return to
today’s species numbers if currently threatened species go extinct. This
study puts into macroevolutionary perspective the impact of humans in an
isolated fauna and reveals how conservation decisions we take today will
have repercussions for millions of years.

News:

Birds driven to extinction in New Zealand will take 50 million years to
recover

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__phys.org_news_2019-2D08-2Dmillion-2Dyears-2Drecover-2Dzealand-2Dlost.html&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=kj9jjwuRc_Xq65MqLnn00Sd8ajqlXJWbeZK0Pk-8jFM&s=fWRgHkd_l6NGCMEFsuX0EosCs_Nuk92QIcCcHOH6Zl8&e= 

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.earth.com_news_birds-2Dextinction-2Dnew-2Dzealand_&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=kj9jjwuRc_Xq65MqLnn00Sd8ajqlXJWbeZK0Pk-8jFM&s=b8IuRM9jq_Bd-LWZAQJOtGrAIZsOFXm3IrID8-0geuk&e= 

===

Pay-walled:

Yaminuechelys sulcipeculiaris sp. nov.

Carolina Oriozabala, Juliana Sterli & Marcelo S. De La Fuente (2019)
New species of the long-necked chelid Yaminuechelys from the Upper
Cretaceous (Campanian–Maastrichtian) of Chubut, Argentina.
Cretaceous Research (advance online publication)
doi: https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__doi.org_10.1016_j.cretres.2019.104197&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=kj9jjwuRc_Xq65MqLnn00Sd8ajqlXJWbeZK0Pk-8jFM&s=vQ33DeNlWdKEOsFySrNzsKXmxh6Hm3IZdEp85T97aPM&e= 
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.sciencedirect.com_science_article_pii_S0195667118304415&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=kj9jjwuRc_Xq65MqLnn00Sd8ajqlXJWbeZK0Pk-8jFM&s=iSY7trimw8ndcWa85IuofvtvgLCpRn8eOCCYiKziUak&e= 


A new species of a long-necked chelid from the uppermost Cretaceous
(Campanian–Maastrichtian) is presented in this contribution. Yaminuechelys
sulcipeculiaris sp. nov. is found in outcrops of the La Colonia Formation
in the northeast part of Chubut province, Argentina. This new species is
mainly represented by carapacial, plastral, and postcranial remains
(vertebrae and long bones). It was assigned to Yaminuechelys because it
presents characters shared with the species Yaminuechelys gasparinii de la
Fuente, Lapparent de Broin, and Manera de Bianco, 2001 and Yaminuechelys
maior (Staesche, 1929). Those characters are a large shell with irregular
polygons distributed on the external surface, the difference in length
between the anterior and posterior peripheral bones, and the neural series
separated from the suprapygal bones. Other characters, like the position of
the sulcus between vertebral 5 and marginal 12 crossing the suprapygal and
the location of the sulcus between the vertebral 5 and the marginal 11
crossing the costal 8 and suprapygal, suggest it is a new species.
According to the phylogenetic analysis performed, the new species forms a
monophyletic group together with Y. maior, and Y. gasparinii. The survival
of Yaminuechelys to the K/Pg extinction event is also discussed.

===========

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