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Home / Equine Research Bank / PLoS One / Dispersal of Pleistocene Equus (Family Equidae) into South A...
PloS one2013; 8(3); e59277; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0059277

Dispersal of Pleistocene Equus (Family Equidae) into South America and calibration of GABI 3 based on evidence from Tarija, Bolivia.

Abstract: The dispersal of Equus into South America during the Great American Biotic Interchange (GABI) represented a major event for Pleistocene land-mammal age chronology on that continent. It has been argued that this dispersal occurred during the late Pleistocene, ∼0.125 Ma, and it defines the base of the Lujanian South American Land Mammal Age (SALMA). In this scenario, Equus dispersed during the fourth and latest recognized phase of the interchange, i.e., GABI 4. Although Equus was widely distributed in South America during the Pleistocene, only a few localities are calibrated by independent chronostratigraphic data. In this paper, new biostratigraphic evidence documents that Equus occurs from 15 superposed faunal horizons or zones throughout the Tolomosa Formation at Tarija, Bolivia. This biostratigraphic sequence is independently calibrated to occur between ∼0.99 to <0.76 Ma during the middle Pleistocene Ensenadan SALMA and coincident with GABI 3, not GABI 4. Tarija remains the only well calibrated Ensenadan locality at which Equus is found. The new biostratigraphic data presented here are unambiguous and document the earlier (pre-Lujanian) occurrence of this genus in South America. The hypothesized dispersal of the genus Equus into South America at ∼0.125 Ma is no longer supportable in light of the new biostratigraphic evidence presented here. The new data from Tarija thus have continent-wide implications for the origins and biogeography of Equus in South America as well as the calibration of GABI 3.
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Publication Date: 2013-03-20 PubMed ID: 23527150PubMed Central: PMC3603859DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0059277Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research examines the arrival period of the Equus genus (a family of mammals that includes horses) into South America during the Great American Biotic Interchange (GABI), suggesting that it occurred earlier than previously estimated. The study uses new biostratigraphic data from Tarija, Bolivia.

Overview of Study and Data Collection

  • The researchers focused on the migration of the Equus genus during the Great American Biotic Interchange (GABI), a major prehistoric event where land and freshwater fauna migrated between North and South America.
  • Previous research suggested this migration of the Equus genus into South America took place during the late Pleistocene epoch, about 0.125 million years ago (Ma). This event defined the starting point of the Lujanian South American Land Mammal Age (SALMA), considered as the fourth phase of the interchange, i.e., GABI 4.
  • Using a new set of biostratigraphic data collected from Tarija, Bolivia, the study intended to pinpoint the exact period of Equus migration.

Biostratigraphic Evidence from Tarija

  • The study examined 15 superposed faunal horizons or zones within the Tolomosa Formation at Tarija. The biostratigraphic sequence from these zones provided independent data to calibrate the Equus migration timeframe.
  • This evidence suggests that the Equus genus was present between roughly 0.99 to less than 0.76 Ma, during the middle Pleistocene Ensenadan SALMA, and coinciding with the third phase of the GABI (GABI 3).
  • The evidence from Tarija is crucial as it is currently the only well-calibrated Ensenadan site where the Equus genus has been found.

Implications and Conclusion

  • The research indicates that the Equus genus appeared in South America earlier than previously believed, necessitating a revision of previous hypotheses that predicated their dispersal at about 0.125 Ma.
  • This new data has substantial implications not just for understanding the biogeography of the Equus genus in South America but also for calibrating the timings of the Great American Biotic Interchange, especially GABI 3.
  • Therefore, the study underscores the importance of biostratigraphic research in understanding faunal migrations and prehistoric high-order events.

Cite This Article

APA
MacFadden BJ. (2013). Dispersal of Pleistocene Equus (Family Equidae) into South America and calibration of GABI 3 based on evidence from Tarija, Bolivia. PLoS One, 8(3), e59277. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0059277

Publication

PloS one
ISSN: 1932-6203
NlmUniqueID: 101285081
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 8
Issue: 3
Pages: e59277
PII: e59277

Researcher Affiliations

MacFadden, Bruce J
  • Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America. bmacfadd@flmnh.ufl.edu

MeSH Terms

  • Analysis of Variance
  • Animal Distribution / physiology
  • Animals
  • Bolivia
  • Fossils
  • History, Ancient
  • Horses / anatomy & histology
  • Horses / physiology
  • Tooth / anatomy & histology

Conflict of Interest Statement

The author declares that no competing interests exist.

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Citations

This article has been cited 1 times.
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    doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0132359pubmed: 26177104google scholar: lookup
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