FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 10000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Science (New York, N.Y.)2012; 335(6071); 959-962; doi: 10.1126/science.1213859

Evolution of the earliest horses driven by climate change in the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum.

Abstract: 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.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2012-03-01 PubMed ID: 22363006DOI: 10.1126/science.1213859Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
LinkedInCopy
  • Journal Article
  • Research Support
  • U.S. Gov't
  • Non-P.H.S.

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.

The research article discusses how climate change during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) influenced the evolution of the earliest horses, causing them to decrease in size. It provides a thorough analysis of the correlation between the horses’ body size and the then prevailing climate condition.

Body Size Influence in Mammalian Ecology and Physiology

  • The research begins by shedding light on the significance of body size in mammalian ecology and physiology. It highlights how body size can impact a mammal’s survival, reproductive strategies, and overall fitness.

Impact of PETM

  • Narrowing the focus to the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), the paper delves into how this particular geological epoch affected many mammalian species, specifically horses. PETM was a period characterized by a rapid and significant increase in global temperatures, which had far-ranging effects on the Earth’s climate and ecology.
  • There is an emphasis on how the sudden spike in temperatures resulted in a reduction in the size of many mammals, underscoring an evolutionary adaptation to survive these harsh conditions.

Horse Size Change

  • The complexity of understanding the size reduction phenomenon gets highlighted in the study with the elucidation of its timing and magnitude relative to climate change.
  • The researchers provide a high-resolution record of continental climate and equid (horse) body size change, which indicates a 30% size decrease over the first 130,000 years of the PETM. Moreover, in the recovery phase of the PETM, a 76% increase in size was observed.

Correlation Between Size Change and Climate

  • The aforementioned changes in the body size of horses were found to have a negative correlation with the temperature inferred from oxygen isotopes in mammal teeth, implying that as temperature rose, the body size decreased and vice versa.
  • The research further suggests these transformations were likely driven by shifts in temperature and possibly high atmospheric CO2 concentrations during the PETM.

Future Global Warming and Mammalian Evolution

  • In conclusion, these findings can potentially be significant for comprehending how mammalian (in this case, horse) evolution could react to future global warming scenarios.
  • It projects the possibility that as our planet continues to experience rising temperatures, evolutionary changes as seen during the PETM might ensue.

Cite This Article

APA
Secord R, Bloch JI, Chester SG, Boyer DM, Wood AR, Wing SL, Kraus MJ, McInerney FA, Krigbaum J. (2012). Evolution of the earliest horses driven by climate change in the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum. Science, 335(6071), 959-962. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1213859

Publication

Science (New York, N.Y.)
ISSN: 1095-9203
NlmUniqueID: 0404511
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 335
Issue: 6071
Pages: 959-962

Researcher Affiliations

Secord, Ross
  • Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA. rsecord2@unl.edu
Bloch, Jonathan I
    Chester, Stephen G B
      Boyer, Doug M
        Wood, Aaron R
          Wing, Scott L
            Kraus, Mary J
              McInerney, Francesca A
                Krigbaum, John

                  MeSH Terms

                  • Animals
                  • Atmosphere
                  • Biological Evolution
                  • Body Size
                  • Carbon Dioxide / analysis
                  • Climate Change
                  • Equidae / anatomy & histology
                  • Fossils
                  • Global Warming
                  • Horses / anatomy & histology
                  • Humidity
                  • Oxygen Isotopes / analysis
                  • Temperature
                  • Wyoming

                  Citations

                  This article has been cited 28 times.
                  1. Landry Z, Roloson MJ, Fraser D. Investigating the reliability of metapodials as taxonomic Indicators for Beringian horses. J Mamm Evol 2022;29(4):863-875.
                    doi: 10.1007/s10914-022-09626-4pubmed: 36438779google scholar: lookup
                  2. Harrison JF, Biewener A, Bernhardt JR, Burger JR, Brown JH, Coto ZN, Duell ME, Lynch M, Moffett ER, Norin T, Pettersen AK, Smith FA, Somjee U, Traniello JFA, Williams TM. White Paper: An Integrated Perspective on the Causes of Hypometric Metabolic Scaling in Animals. Integr Comp Biol 2022 Aug 6;62(5):1395-418.
                    doi: 10.1093/icb/icac136pubmed: 35933126google scholar: lookup
                  3. Christison BE, Gaidies F, Pineda-Munoz S, Evans AR, Gilbert MA, Fraser D. Dietary niches of creodonts and carnivorans of the late Eocene Cypress Hills Formation. J Mammal 2022 Feb;103(1):2-17.
                    doi: 10.1093/jmammal/gyab123pubmed: 35087328google scholar: lookup
                  4. Bai B, Meng J, Janis CM, Zhang ZQ, Wang YQ. Perissodactyl diversities and responses to climate changes as reflected by dental homogeneity during the Cenozoic in Asia. Ecol Evol 2020 Jul;10(13):6333-6355.
                    doi: 10.1002/ece3.6363pubmed: 32724516google scholar: lookup
                  5. MacLaren JA, McHorse BK. Comparative forelimb myology and muscular architecture of a juvenile Malayan tapir (Tapirus indicus). J Anat 2020 Jan;236(1):85-97.
                    doi: 10.1111/joa.13087pubmed: 31515803google scholar: lookup
                  6. Benevento GL, Benson RBJ, Friedman M. Patterns of mammalian jaw ecomorphological disparity during the Mesozoic/Cenozoic transition. Proc Biol Sci 2019 May 15;286(1902):20190347.
                    doi: 10.1098/rspb.2019.0347pubmed: 31039714google scholar: lookup
                  7. Stroik LK, Schwartz GT. The role of dietary competition in the origination and early diversification of North American euprimates. Proc Biol Sci 2018 Aug 1;285(1884).
                    doi: 10.1098/rspb.2018.1230pubmed: 30068683google scholar: lookup
                  8. Foreman BZ, Straub KM. Autogenic geomorphic processes determine the resolution and fidelity of terrestrial paleoclimate records. Sci Adv 2017 Sep;3(9):e1700683.
                    doi: 10.1126/sciadv.1700683pubmed: 28924607google scholar: lookup
                  9. Vitek NS, Manz CL, Gao T, Bloch JI, Strait SG, Boyer DM. Semi-supervised determination of pseudocryptic morphotypes using observer-free characterizations of anatomical alignment and shape. Ecol Evol 2017 Jul;7(14):5041-5055.
                    doi: 10.1002/ece3.3058pubmed: 28770045google scholar: lookup
                  10. Westbury M, Baleka S, Barlow A, Hartmann S, Paijmans JLA, Kramarz A, Forasiepi AM, Bond M, Gelfo JN, Reguero MA, López-Mendoza P, Taglioretti M, Scaglia F, Rinderknecht A, Jones W, Mena F, Billet G, de Muizon C, Aguilar JL, MacPhee RDE, Hofreiter M. A mitogenomic timetree for Darwin's enigmatic South American mammal Macrauchenia patachonica. Nat Commun 2017 Jun 27;8:15951.
                    doi: 10.1038/ncomms15951pubmed: 28654082google scholar: lookup
                  11. Clavel J, Morlon H. Accelerated body size evolution during cold climatic periods in the Cenozoic. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017 Apr 18;114(16):4183-4188.
                    doi: 10.1073/pnas.1606868114pubmed: 28373536google scholar: lookup
                  12. D'Ambrosia AR, Clyde WC, Fricke HC, Gingerich PD, Abels HA. Repetitive mammalian dwarfing during ancient greenhouse warming events. Sci Adv 2017 Mar;3(3):e1601430.
                    doi: 10.1126/sciadv.1601430pubmed: 28345031google scholar: lookup
                  13. Huang S, Eronen JT, Janis CM, Saarinen JJ, Silvestro D, Fritz SA. Mammal body size evolution in North America and Europe over 20 Myr: similar trends generated by different processes. Proc Biol Sci 2017 Feb 22;284(1849).
                    doi: 10.1098/rspb.2016.2361pubmed: 28202809google scholar: lookup
                  14. Currano ED, Laker R, Flynn AG, Fogt KK, Stradtman H, Wing SL. Consequences of elevated temperature and pCO2 on insect folivory at the ecosystem level: perspectives from the fossil record. Ecol Evol 2016 Jul;6(13):4318-31.
                    doi: 10.1002/ece3.2203pubmed: 27386078google scholar: lookup
                  15. Gehler A, Gingerich PD, Pack A. Temperature and atmospheric CO2 concentration estimates through the PETM using triple oxygen isotope analysis of mammalian bioapatite. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016 Jul 12;113(28):7739-44.
                    doi: 10.1073/pnas.1518116113pubmed: 27354522google scholar: lookup
                  16. Rankin BD, Fox JW, Barrón-Ortiz CR, Chew AE, Holroyd PA, Ludtke JA, Yang X, Theodor JM. The extended Price equation quantifies species selection on mammalian body size across the Palaeocene/Eocene Thermal Maximum. Proc Biol Sci 2015 Aug 7;282(1812):20151097.
                    doi: 10.1098/rspb.2015.1097pubmed: 26224712google scholar: lookup
                  17. Hunt G, Hopkins MJ, Lidgard S. Simple versus complex models of trait evolution and stasis as a response to environmental change. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015 Apr 21;112(16):4885-90.
                    doi: 10.1073/pnas.1403662111pubmed: 25901309google scholar: lookup
                  18. Fraser D, Hassall C, Gorelick R, Rybczynski N. Mean annual precipitation explains spatiotemporal patterns of Cenozoic mammal beta diversity and latitudinal diversity gradients in North America. PLoS One 2014;9(9):e106499.
                    doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0106499pubmed: 25203658google scholar: lookup
                  19. Ruf T, Geiser F. Daily torpor and hibernation in birds and mammals. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2015 Aug;90(3):891-926.
                    doi: 10.1111/brv.12137pubmed: 25123049google scholar: lookup
                  20. Archibald SB, Morse GE, Greenwood DR, Mathewes RW. Fossil palm beetles refine upland winter temperatures in the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2014 Jun 3;111(22):8095-100.
                    doi: 10.1073/pnas.1323269111pubmed: 24821798google scholar: lookup
                  21. Seim I, Fang X, Xiong Z, Lobanov AV, Huang Z, Ma S, Feng Y, Turanov AA, Zhu Y, Lenz TL, Gerashchenko MV, Fan D, Hee Yim S, Yao X, Jordan D, Xiong Y, Ma Y, Lyapunov AN, Chen G, Kulakova OI, Sun Y, Lee SG, Bronson RT, Moskalev AA, Sunyaev SR, Zhang G, Krogh A, Wang J, Gladyshev VN. Genome analysis reveals insights into physiology and longevity of the Brandt's bat Myotis brandtii. Nat Commun 2013;4:2212.
                    doi: 10.1038/ncomms3212pubmed: 23962925google scholar: lookup
                  22. Boyer DM, Seiffert ER, Gladman JT, Bloch JI. Evolution and allometry of calcaneal elongation in living and extinct primates. PLoS One 2013;8(7):e67792.
                    doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0067792pubmed: 23844094google scholar: lookup
                  23. Sookias RB, Benson RB, Butler RJ. Biology, not environment, drives major patterns in maximum tetrapod body size through time. Biol Lett 2012 Aug 23;8(4):674-7.
                    doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2012.0060pubmed: 22513278google scholar: lookup
                  24. Tabuce R, Marandat B, Adnet S, Gernelle K, Girard F, Marivaux L, Solé F, Schnyder J, Steurbaut E, Storme JY, Vianey-Liaud M, Yans J. European mammal turnover driven by a global rapid warming event preceding the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2025 Jun 24;122(25):e2505795122.
                    doi: 10.1073/pnas.2505795122pubmed: 40523176google scholar: lookup
                  25. Whittingham MAJB, Korasidis VA, Fraser D. Functional stasis and changing habitat preferences among mammalian communities from the PETM of the Bighorn Basin, Wyoming. Camb Prism Extinct 2024;2:e20.
                    doi: 10.1017/ext.2024.25pubmed: 40078814google scholar: lookup
                  26. Smith FA, Elliott Smith EA, Hedberg CP, Lyons SK, Pardi MI, Tomé CP. After the mammoths: The ecological legacy of late Pleistocene megafauna extinctions. Camb Prism Extinct 2023;1:e9.
                    doi: 10.1017/ext.2023.6pubmed: 40078685google scholar: lookup
                  27. Ustyantsev IG, Kosushkin SA, Borodulina OR, Vassetzky NS, Kramerov DA. Ere, a Family of Short Interspersed Elements in the Genomes of Odd-Toed Ungulates (Perissodactyla). Animals (Basel) 2024 Jul 5;14(13).
                    doi: 10.3390/ani14131982pubmed: 38998094google scholar: lookup
                  28. Searing KB, Lomolino MV, Rozzi R. Melting climates shrink North American small mammals. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023 Dec 12;120(50):e2310855120.
                    doi: 10.1073/pnas.2310855120pubmed: 38048453google scholar: lookup
                  Subscribe to our newsletter
                  Join 99,928 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.