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Home / Equine Research Bank / Science / Evolution of the earliest horses driven by climate change in...
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.
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Publication Date: 2012-03-01 PubMed ID: 22363006DOI: 10.1126/science.1213859Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • 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

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