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Home / Equine Research Bank / Sci Adv / Late Quaternary horses in Eurasia in the face of climate and...
Science advances2018; 4(7); eaar5589; doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aar5589

Late Quaternary horses in Eurasia in the face of climate and vegetation change.

Abstract: Wild horses thrived across Eurasia until the Last Glacial Maximum to collapse after the beginning of the Holocene. The interplay of climate change, species adaptability to different environments, and human domestication in horse history is still lacking coherent continental-scale analysis integrating different lines of evidence. We assembled temporal and geographical information on 3070 horse occurrences across Eurasia, frequency data for 1120 archeological layers in Europe, and matched them to paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental simulations for the Late Quaternary. Climate controlled the distribution of horses, and they inhabited regions in Europe and Asia with different climates and ecosystem productivity, suggesting plasticity to populate different environments. Their decline in Europe during the Holocene appears associated with an increasing loss and fragmentation of open habitats. Europe was the most likely source for the spread of horses toward more temperate regions, and we propose both Iberia and central Asia as potential centers of domestication.
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Publication Date: 2018-07-25 PubMed ID: 30050986PubMed Central: PMC6059734DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aar5589Google 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 explores the history of wild horses in Eurasia during the Late Quaternary period, showing how climate change, species adaptability, and human domestication impacted their distribution and survival. Data shows that the climate heavily influenced horse populations, and that their decline during the Holocene period is associated with loss of open habitats. Europe is suggested as the origin for horse dispersal to more temperate regions and potential centers of domestication.

Study Design and Data Collection

  • The researchers collected temporal and geographical information on horse occurrences across Eurasia, obtaining data on a staggering 3070 horse occurrences.
  • Frequency data for horses was harvested from 1120 archaeological layers in Europe, providing insights into the distribution and frequency of horses during different periods.
  • This comprehensive data collection was then matched to simulations of paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental conditions during the Late Quaternary period to elucidate how climate change may have impacted horse population dynamics.

Findings

  • Climate was identified as a key driver in the distribution of horses during the Late Quaternary. This demonstrates that horses were significantly affected by climatic conditions and changes.
  • Horses demonstrated adaptability in populating regions with different climates and ecosystem productivity. This implies an ecological plasticity in horse populations, enabling them to inhabit diverse environments.
  • During the Holocene, a period following the Last Glacial Maximum, horse populations in Europe declined. This decline was associated with a reduction and fragmentation of open habitats – crucial territories for wild horses.

Conclusions and Interpretations

  • Based on the researchers’ data, Europe is suggested as the most likely source for the propagation of horses to more temperate regions.
  • Both Iberia (a region spanning modern-day Spain and Portugal) and central Asia are proposed as potential centers for horse domestication, shedding light on the historical interaction between humans and horses.

Cite This Article

APA
Leonardi M, Boschin F, Giampoudakis K, Beyer RM, Krapp M, Bendrey R, Sommer R, Boscato P, Manica A, Nogues-Bravo D, Orlando L. (2018). Late Quaternary horses in Eurasia in the face of climate and vegetation change. Sci Adv, 4(7), eaar5589. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aar5589

Publication

Science advances
ISSN: 2375-2548
NlmUniqueID: 101653440
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 4
Issue: 7
Pages: eaar5589
PII: eaar5589

Researcher Affiliations

Leonardi, Michela
  • Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5-7, 1350K Copenhagen, Denmark.
Boschin, Francesco
  • U.R. Preistoria e Antropologia, Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche della Terra e dell'Ambiente, Università degli Studi di Siena, Via Laterina 8, 53100 Siena, Italy.
Giampoudakis, Konstantinos
  • Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark.
Beyer, Robert M
  • Evolutionary Ecology Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK.
Krapp, Mario
  • Evolutionary Ecology Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK.
Bendrey, Robin
  • School of History, Classics and Archaeology, University of Edinburgh, Old Medical School, Teviot Place, Edinburgh EH8 9AG, UK.
Sommer, Robert
  • Universität Rostock, Institut für Biowissenschaften, Allgemeine und Spezielle Zoologie, Universitätsplatz 2, 18055 Rostock, Germany.
Boscato, Paolo
  • U.R. Preistoria e Antropologia, Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche della Terra e dell'Ambiente, Università degli Studi di Siena, Via Laterina 8, 53100 Siena, Italy.
Manica, Andrea
  • Evolutionary Ecology Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK.
Nogues-Bravo, David
  • Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark.
Orlando, Ludovic
  • Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5-7, 1350K Copenhagen, Denmark.
  • Laboratoire d'Anthropobiologie Moléculaire et d'Imagerie de Synthèse, CNRS UMR 5288, Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, 31000 Toulouse, France.

MeSH Terms

  • Adaptation, Physiological
  • Animals
  • Archaeology
  • Asia
  • Climate Change
  • Databases, Factual
  • Ecosystem
  • Europe
  • Horses / physiology

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Citations

This article has been cited 1 times.
  1. Leonardi M, Boschin F, Boscato P, Manica A. Following the niche: the differential impact of the last glacial maximum on four European ungulates.. Commun Biol 2022 Sep 29;5(1):1038.
    doi: 10.1038/s42003-022-03993-7pubmed: 36175492google scholar: lookup
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