Macroecological analyses support an overkill scenario for late Pleistocene extinctions
Main Author: | |
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Publication Date: | 2004 |
Format: | Article |
Language: | eng |
Source: | Brazilian Journal of Biology |
Download full: | http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1519-69842004000300005 |
Summary: | The extinction of megafauna at the end of Pleistocene has been traditionally explained by environmental changes or overexploitation by human hunting (overkill). Despite difficulties in choosing between these alternative (and not mutually exclusive) scenarios, the plausibility of the overkill hypothesis can be established by ecological models of predator-prey interactions. In this paper, I have developed a macroecological model for the overkill hypothesis, in which prey population dynamic parameters, including abundance, geographic extent, and food supply for hunters, were derived from empirical allometric relationships with body mass. The last output correctly predicts the final destiny (survival or extinction) for 73% of the species considered, a value only slightly smaller than those obtained by more complex models based on detailed archaeological and ecological data for each species. This illustrates the high selectivity of Pleistocene extinction in relation to body mass and confers more plausibility on the overkill scenario. |
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Macroecological analyses support an overkill scenario for late Pleistocene extinctionsoverkillmacroecologyPleistoceneextinctionhunter-gatherersThe extinction of megafauna at the end of Pleistocene has been traditionally explained by environmental changes or overexploitation by human hunting (overkill). Despite difficulties in choosing between these alternative (and not mutually exclusive) scenarios, the plausibility of the overkill hypothesis can be established by ecological models of predator-prey interactions. In this paper, I have developed a macroecological model for the overkill hypothesis, in which prey population dynamic parameters, including abundance, geographic extent, and food supply for hunters, were derived from empirical allometric relationships with body mass. The last output correctly predicts the final destiny (survival or extinction) for 73% of the species considered, a value only slightly smaller than those obtained by more complex models based on detailed archaeological and ecological data for each species. This illustrates the high selectivity of Pleistocene extinction in relation to body mass and confers more plausibility on the overkill scenario.Instituto Internacional de Ecologia2004-08-01info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersiontext/htmlhttp://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1519-69842004000300005Brazilian Journal of Biology v.64 n.3a 2004reponame:Brazilian Journal of Biologyinstname:Instituto Internacional de Ecologia (IIE)instacron:IIE10.1590/S1519-69842004000300005info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessDiniz-Filho,J. A. F.eng2005-03-02T00:00:00Zoai:scielo:S1519-69842004000300005Revistahttps://www.scielo.br/j/bjb/https://old.scielo.br/oai/scielo-oai.phpbjb@bjb.com.br||bjb@bjb.com.br1678-43751519-6984opendoar:2005-03-02T00:00Brazilian Journal of Biology - Instituto Internacional de Ecologia (IIE)false |
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv |
Macroecological analyses support an overkill scenario for late Pleistocene extinctions |
title |
Macroecological analyses support an overkill scenario for late Pleistocene extinctions |
spellingShingle |
Macroecological analyses support an overkill scenario for late Pleistocene extinctions Diniz-Filho,J. A. F. overkill macroecology Pleistocene extinction hunter-gatherers |
title_short |
Macroecological analyses support an overkill scenario for late Pleistocene extinctions |
title_full |
Macroecological analyses support an overkill scenario for late Pleistocene extinctions |
title_fullStr |
Macroecological analyses support an overkill scenario for late Pleistocene extinctions |
title_full_unstemmed |
Macroecological analyses support an overkill scenario for late Pleistocene extinctions |
title_sort |
Macroecological analyses support an overkill scenario for late Pleistocene extinctions |
author |
Diniz-Filho,J. A. F. |
author_facet |
Diniz-Filho,J. A. F. |
author_role |
author |
dc.contributor.author.fl_str_mv |
Diniz-Filho,J. A. F. |
dc.subject.por.fl_str_mv |
overkill macroecology Pleistocene extinction hunter-gatherers |
topic |
overkill macroecology Pleistocene extinction hunter-gatherers |
description |
The extinction of megafauna at the end of Pleistocene has been traditionally explained by environmental changes or overexploitation by human hunting (overkill). Despite difficulties in choosing between these alternative (and not mutually exclusive) scenarios, the plausibility of the overkill hypothesis can be established by ecological models of predator-prey interactions. In this paper, I have developed a macroecological model for the overkill hypothesis, in which prey population dynamic parameters, including abundance, geographic extent, and food supply for hunters, were derived from empirical allometric relationships with body mass. The last output correctly predicts the final destiny (survival or extinction) for 73% of the species considered, a value only slightly smaller than those obtained by more complex models based on detailed archaeological and ecological data for each species. This illustrates the high selectivity of Pleistocene extinction in relation to body mass and confers more plausibility on the overkill scenario. |
publishDate |
2004 |
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv |
2004-08-01 |
dc.type.driver.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/article |
dc.type.status.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion |
format |
article |
status_str |
publishedVersion |
dc.identifier.uri.fl_str_mv |
http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1519-69842004000300005 |
url |
http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1519-69842004000300005 |
dc.language.iso.fl_str_mv |
eng |
language |
eng |
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv |
10.1590/S1519-69842004000300005 |
dc.rights.driver.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
eu_rights_str_mv |
openAccess |
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv |
text/html |
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv |
Instituto Internacional de Ecologia |
publisher.none.fl_str_mv |
Instituto Internacional de Ecologia |
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv |
Brazilian Journal of Biology v.64 n.3a 2004 reponame:Brazilian Journal of Biology instname:Instituto Internacional de Ecologia (IIE) instacron:IIE |
instname_str |
Instituto Internacional de Ecologia (IIE) |
instacron_str |
IIE |
institution |
IIE |
reponame_str |
Brazilian Journal of Biology |
collection |
Brazilian Journal of Biology |
repository.name.fl_str_mv |
Brazilian Journal of Biology - Instituto Internacional de Ecologia (IIE) |
repository.mail.fl_str_mv |
bjb@bjb.com.br||bjb@bjb.com.br |
_version_ |
1752129875179732992 |