Evolution and extinction of the giant rhinoceros Elasmotherium sibiricum sheds light on late Quaternary megafaunal extinctions.

Kosintsev, P; Mitchell, KJ; Devièse, T; van der Plicht, J; Kuitems, M; Petrova, E; Tikhonov, A; Higham, T; Comeskey, D; Turney, C; Cooper, A; van Kolfschoten, T; Stuart, AJ; Lister, AM

Evolution and extinction of the giant rhinoceros Elasmotherium sibiricum sheds light on late Quaternary megafaunal extinctions.

Kosintsev, P Mitchell, KJ Devièse, T van der Plicht, J Kuitems, M Petrova, E Tikhonov, A Higham, T Comeskey, D Turney, C

Cooper, A van Kolfschoten, T Stuart, AJ Lister, AM

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Publisher:: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Nat Ecol Evol, 2019, 3, (1), pp. 31-38
Issue Date:: 2019-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Kosintsev, P
dc.contributor.author	Mitchell, KJ
dc.contributor.author	Devièse, T
dc.contributor.author	van der Plicht, J
dc.contributor.author	Kuitems, M
dc.contributor.author	Petrova, E
dc.contributor.author	Tikhonov, A
dc.contributor.author	Higham, T
dc.contributor.author	Comeskey, D
dc.contributor.author	Turney, C https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6733-0993
dc.contributor.author	Cooper, A
dc.contributor.author	van Kolfschoten, T
dc.contributor.author	Stuart, AJ
dc.contributor.author	Lister, AM
dc.date.accessioned	2022-09-27T05:56:54Z
dc.date.available	2018-10-16
dc.date.available	2022-09-27T05:56:54Z
dc.date.issued	2019-01
dc.identifier.citation	Nat Ecol Evol, 2019, 3, (1), pp. 31-38
dc.identifier.issn	2397-334X
dc.identifier.issn	2397-334X
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/162142
dc.description.abstract	Understanding extinction events requires an unbiased record of the chronology and ecology of victims and survivors. The rhinoceros Elasmotherium sibiricum, known as the 'Siberian unicorn', was believed to have gone extinct around 200,000 years ago-well before the late Quaternary megafaunal extinction event. However, no absolute dating, genetic analysis or quantitative ecological assessment of this species has been undertaken. Here, we show, by accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dating of 23 individuals, including cross-validation by compound-specific analysis, that E. sibiricum survived in Eastern Europe and Central Asia until at least 39,000 years ago, corroborating a wave of megafaunal turnover before the Last Glacial Maximum in Eurasia, in addition to the better-known late-glacial event. Stable isotope data indicate a dry steppe niche for E. sibiricum and, together with morphology, a highly specialized diet that probably contributed to its extinction. We further demonstrate, with DNA sequencing data, a very deep phylogenetic split between the subfamilies Elasmotheriinae and Rhinocerotinae that includes all the living rhinoceroses, settling a debate based on fossil evidence and confirming that the two lineages had diverged by the Eocene. As the last surviving member of the Elasmotheriinae, the demise of the 'Siberian unicorn' marked the extinction of this subfamily.
dc.format	Print-Electronic
dc.language	eng
dc.publisher	Springer Science and Business Media LLC
dc.relation.ispartof	Nat Ecol Evol
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1038/s41559-018-0722-0
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess
dc.subject.mesh	Animals
dc.subject.mesh	Bone and Bones
dc.subject.mesh	Carbon Isotopes
dc.subject.mesh	DNA
dc.subject.mesh	Evolution, Molecular
dc.subject.mesh	Extinction, Biological
dc.subject.mesh	Nitrogen Isotopes
dc.subject.mesh	Perissodactyla
dc.subject.mesh	Phylogeny
dc.subject.mesh	Bone and Bones
dc.subject.mesh	Animals
dc.subject.mesh	Perissodactyla
dc.subject.mesh	Carbon Isotopes
dc.subject.mesh	Nitrogen Isotopes
dc.subject.mesh	DNA
dc.subject.mesh	Evolution, Molecular
dc.subject.mesh	Phylogeny
dc.subject.mesh	Extinction, Biological
dc.title	Evolution and extinction of the giant rhinoceros Elasmotherium sibiricum sheds light on late Quaternary megafaunal extinctions.
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	3
utslib.location.activity	England
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/DVC (Research)
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access	*
dc.date.updated	2022-09-27T05:56:38Z
pubs.issue	1
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	3
utslib.citation.issue	1

Abstract:

Understanding extinction events requires an unbiased record of the chronology and ecology of victims and survivors. The rhinoceros Elasmotherium sibiricum, known as the 'Siberian unicorn', was believed to have gone extinct around 200,000 years ago-well before the late Quaternary megafaunal extinction event. However, no absolute dating, genetic analysis or quantitative ecological assessment of this species has been undertaken. Here, we show, by accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dating of 23 individuals, including cross-validation by compound-specific analysis, that E. sibiricum survived in Eastern Europe and Central Asia until at least 39,000 years ago, corroborating a wave of megafaunal turnover before the Last Glacial Maximum in Eurasia, in addition to the better-known late-glacial event. Stable isotope data indicate a dry steppe niche for E. sibiricum and, together with morphology, a highly specialized diet that probably contributed to its extinction. We further demonstrate, with DNA sequencing data, a very deep phylogenetic split between the subfamilies Elasmotheriinae and Rhinocerotinae that includes all the living rhinoceroses, settling a debate based on fossil evidence and confirming that the two lineages had diverged by the Eocene. As the last surviving member of the Elasmotheriinae, the demise of the 'Siberian unicorn' marked the extinction of this subfamily.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/162142