10.5061/DRYAD.41NS1RNDQ
Hixon, Sean
0000-0001-6147-7118
University of California, Santa Barbara
Douglass, Kristina
0000-0003-0931-3428
Pennsylvania State University
Crowley, Brooke
University of Cincinnati
Rakotozafy, Lucien
University of Antananarivo
Clark, Geoffrey
Australian National University
Anderson, Atholl
Australian National University
Haberle, Simon
Australian National University
Ranaivoarisoa, Jean Freddy
University of Antananarivo
Buckley, Mike
University of Manchester
Fidiarisoa, Salomon
University of Toliara
Mbola, Balzac
University of Toliara
Kennett, Douglas
University of California, Santa Barbara
Datasets associated with: Late Holocene spread of pastoralism coincides
with endemic megafaunal extinction on Madagascar
Dryad
dataset
2021
National Science Foundation
https://ror.org/021nxhr62
GRFP – 2015213455
National Science Foundation
https://ror.org/021nxhr62
DDRI – 1838393
National Science Foundation
https://ror.org/021nxhr62
BCS – 1749676
National Science Foundation
https://ror.org/021nxhr62
BCS - 1460367
Royal Society
https://ror.org/03wnrjx87
UF120473
2021-06-30T00:00:00Z
2021-06-30T00:00:00Z
en
229372 bytes
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CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Recently expanded estimates for when humans arrived on Madagascar (up to
~10,000 years ago) highlight questions about the causes of the island’s
relatively late megafaunal extinctions (~2000-500 years ago). Introduced
domesticated animals could have contributed to extinctions, but the
arrival times and past diets of exotic animals are poorly known. To
conduct the first explicit test of the potential for competition between
introduced livestock and extinct endemic megafauna in southern and western
Madagascar, we generated new radiocarbon and stable carbon and nitrogen
isotope data from the bone collagen of introduced ungulates (zebu cattle,
ovicaprids, and bushpigs, n=66) and endemic megafauna (pygmy
hippopotamuses, giant tortoises, and elephant birds, n=68) and combined
these data with existing data from endemic megafauna (n=282, including
giant lemurs). Radiocarbon dates confirm that introduced and endemic
herbivores briefly overlapped chronologically in this region between 1000
and 800 calibrated years before present (cal BP). Moreover, stable isotope
data suggest that goats, tortoises, and hippos had broadly similar diets
or exploited similar habitats. These data support the potential for both
direct and indirect forms of competition between introduced and endemic
herbivores. We argue that competition with introduced herbivores, mediated
by opportunistic hunting by humans and exacerbated by environmental
change, contributed to the late extinction of endemic megafauna on
Madagascar.
Stable carbon isotope, stable nitrogen isotope, and radiocarbon data were
collected using standard approaches. Please see manuscript for details.