Abstract
Fossil vertebrates of the Loess Hills
The Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science, Vol.91(1), 8
95th session of the Iowa Academy of Science
03/1984
Abstract
The late-Pleistocene mammal fauna of Iowa's Loess Hills includes taxa that are now extinct, extirpated, or extant. Muskox and collared lemming now are associated only with tundra; moose and heather vole are boreal; bison and Franklin's ground squirrel are prairie species; and white-tailed deer and woodland vole are deciduous forest ecotypes. These and other species were amalgamated into a Wisconsinan parkland. Both the mega- and micromammal associations were dominated by boreal grazers, but woody vegetation was sufficient to support largely boreal, browsing species. The scarcity of deciduous forest species suggests that hardwoods were rare in the parkland ca. 23,000 RCYBP. Forest cover increased around 14,800 RCYBP and was well established by 10,000 RCYBP. Gradual loss of tundra and boreal species indicates individualistic range adjustments in response to deglaciation rather than withdraw! of integrated communities. Megafaunal extinction coincided with the time of maximum change in the micromammal fauna, but small mammals continued to adjust their ranges well into the Holocene.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Fossil vertebrates of the Loess Hills
- Creators
- R. S. Rhodes - Univ. Iowa, Dep. Geol. Iowa City, IA USA United StatesH. A. Semken
- Contributors
- R. W. Hanson (Editor) - Iowa Acad. Sci. Cedar Falls, IA USA United States
- Resource Type
- Abstract
- Publication Details
- The Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science, Vol.91(1), 8
- Conference
- 95th session of the Iowa Academy of Science
- Publisher
- Iowa Academy of Science
- ISSN
- 0085-2236
- Alternative title
- The proceedings of the 95th session of the Iowa Academy of Science
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 03/1984
- Academic Unit
- Earth and Environmental Sciences
- Record Identifier
- 9984516157902771
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