Palaeoecological context for the extinction of the Neanderthals: A small mammal study of Stratigraphic Unit V of the El Salt site, Alcoi, eastern Spain

• Published in: Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology
• Main Authors: Fagoaga, Ana, Laplana, César, Marquina Blasco, Rafael, Machado, Jorge, Marin Monfort, María Dolores, Crespo Roures, Vicente Daniel, Hernández, Cristo M., Mallol, Carolina, Galván, Bertila, Ruiz Sánchez, Francisco Javier
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Science
• Subjects: EL SALT; EXTINCTION; IBERIAN PENINSULA; NEANDERTHALS; PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY; SMALL MAMMALS; https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.5; https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1; Argentina; Dolores; Microtus arvalis
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/11336/129248

El Salt is emerging as a reference site for the study of the extinction of Neanderthal populations in the Eastern Iberian Peninsula during MIS 3. The small vertebrate assemblage analysed in this work is framed within this general objective and comes from Stratigraphic Unit V, the most recent unit with human presence. Nearly 1300 small mammal remains have been studied in order to reconstruct the palaeoecological conditions of this debated period. A total of seven rodents (Microtus arvalis, Microtus duodecimcostatus, Microtus cabrerae, Sciurus vulgaris, Arvicola sapidus, Eliomys quercinus and Apodemus sylvaticus), three insectivores (Talpa occidentalis, Crocidura sp., Sorex sp.) and one lagomorph (Oryctolagus cf. cuniculus) were identified. Palaeocological analyse points to drier conditions in the upper part (Unit V) of the stratigraphic sequence, supporting the hypothesis that an aridification scenario may have played a role in the disappearance of the Neanderthal groups inhabiting this region of the Iberian Peninsula. Fil: Fagoaga, Ana. Universidad de Valencia; España. Museo de Historia Natural de Valencia; España Fil: Laplana, César. No especifíca; Fil: Marquina Blasco, Rafael. Universidad de Valencia; España. Museo de Historia Natural de Valencia; España Fil: Machado, Jorge. Universidad de La Laguna; España Fil: Marin Monfort, María Dolores. Universidad de Valencia; España. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas; España. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina Fil: Crespo Roures, Vicente Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina. Universidad de Valencia; España Fil: Hernández, Cristo M. Universidad de La Laguna; España Fil: Mallol, Carolina. Universidad de La Laguna; España Fil: Galván, Bertila. Universidad de La Laguna; España Fil: Ruiz Sánchez, Francisco Javier. Universidad de Valencia; España. Museo de Historia ...