Giant deer (Megaloceros giganteus) diet from Mid-Weichselian deposits under the present North Sea inferred from molar-embedded botanical remains
The molar of a giant deer, Megaloceros giganteus (Blumenbach, 1799), was discovered in sandy deposits of the North Sea, about 10 km west of the present shoreline of the Netherlands. Compacted masticated plant remains were preserved in the molar's deep folds. A palaeoecological analysis of these...
Published in: | Journal of Quaternary Science |
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2018
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Online Access: | https://dare.uva.nl/personal/pure/en/publications/giant-deer-megaloceros-giganteus-diet-from-midweichselian-deposits-under-the-present-north-sea-inferred-from-molarembedded-botanical-remains(de9c2388-323f-4355-a69c-57c135e271c0).html https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.3069 https://hdl.handle.net/11245.1/de9c2388-323f-4355-a69c-57c135e271c0 |
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ftunivamstpubl:oai:dare.uva.nl:openaire_cris_publications/de9c2388-323f-4355-a69c-57c135e271c0 2024-09-30T14:35:57+00:00 Giant deer (Megaloceros giganteus) diet from Mid-Weichselian deposits under the present North Sea inferred from molar-embedded botanical remains van Geel, B. Sevink, J. Mol, D. Langeveld, B.W. van der Ham, R.W.J.M. van der Kraan, C.J.M. van der Plicht, J. Haile, J.S. Rey-Iglesia, A. Lorenzen, E.D. 2018-11 https://dare.uva.nl/personal/pure/en/publications/giant-deer-megaloceros-giganteus-diet-from-midweichselian-deposits-under-the-present-north-sea-inferred-from-molarembedded-botanical-remains(de9c2388-323f-4355-a69c-57c135e271c0).html https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.3069 https://hdl.handle.net/11245.1/de9c2388-323f-4355-a69c-57c135e271c0 eng eng https://dare.uva.nl/personal/pure/en/publications/giant-deer-megaloceros-giganteus-diet-from-midweichselian-deposits-under-the-present-north-sea-inferred-from-molarembedded-botanical-remains(de9c2388-323f-4355-a69c-57c135e271c0).html info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess van Geel , B , Sevink , J , Mol , D , Langeveld , B W , van der Ham , R W J M , van der Kraan , C J M , van der Plicht , J , Haile , J S , Rey-Iglesia , A & Lorenzen , E D 2018 , ' Giant deer (Megaloceros giganteus) diet from Mid-Weichselian deposits under the present North Sea inferred from molar-embedded botanical remains ' , Journal of Quaternary Science , vol. 33 , no. 8 , pp. 924-933 . https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.3069 article 2018 ftunivamstpubl https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.3069 2024-09-12T16:38:37Z The molar of a giant deer, Megaloceros giganteus (Blumenbach, 1799), was discovered in sandy deposits of the North Sea, about 10 km west of the present shoreline of the Netherlands. Compacted masticated plant remains were preserved in the molar's deep folds. A palaeoecological analysis of these plant remains shows the complete dominance of pollen from Artemisia (sage) and other Asteraceae Tubuliflorae (Compositae), indicating that the animal foraged in a steppe environment, and may have preferred to eat Artemisia , which contain a high level of nutrients such as calcium and phosphorous components, which are important for antler building. Radiocarbon dating indicates that the plant remains are of mid‐Weichselian age [38 570 (+300, −290) 14 C a BP, Greenland Interstadial‐11]. This is the first study of the food choice of M. giganteus based on palaeoecological evidence. We hypothesize about links between the extirpation of M. giganteus at the onset of the Holocene in North‐West Europe and the transition from a landscape with highly dynamic geomorphological processes and consequently prevalence of immature and nutrient‐rich soils, to a less dynamic landscape with stable, leached and acidifying soils, and the decline of Artemisia and other calciphilous plants. Article in Journal/Newspaper Greenland Universiteit van Amsterdam: Digital Academic Repository (UvA DARE) Giganteus ENVELOPE(62.500,62.500,-67.567,-67.567) Greenland Journal of Quaternary Science 33 8 924 933 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Universiteit van Amsterdam: Digital Academic Repository (UvA DARE) |
op_collection_id |
ftunivamstpubl |
language |
English |
description |
The molar of a giant deer, Megaloceros giganteus (Blumenbach, 1799), was discovered in sandy deposits of the North Sea, about 10 km west of the present shoreline of the Netherlands. Compacted masticated plant remains were preserved in the molar's deep folds. A palaeoecological analysis of these plant remains shows the complete dominance of pollen from Artemisia (sage) and other Asteraceae Tubuliflorae (Compositae), indicating that the animal foraged in a steppe environment, and may have preferred to eat Artemisia , which contain a high level of nutrients such as calcium and phosphorous components, which are important for antler building. Radiocarbon dating indicates that the plant remains are of mid‐Weichselian age [38 570 (+300, −290) 14 C a BP, Greenland Interstadial‐11]. This is the first study of the food choice of M. giganteus based on palaeoecological evidence. We hypothesize about links between the extirpation of M. giganteus at the onset of the Holocene in North‐West Europe and the transition from a landscape with highly dynamic geomorphological processes and consequently prevalence of immature and nutrient‐rich soils, to a less dynamic landscape with stable, leached and acidifying soils, and the decline of Artemisia and other calciphilous plants. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
van Geel, B. Sevink, J. Mol, D. Langeveld, B.W. van der Ham, R.W.J.M. van der Kraan, C.J.M. van der Plicht, J. Haile, J.S. Rey-Iglesia, A. Lorenzen, E.D. |
spellingShingle |
van Geel, B. Sevink, J. Mol, D. Langeveld, B.W. van der Ham, R.W.J.M. van der Kraan, C.J.M. van der Plicht, J. Haile, J.S. Rey-Iglesia, A. Lorenzen, E.D. Giant deer (Megaloceros giganteus) diet from Mid-Weichselian deposits under the present North Sea inferred from molar-embedded botanical remains |
author_facet |
van Geel, B. Sevink, J. Mol, D. Langeveld, B.W. van der Ham, R.W.J.M. van der Kraan, C.J.M. van der Plicht, J. Haile, J.S. Rey-Iglesia, A. Lorenzen, E.D. |
author_sort |
van Geel, B. |
title |
Giant deer (Megaloceros giganteus) diet from Mid-Weichselian deposits under the present North Sea inferred from molar-embedded botanical remains |
title_short |
Giant deer (Megaloceros giganteus) diet from Mid-Weichselian deposits under the present North Sea inferred from molar-embedded botanical remains |
title_full |
Giant deer (Megaloceros giganteus) diet from Mid-Weichselian deposits under the present North Sea inferred from molar-embedded botanical remains |
title_fullStr |
Giant deer (Megaloceros giganteus) diet from Mid-Weichselian deposits under the present North Sea inferred from molar-embedded botanical remains |
title_full_unstemmed |
Giant deer (Megaloceros giganteus) diet from Mid-Weichselian deposits under the present North Sea inferred from molar-embedded botanical remains |
title_sort |
giant deer (megaloceros giganteus) diet from mid-weichselian deposits under the present north sea inferred from molar-embedded botanical remains |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://dare.uva.nl/personal/pure/en/publications/giant-deer-megaloceros-giganteus-diet-from-midweichselian-deposits-under-the-present-north-sea-inferred-from-molarembedded-botanical-remains(de9c2388-323f-4355-a69c-57c135e271c0).html https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.3069 https://hdl.handle.net/11245.1/de9c2388-323f-4355-a69c-57c135e271c0 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(62.500,62.500,-67.567,-67.567) |
geographic |
Giganteus Greenland |
geographic_facet |
Giganteus Greenland |
genre |
Greenland |
genre_facet |
Greenland |
op_source |
van Geel , B , Sevink , J , Mol , D , Langeveld , B W , van der Ham , R W J M , van der Kraan , C J M , van der Plicht , J , Haile , J S , Rey-Iglesia , A & Lorenzen , E D 2018 , ' Giant deer (Megaloceros giganteus) diet from Mid-Weichselian deposits under the present North Sea inferred from molar-embedded botanical remains ' , Journal of Quaternary Science , vol. 33 , no. 8 , pp. 924-933 . https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.3069 |
op_relation |
https://dare.uva.nl/personal/pure/en/publications/giant-deer-megaloceros-giganteus-diet-from-midweichselian-deposits-under-the-present-north-sea-inferred-from-molarembedded-botanical-remains(de9c2388-323f-4355-a69c-57c135e271c0).html |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.3069 |
container_title |
Journal of Quaternary Science |
container_volume |
33 |
container_issue |
8 |
container_start_page |
924 |
op_container_end_page |
933 |
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1811639156428767232 |