Megafauna diversity and functional declines in Europe from the Last Interglacial (LIG) to the present
Journal: bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
Year: 2023

Abstract Aim: to estimate European megafauna diversity and functional declines in the present compared to the nearest in time modern-analogue climate period prior to the worldwide diffusion of Homo sapiens . Location: Europe. Time period: Last Interglacial (LIG; ca. 127,000 years ago) to present. Major taxa studied: wild, large (≥10 kg) terrestrial mammals. Methods: we assessed the distribution of 48 European megafauna species during the LIG using hindcasting modelling and fossil records. Then,