Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia, 39(1) 1996

Issue:

VOL 39(1) 1996

Keywords:

Rodents, climate, temperature, Central Europe, Pliocene, Pleistocene

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Rodents and climate II: Quantitative climatic estimates for Plio-Pleistocene faunas from Central Europe

• Sophie MONTUIRE

Abstract:

A recently developed method for using arvicoline and murine rodents to estimate climatic parameters is applied to Plio-Pleistocene faunas from Central Europe. Mean annual temperature estimates using murines, which are highly diversified in the tropical regions of the Old World, are never lower than 11°C. On the other hand, the use of arvicolines, which occupied the temperate areas of the northern hemisphere, provides estimates ranging from -16.1°C for the coldest faunas to 16.9°C for the warmest faunas (similar to southern France today).