Arvicolines (Arvicolinae, Rodentia) as Paleoenvironmental Proxies: Classification of Species Inhabiting the Central Part of Northern Eurasia Based on Environmental Preferences of Their Modern Representatives

Abstract

In order to identify uniform criteria for the classification of arvicoline species as paleoenvironmnental proxies in studies of the environmental dynamics in the Late Pleistocene and Holocene, published data on the distribution and environmental preferences of modern Arvicolinae species inhabiting the central part of northern Eurasia have been compiled. For each of the 17 Arvicolinae species, the following characteristics were examined: (1) thermal neutral zone parameters and temperature preferences of adult individuals; (2) biotopical associations (i.e., the range of abiotic and biotic features of habitats used for breeding, feeding, expansion, and survival in unfavorable conditions), and (3) trophic preferences. It is shown for each of the study species that their most sustainable and conservative environmental preferences within their modern ranges relate to the requirements on the soil and vegetation properties of their breeding and/or survival habitats, as well as trophic specialization. Taking the factors limiting the modern distribution and abundance of the study species, a classification of the arvicolines inhabiting the central part of northern Eurasia based on their environmental preferences has been proposed. The classification specifies the parameters that can be reconstructed based on the species composition of arvicolines, as paleoenvironmental proxies, in micromammalian subfossil assemblages dating back to the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. It also contributes to a better understanding of the position of this taxonomic group within the entire complex of paleoecological proxies. This approach to the identification of environmental groups, based on the trophic specialization and characteristics of breeding and/or survival habitats, is universal for all representatives of the subfamily and may be used as a classification template for Arvicolinae species in any region of the Northern Hemisphere.