AUTHOR=Ma Jiao , Wang Shiqi , Deng Tao 

TITLE=When the woolly rhinoceroses roamed East Asia: a review of isotopic paleoecology of the genus Coelodonta from the Tibetan Plateau to northern Eurasia

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ecology-and-evolution/articles/10.3389/fevo.2024.1377000

DOI=10.3389/fevo.2024.1377000

ISSN=2296-701X

ABSTRACT=<p>East Asia, being the evolutionary center of <italic>Coelodonta</italic>, offers a unique opportunity to explore the spatiotemporal paleoecologies of this genus. This study utilized bulk and serial stable carbon and oxygen isotope analyses on the <italic>Coelodonta nihowanensis</italic> and other ungulates from the Longdan fauna as well as two modern goats in the Linxia Basin, aiming to explore the paleoecology of <italic>C. nihowanensis</italic> at the periphery of the Tibetan Plateau during the Early Pleistocene. The isotopic results of these mammals indicated that C<sub>3</sub> vegetation was possibly a major component of the local environment in the Linxia Basin, which was influenced by a seasonal summer monsoon. <italic>C. nihowanensis</italic> specimens in the Longdan fauna were possibly mixed feeders, as indicated by the wide distribution of their <italic>δ</italic><sup>13</sup>C values and the intermediate <italic>δ</italic><sup>18</sup>O values compared to other coexisting ungulates. Moreover, the comparison of the <italic>δ</italic><sup>13</sup>C and <italic>δ</italic><sup>18</sup>O values of similar taxa from the Linxia and Nihewan basins has revealed spatiotemporal differences in the paleoclimate and paleoenvironments of these two regions throughout the Early Pleistocene. This provides a holistic framework for understanding the paleoecology of the <italic>C. nihowanensis.</italic> The isotopic results of the <italic>C. nihowanensis</italic> in the Linxia and Nihewan basins suggested varied foraging ecologies across different sites and time spans during the Early Pleistocene. This underscores the adaptability of the <italic>C. nihowanensis</italic> to diverse environments from west to east in northern China. By scrutinizing the evolutionary ecological history of the woolly rhinoceroses from its ancestor, <italic>Coelodonta thibetana</italic>, to its final form, <italic>Coelodonta antiquitatis</italic>, this study sheds light on the ecological adaptation of this genus from the Pliocene to Late Pleistocene, spanning its migration from the Tibetan Plateau to northern Eurasia.</p>