Climate change frames debate over the extinction of megafauna in Sahul (Pleistocene Australia-New Guinea)

Around 88 large vertebrate taxa disappeared from Sahul sometime during the Pleistocene, with the majority of losses (54 taxa) clearly taking place within the last 400,000 years. The largest was the 2.8-ton browsing Diprotodon optatum, whereas the ~100- to 130-kg marsupial lion, Thylacoleo carnifex,...

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Published inProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 110; no. 22; pp. 8777 - 8781
Main Authors Wroe, Stephen, Field, Judith H., Archer, Michael, Grayson, Donald K., Price, Gilbert J., Louys, Julien, Faith, J. Tyler, Webb, Gregory E., Davidson, Iain, Mooney, Scott D.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States National Academy of Sciences 28.05.2013
National Acad Sciences
Subjects
Animals
Archaeology
Australia
Biological Sciences
Biological taxonomies
Climate Change
Extinct species
Extinction
Extinction, Biological
Fauna
Fossils
Geological time
History, Ancient
Human Activities - history
Humans
Marsupials
Mass extinction events
New Guinea
Paleoclimatology
Paleontology - methods
PERSPECTIVE
Physical Sciences
Predation
Reptiles & amphibians
Species extinction
Species Specificity
Taxa
Vertebrates
Australia
New Guinea
archaeology
faunal turnover
megafauna extinction
Pleistocene extinctions
human colonization
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Summary:Around 88 large vertebrate taxa disappeared from Sahul sometime during the Pleistocene, with the majority of losses (54 taxa) clearly taking place within the last 400,000 years. The largest was the 2.8-ton browsing Diprotodon optatum, whereas the ~100- to 130-kg marsupial lion, Thylacoleo carnifex, the world's most specialized mammalian carnivore, and Varanus priscus, the largest lizard known, were formidable predators. Explanations for these extinctions have centered on climatic change or human activities. Here, we review the evidence and arguments for both. Human involvement in the disappearance of some species remains possible but unproven. Mounting evidence points to the loss of most species before the peopling of Sahul (circa 50-45 ka) and a significant role for climate change in the disappearance of the continent's megafauna.
Bibliography:Author contributions: S.W. and J.H.F. designed research; S.W., J.H.F., G.J.P., and J.L. performed research; G.J.P., J.L., J.T.F., and S.D.M. analyzed data; and S.W., J.H.F., M.A., D.K.G., J.T.F., G.E.W., I.D., and S.D.M. wrote the paper.
Edited by James O’Connell, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, and approved April 9, 2013 (received for review February 12, 2013)
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.1302698110