Title
Mid-Holocene vertebrate bone Concentration-Lagerstätte on oceanic island Mauritius provides a window into the ecosystem of the dodo (Raphus cucullatus)
Author
Rijsdijk, K.F.
Hume, J.P.
Bunnik, F.
Florens, F.B.V.
Baider, C.
Shapiro, B.
van der Plicht, J.
Janoo, A.
Griffiths, O.
van den Hoek Ostende, L.W.
Cremer, H.
Vernimmen, T.
de Louw, P.G.B.
Bholah, A.
Saumtally, S.
Porch, N.
Haile, J.
Buckley, M.
Collins, M.
Gittenberger, E.
TNO Bouw en Ondergrond
Publication year
2009
Abstract
Although the recent history of human colonisation and impact on Mauritius is well documented, virtually no records of the pre-human native ecosystem exist, making it difficult to assess the magnitude of the changes brought about by human settlement. Here, we describe a 4000-year-old fossil bed at Mare aux Songes (MAS) in south-eastern Mauritius that contains both macrofossils (vertebrate fauna, gastropods, insects and flora) and microfossils (diatoms, pollen, spores and phytoliths). With >250 bone fragments/m2 and comprising 50% of all known extinct and extant vertebrate species (ns = 44) of Mauritius, MAS may constitute the first Holocene vertebrate bone Concentration-Lagerstätte identified on an oceanic volcanic island. Fossil remains are dominated by extinct giant tortoises Cylindraspis spp. (63%), passerines (∼10%), small bats (7.8%) and dodo Raphus cucullatus (7.1%). Twelve radiocarbon ages [four of them duplicates] from bones and other material suggest that accumulation of fossils took place within several centuries. An exceptional combination of abiotic conditions led to preservation of bones, bone collagen, plant tissue and microfossils. Although bone collagen is well preserved, DNA from dodo and other Mauritian vertebrates has proved difficult. Our analysis suggests that from ca 4000 years ago (4 ka), rising sea levels created a freshwater lake at MAS, generating an oasis in an otherwise dry environment which attracted a diverse vertebrate fauna. Subsequent aridification in the south-west Indian Ocean region may have increased carcass accumulation during droughts, contributing to the exceptionally high fossil concentration. The abundance of floral and faunal remains in this Lagerstätte offers a unique opportunity to reconstruct a pre-human ecosystem on an oceanic island, providing a key foundation for assessing the vulnerability of island ecosystems to human impact. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd.
Subject
Geosciences
Animals
Bone
Collagen
Drought
Ecology
Mammals
Nucleic acids
Oceanography
Organic acids
Sea level
Water levels
Abiotic conditions
Aridification
Bone collagens
Dry environments
Freshwater lakes
Holocene
Human impacts
Human settlements
Indian Ocean regions
Macrofossils
Mauritius
Micro fossils
Oceanic islands
Plant tissues
Radiocarbon ages
Vertebrate species
Volcanic islands
Ecosystems
anthropogenic effect
aridification
bird
bone
colonization
extinction
fossil record
Holocene
radiocarbon dating
sea level change
Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean islands
Mascarene Islands
Mauritius
Bacillariophyta
Bacteria (microorganisms)
Cylindraspis
Gastropoda
Hexapoda
Raphus cucullatus
Testudinidae
Vertebrata
To reference this document use:
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:f430f9ba-8783-4a89-85a4-bd55e92bdfbd
TNO identifier
241345
ISSN
0277-3791
Source
Quaternary Science Reviews, 28 (1-2), 14-24
Document type
article