The evolutionary ecology of the endemic European Eocene Plagiolophus (Mammalia: Perissodactyla)
Résumé
The climatic cooling that began in the late middle Eocene and culminated in the Eocene-Oligocene transition
meant major changes in Palaeotheriidae (Perissodactyla, Mammalia) biodiversity in Europe and could have
caused the appearance of new dietary strategies. This work is the first to study the spatiotemporal response of one
palaeotheriid genus (Plagiolophus) to the Eocene environmental and ecological changes using three dietary
proxies: hypsodonty, mesowear and dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA). DMTA is applied for the first
time to palaeotheriids. The high diversity and wide chrono-spatial distribution of Plagiolophus make it possible to
evaluate spatiotemporal environmental variations, including palaeodiet. We study five Plagiolophus samples from
late middle Eocene to early Oligocene from western Iberia to central Europe in order to (1) infer lifetime
palaeodiet; (2) infer short-term palaeodiet; and (3) test temporal and spatial trends. All samples present an
exclusion of abrasive foodstuff given low hypsodonty index; dominance of browsing given the low mesowear
score; and browsing of tough foliage and exclusion of hard items in their diet given DMTA information. These
factors point to Plagiolophus as a highly selective feeder that fed on plants with the same features irrespective of
chronology or location: tough foliage (leaves from monocots or dicots) avoiding lignified or hard materials,
without seasonal variations.
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