IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| O'Regan, H.J.; Turner, A.; Wilkinson, D.M. | |
| European Quaternary refugia: a factor in large carnivore extinction? | |
| 2002 Journal of Quaternary Science (17): 789-795 | |
The extinction of large carnivores in Europe during the Quaternary is reviewed and the potential role of glacial refugia in these extinctions is investigated using the VORTEX model for population viability analysis. A model was built for a medium sized big cat similar to the extinct _Panthera gombaszoegensis_ utilising life history data from the modern jaguar _Panthera onca_. This approach highlighted the potential importance of glacial refugia in the extinction process. Even model refugia the size of the Italian peninsula did not guarantee persistence of a population over a 1000 yr time span, illustrating the role of chance in survival in such a refugium. An area the size of the largest Mediterranean island was unable to support a big cat population for a period of 1000 yr. The models also demonstrated the importance of inbreeding as a mechanism for extinction in refugia. It is suggested that repeated genetic bottlenecks during successive glaciations would tend to remove lethal recessive alleles from the population, increasing the probability of survival in refugia in subsequent glaciations. The history of extinction of large carnivores in the European Quaternary is interpreted in the light of these results. |
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