Scientists find pre-historic creatures in Tibet, offering up clues on climate change adaptation.
Mammals were living at high elevations in eastern Tibet around 39 million years ago, suggesting mountain formation and climate change played a key role in shaping the region’s biodiversity.
A Chinese-German research team found evidence of extensive high-mountain landscapes supporting diverse mammal populations during the Eocene, between around 56 and 34 million years ago.
The findings, published in Nature Communications Earth & Environment, are based on dating mineral deposits in fossilised mammal bones and ancient soils. Researchers also reconstructed historical elevations using stable isotopes found in herbivore tooth enamel and soil carbonates.
The analysis indicates the animals lived at elevations of approximately 3,400 metres, providing a new benchmark for the development of high-altitude ecosystems in Asia.
Researchers said the gradual uplift of eastern Tibet altered the region’s climate, leading to more pronounced seasonal rainfall and creating a range of new habitats.
Dr Andreas Mulch, who is part of the research team, said: “This climate cannot be equated with today’s Asian monsoon, but the strong seasonality of precipitation was an important element of the environmental conditions in the highlands.
“The study’s key evidence is the presence of so-called false growth rings—fluctuations in density during wood formation—in the 41.5-million-year-old fossilized wood. These occur when plant growth is subjected to drought stress in the summer. “
Mountain environments can support high levels of biodiversity because steep changes in elevation create diverse climatic and ecological conditions over relatively small areas.
The study highlights the long-term relationship between mountain uplift, climate change and biodiversity, offering new insight into how geological processes can drive the development of ecosystems over millions of years.
The researchers say the findings provide an important chronological reference point for understanding the early evolution of high-mountain biodiversity across Asia.
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