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opencc-zeroDec 2010View details →

Data from: Genetic analysis of life-history constraint and evolution in a wild ungulate population

Trade-offs among life-history traits are central to evolutionary theory. In quantitative genetic terms, trade-offs may be manifested as negative genetic covariances relative to the direction of selection on phenotypic traits. Although the expression and selection of ecologically important phenotypic variation are fundamentally multivariate phenomena, the in situ quantification of genetic covariances is challenging. Even for life-history traits, where well-developed theory exists with which to relate phenotypic variation to fitness variation, little evidence exists from in situ studies that negative genetic covariances are an important aspect of the genetic architecture of life-history traits. In fact, the majority of reported estimates of genetic covariances among life-history traits are positive. Here we apply theory of the genetics and selection of life histories in organisms with complex life cycles to provide a framework for quantifying the contribution of multivariate genetically based relationships among traits to evolutionary constraint. We use a Bayesian framework to link pedigree-based inference of the genetic basis of variation in life-history traits to evolutionary demography theory regarding how life histories are selected. Our results suggest that genetic covariances may be acting to constrain the evolution of female life-history traits in a wild population of red deer Cervus elaphus: genetic covariances are estimated to reduce the rate of adaptation by about 40%, relative to predicted evolutionary change in the absence of genetic covariances. Furthermore, multivariate phenotypic (rather than genetic) relationships among female life-history traits do not reveal this constraint.

opencc-zeroMar 2022View details →

Responses to natural gas development differ by season for two migratory ungulates

While migrating, animals make directionally persistent movements and may only respond to human-induced rapid environmental change (HIREC), such as climate and land-use change, once a threshold of HIREC is surpassed. In contrast, animals on other seasonal ranges (e.g., winter range) make more localized and tortuous movements while foraging and may have the flexibility to adjust the location of their range and the intensity of use within it to minimize interactions with HIREC. Because of these seasonal differences in movement, animals on seasonal ranges should avoid areas that contain any level of HIREC, however, during migration, animals should use areas that contain low levels of HIREC, avoiding it only once a threshold of HIREC has been surpassed. We tested this hypothesis using a decade of GPS collar data collected from migratory mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus; n = 56 migration, 143 winter) and pronghorn (Antilocapra americana; n = 70 migration, 89 winter) that winter on and migrate through a natural gas field in western Wyoming. Using surface disturbance caused by well pads and roads as an index of HIREC, we evaluated behavioral responses across three spatial scales during winter and migration seasons. During migration, both species tolerated low levels of disturbance. Once a disturbance threshold was surpassed, however, they avoided HIREC. For mule deer, thresholds were consistently ~3%, whereas thresholds for pronghorn ranged from 1-9.25% surface disturbance. In contrast to migration, both species generally avoided all levels of HIREC while on winter range. Our study suggests that animal responses to HIREC are mediated by season-specific movement patterns. Our results provide further evidence of ungulates avoiding human disturbance on winter range and reveal disturbance thresholds that trigger mule deer and pronghorn responses during migration – information that managers can use to maintain the ecological function of migration routes and winter ranges.

opencc-zeroJun 2022View details →

Northward range expansion of rooting ungulates decreases detritivore and predatory mite abundances in boreal forests

The last decades wild boar populations have expanded northwards, colonizing boreal forests. The soil disturbances caused by wild boar rooting may have an impact on soil organisms that play a key role in organic matter turnover. However, the impact of wild boar colonisation on boreal forest ecosystems and soil organisms remains largely unknown. We investigated the effect of natural and simulated rooting on decomposer and predatory soil mites (total, adult and juvenile abundances; and proportion of adult-juvenile). Our simulated rooting experiment aimed to disentangle the effects of a) bioturbation due to soil mixing and b) removing organic material (wild boar food resources) on soil mites. Our results showed a decline in the abundance of adult soil mites in response to both natural and artificial rooting, while juvenile abundance and the relative proportion of adult-juvenile were not affected. The expansion of wild boar northwards and into new habitats has negative effects on soil decomposer abundances in boreal forests which may cascade through the soil food web ultimately affecting ecosystem processes. Our study also suggests that a combined use of natural and controlled experimental approaches is the way forward to reveal any subtle interaction between aboveground-belowground organisms and the ecosystem functions they drive.

opencc-zeroJul 2022View details →

Ungulate herbivores as drivers of Aspen recruitment and understory composition throughout arid Montane landscapes

Herbivory by wild and domestic ungulates can influence tree recruitment and understory forest communities throughout the world. Herbivore-driven declines in tree recruitment have been observed for quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides), a foundation species whose health and management is recognized as a critical priority throughout much of its range. Livestock fencing is commonly used to promote aspen regeneration, but its effectiveness is rarely assessed, especially across large spatial scales. Using a livestock-reduction experiment, we evaluated the effects of ungulate herbivory on aspen in the Great Basin and southern Cascades, an expansive and environmentally heterogeneous region where aspen faces the interacting threats of climate change, conifer encroachment, and herbivory. We found that livestock fencing only reduced the intensity of herbivore browsing on aspen when wild ungulate abundance was low, and did not increase stem densities of aspen recruits. Contrary to expectations, wild ungulate abundance was a strong driver of browsing intensity on juvenile aspen within fenced, but not unfenced aspen stands, and when the abundance of these herbivores was high, browsing intensity in fenced stands exceeded that in unfenced stands. The density of aspen recruits decreased with browsing intensity on juvenile aspen and with the density of both adult aspen and conifers, suggesting that both herbivory and intra- and interspecific competition are important drivers of recruitment. Fire history was also an important driver of recruitment, with stands that burned 10-20 years ago having the greatest density of aspen recruits. Finally, in the stand understory, we found that livestock fencing decreased forb cover, increased shrub species richness, and increased the cover of exotic annual grasses, a group dominated by Bromus tectorum. This latter finding suggests that livestock fencing may not be appropriate in areas where controlling the spread of this invader is a priority. In sum, our findings indicate that aspen recruitment is limited by browsing by both wild and domestic ungulates, is mediated by competition with neighboring trees and fire history, and will require management actions beyond livestock fencing, as this approach does not control browsing by wild ungulates.

opencc-zeroJul 2022View details →

Feast or famine: How is global change affecting forage supply for Yellowstone's ungulate herds?

The ecological integrity of US national parks and other protected areas are under threat in the Anthropocene. For Yellowstone National Park (YNP), the impacts that global change has already had on the park's capacity to sustain its large migratory herds of wild ungulates is incompletely understood. Here we examine how two understudied components of global change, the historical increase in atmospheric CO2 and the spread of non-native, invasive plant species, may have altered the capacity of YNP to provide forage for ungulates over the last 200-plus years. We performed two experiments: (1) a growth chamber study that determined growth rates of important invasive and native YNP grasses that are forages for ungulates under pre-industrial (280 ppm) vs modern (410 ppm) CO2 levels, and (2) a field study that compared the effect of defoliation (clipping) on shoot growth of invasive and native mesic grassland plants under ambient CO2 conditions in 2019. The growth chamber experiment revealed that modern CO2 increased the growth rates of both invasive and native grasses, and invasive grasses grew faster regardless of CO2 conditions. The field results showed a continuum of positive to negative responses of shoot growth to defoliation, with a subgroup of invasive species responding most positively. Together the results indicated that the historical increase in CO2 and the spread of invasive species, some of which were planted to provide forage for ungulates in the early- and mid-1900s, have likely increased the capacity of forage production in YNP. However, rising CO2 has also resulted in regional warming and increased aridity in YNP, which will likely reduce grassland productivity. The challenge for global change biologists and park managers is to determine how competing components of global change have already and will increasingly affect forage dynamics and the sustainability of Yellowstone's iconic ungulate herds in the Anthropocene.

opencc-zeroSep 2022View details →

Body size and digestive system shape resource selection by ungulates: a cross-taxa test of the Forage Maturation Hypothesis

The Forage Maturation Hypothesis (FMH) states that energy intake for ungulates is maximized when forage biomass is at intermediate levels. Nevertheless, metabolic allometry and different digestive systems suggest that resource selection should vary across ungulate species. By combining GPS relocations with remotely-sensed data on forage characteristics and surface water, we quantified the effect of body size and digestive system in determining movements of 30 populations of hindgut fermenters (equids) and ruminants across biomes. Selection for intermediate forage biomass was negatively related to body size, regardless of the digestive system. Selection for proximity to surface water was stronger for equids relative to ruminants, regardless of body size. To be more generalizable, we suggest that the FMH explicitly incorporate contingencies in body size and digestive system, with small-bodied ruminants selecting more strongly for potential energy intake, and hindgut fermenters selecting more strongly for surface water.

opencc-zeroOct 2022View details →

Using retrospective life-tables to assess the effect of extreme climatic conditions on ungulate demography

In Mediterranean areas, severe drought events are expected to intensify in forthcoming years as a consequence of climate change. These events may increase physiological and reproductive stress of wild populations producing demographic changes and distribution shifts. We used retrospective life tables to understand demographic changes on a wild population after severe drought events. We studied the impact of two extreme events (2003 and 2005) on the population dynamics of our model species, the red deer (Cervus elaphus). During both years, population density was high (40 and 36 ind/100 hectares, respectively). Thus, we reconstructed retrospectively the age-structure of the female part of the population for the period 2000-2010 by using data of known-age individuals culled during the period 2000 to 2019 (n = 4176). Also, based on previous studies results, we aimed to validate this methodology. Both extremely dry years, 2003 and 2005, produced marked and lasting cohort effects on population demography. Age pyramid the following years (2004 and 2006) revealed that the extreme drought caused the female fawn cohort to be similar or even smaller than the yearling cohort. Furthermore, these cohort effects were still perceptible 3 years after theses severe events. Results agree with previous findings that showed a negative effect of severe drought events on female pregnancy rates and conception dates. Although simple, this study provides an empirical quantification of the demographic effects of severe drought events for a wild population which might be useful to understand future demographic changes under the context of climate change.

opencc-by-4.0Jul 2015View details →

Supplementary material 1 from: Niemi M, Matala J, Melin M, Eronen V, Järvenpää H (2015) Traffic mortality of four ungulate species in southern Finland. In: Seiler A, Helldin J-O (Eds) Proceedings of IENE 2014 International Conference on Ecology and Transportation, Malmö, Sweden. Nature Conservation 11: 13–28. https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.11.4416

Annual trends in population size and collisions: Explanation note: Annual trends in population size, harvest, and collisions.

opencc-by-4.0Jul 2015View details →

Supplementary material 2 from: Niemi M, Matala J, Melin M, Eronen V, Järvenpää H (2015) Traffic mortality of four ungulate species in southern Finland. In: Seiler A, Helldin J-O (Eds) Proceedings of IENE 2014 International Conference on Ecology and Transportation, Malmö, Sweden. Nature Conservation 11: 13–28. https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.11.4416

Contingency tables used in the analysis of collision and traffic mortality rates: Explanation note: Contingency tables.

embargoedcc-by-4.0Jun 2024View details →

Unpublished raw data of dental mesowear and microwear for ungulates from Late Palaeolithic sites from Catalonia (Spain)

Unpublished raw data from the low-magnification analysis (x35) of dental microwear and mesowear of ungulates from the Late Palaeolithic sites in Catalonia: Molí del Salt, Roca dels Bous, Cova del Parco and Montlleó

embargoedcc-by-4.0Jun 2024View details →

Stable isotope results on large ungulates from Late Pleistocene sites in Catalonia (Spain)

Raw data of isotopic measurements on bone collagen and dental carbonate on Cervus elaphus, Equus ferus, Equus hydruntinus, Bos/Bison (likely Bos primigenius), Rupicapra rupicapra, and Capra pyrenaica  from Late Pleistocene sites in Catalonia (northeastern Spain). EcoRef- DR945:6-1-collagen-2024: Results of elemental analysis on bone (Nbone) and extracted collagen (Ccoll, Ncoll, C:Ncoll) and isotopic analysis on collagen (d13Ccoll, d15Ncoll) with radiocarbon dates (AMS 14C) from large ungulates from Catalonian sites (methods described in Drucker et al., 2014 10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100011). R is for the right side, L for the left side. *species determination confirmed by ZooMS analysis. na stands for not applicable. Underlined numbers correspond to outlier data and brackets are added around isotopic values that are not considered reliable for further interpretation. EcoRef- DR945:6-1-carbonate-2024: Results of elemental (CaCO3) and isotopic (d13C, d18O) analysis on pretreated carbonates from enamel, dentine and from large ungulates from Catalonian sites (methods described in Drucker et al., 2014 10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100011). R is for the right side, L for the left side. nd stands for not determined. Underlined numbers correspond to outlier data and brackets are added around isotopic values that are not considered reliable for further interpretation.

Figure 11 in A new dentition-based phylogeny of Litopterna (Mammalia: Placentalia) and 'archaic' South American ungulates

Figure 11. Bayesian phylogenies of Litopterna from the undated analyses. A, Hypothesis (H1). B, Hypothesis 2 (H2). H1 and H2 are different hypotheses for the paraconid of notoungulates (see main text). In (A) and (B), node support is indicated using Bayesian posterior probabilities. Litopterna is indicated with a star, but other nodes or tips of relevance are indicated in circles of different colours: blue, orders; black, families. Note that in the Discussion, we redefined the families Anisolambdidae and Sparnotheriodontidae as the subfamilies Anisolambdinae and Sparnotheriodontinae of the family Anisolambdidae. Abbreviations: Ad, Adianthidae; An, Anisolambdidae; As, Astrapotheria; I, Indaleciidae; K, Kollpaniinae; L, Litopterna; Ma, Macraucheniidae; Np, Notopterna; Nt, Notonychopidae; Nu, Notoungulata; Pe, Proterotheriidae; Py, Pyrotheria; S, Sparnotheriodontidae.

Figure 8 in A new dentition-based phylogeny of Litopterna (Mammalia: Placentalia) and 'archaic' South American ungulates

Figure 8. Right upper molars of South American 'condylarths' and 'didolodontids'. A, P4–M3 of Molinodus suarezi in occlusal view [cast of MHNC 1247, P4–M2; cast of MNHN 13870, M3 (mirrored)]. B, roots of M1, M2–M3 of Escribania chubutensis in occlusal view (MLP 90–II-12–68, roots of M1 and M2 (mirrored); MLP 90–II-12–63, M3). C–D, M2 of Raulvaccia peligrensis [MLP 90-II-12- 70 (mirrored)] in occlusal (C) and distoocclusal (D) views. E, P4–M3 of Ricardocifellia protocenica in occlusal view [cast of DNPM 908M, P5–M3 (mirrored); cast of MNRJ 1461-V (mirrored)]. F, M2 of Lamegoia conodonta Paula Couto, 1952 in occlusal view (cast of MNRJ 1465-V). G, P1–M3 of Didolodus multicuspis in occlusal view [MACN 10690, P2–M3 (holotype; mirrored); MACN A 10738, P1]. H, P5–M3 of Protolipterna ellipsodontoides in occlusal view [DNPM LE 444I (mirrored)]. I, P4–M3 of Asmithwoodwardia scotti in occlusal view [DGM 358M (holotype; mirrored)]. J, P2, alveoli of P4–P5, and M1–M3 of Miguelsoria parayiruhnor in occlusal view [MNRJ 4094V (mirrored)]. More information on the specimens and observations are in Supporting information, File S2. Note that the M2 of Molinodus suarezi (A) and the M2 of Lamegoia conodonta (B) present a duplication of their protocone (pr1 and pr2); in the former, this is insipient, and in the latter, it forms a pseudohypocone. For information about the tooth position convention, check the Material and methods. Abbreviations: hy, hypocone; hys, hypostyle; me, metacone; ms, mesostyle; mtl, metaconule; pa, paracone; phy, pseudohypocone; phyc, prehypocrista; pshyc, posthypocrista; pmlc, premetaconular crista; pplc, preparaconular crista; pr, protocone; prl, paraconule; ps, parastyle; pscg, postcingulum; psmlc, postmetaconular crista. Scale bars equal 1 cm.

Figure 7 in A new dentition-based phylogeny of Litopterna (Mammalia: Placentalia) and 'archaic' South American ungulates

Figure 7. Right lower molars of relevant SANUs in occlusal view. A, p1–m3 of the indaleciid Indalecia grandensis [PVL 4186 (p1–p2 mirrored)]. B, p2–m3 of the notonychopid Notonychops powelli [PVL 4298 (mirrored)]. C, p1–m3 of the notoungulate Simpsonotus praecursor [MLP 73-VII-3-11 (holotype; mirrored)]. D, p1–m3 of the astrapothere Trigonostylops wortmani [MNHN.F.CAS188 (mirrored)]. E, p2– m3 of the xenungulate Etayoa bacatensis [cast of GM 32 (holotype; mirrored)]. F, p1–m3 of Eoastrapostylops riolorense [PVL 4216, p1–m2 (holotype; p1–p5, m2 mirrored); PVL 4216, m3. G, p4–m3 of Propyrotherium saxeum [LIEB-PV 3200 (mirrored)]. Relevant anatomical features of the dentition are labelled. More information on the specimens and observations are in Supporting information, File S2. The asterisk is labelling either a paracristid in H1 or a very reduced paraconid in H2 in Simpsonotus praecursor, the tested hypotheses in our analyses. The question mark (?) next to the paraconid of Simpsonotus praecursor is to reflect that in the H1 matrix, this cusp was scored as a paraconid, whereas in the H2 matrix it was scored as a twinned metaconid. For information about the tooth position convention, check the Material and methods. Abbreviations: end, entoconid; hlph, hypolophid; hyd, hypoconid; hyld, hypoconulid; med, metaconid; pad, paraconid; prd, protoconid; pscd, postcristid (or postentocristid). Scale bars equal 1 cm.

Figure 6 in A new dentition-based phylogeny of Litopterna (Mammalia: Placentalia) and 'archaic' South American ungulates

Figure 6. Right upper molars of relevant SANUs. A, P1–M3 of the indaleciid Indalecia grandensis in occlusal view [PVL 4186 (mirrored)]. B, crownless P1, and P2–M3 of the notonychopid Notonychops powelli in occlusal view [PVL 4298 (M1–M3 mirrored)]. C, crownless and broken M2, broken M1, and P5–P2 of the notonychopid Requisia vidmari in occlusal view (UNPSJB PV 944, crownless and broken M2, broken parastyle of M1, and P4–P5 (holotype); UNPSJB PV 947, broken M1; UNPSJB PV 945, P2). D, P1–M3 of Eoastrapostylops riolorense in occlusal view [PVL 4216 (holotype)]. E, P1–M3 of the notoungulate Simpsonotus praecursor in occlusal view [MLP 73-VII-3-11 (holotype; mirrored)]. F–G, unworn M1 or M2 of the notoungulate Henricosbornia sp. (MACN A 10717) in occlusal (F) and distoocclusal (G) views. H, P2–M3 of the astrapothere Trigonostylops wortmani (AMNH VP-28700). I, P5–M3 of the xenungulate Carodnia vieirai [cast of DGM 335M, P5–M2 (mirrored); cast of AMNH VP-49828, M3 (mirrored)]. J, P5–M3 of Propyrotherium saxeum [AMNH unnumbered (labelled as 'O3')], right M3 (there is a mesiobuccal portion missing); MLP 55-III-10-1a, right M1 or M2 (duplicated for illustrating M1–M2); MACN A 10929 (lectotype), left P5 (lectotype; mirrored). Relevant anatomical features of the dentition are labelled. More information on the specimens and observations are in Supporting information, File S2. The asterisks mark the hypocone and prehypocrista in notoungulates, as they could potentially not be homologous with the hypocone and prehypocrista in other SANUs, considering a different origin of the hypocone in notoungulates (see more in the Material and methods and in Supporting information, File S2). For information about the tooth position convention, check the Material and methods. Abbreviations: efx, ectoflexus; hy, hypocone; me, metacone; ms, mesostyle; mtl, metaconule; pa, paracone; pcg, precingulum; phyc, prehypocrista; pmlc, premetaconular crista (or crochet in notoungulates); pplc, preparaconular crista; pr, protocone; prl, paraconule; prt, protostyle; ps, parastyle; pscg, postcingulum; psmlc, postmetaconular crista; psprc, postprotocrista. Scale bars equal 1 cm.

Figure 5 in A new dentition-based phylogeny of Litopterna (Mammalia: Placentalia) and 'archaic' South American ungulates

Figure 5. Right lower molars of Litopterna in occlusal view. A, p1–p4 of Polymorphis lechei [holotype; MLP 12-2168 (mirrored)]. B, p1–m3 of Cramauchenia normalis [MNHN.F.COL181 (mirrored)]. C, m3 of Cramauchenia normalis (AMNH-VP 29753). D, p1–m3 of Theosodon lydekkeri [MACN A 24-90 (mirrored)]. E, m2–m3 of Proectocion sp. (MLP 59-II-28-107). F, p5–m3 of Tricoelodus bicuspidatus (MACN A 52-203, p5–m2 (holotype); cast of FMNH P14696, m3). G, p2–m3 of Proadiantus excavatus (MACN A 52-214). H, p1, dp2–dp5 and m1–m3 of Lambdaconus suinus (MACN A-52-199, p1, dp2–dp5 and m1–m2; MNHN.F.DES159, m3). I, p1–m3 of Diadiaphorus majusculus (MACN A 9180-82, p2–m3; YPM PU 15799, p1). J, m1–m3 of Anisolambda fissidens (MACN A 10668; holotype). K, m2–m3 of Paranisolambda prodromus (cast of MNRJ 1496V, m2 (mirrored); cast of MNRJ 1859V, m3 (mirrored). L, m2 of Victorlemoinea prototypica (MNRJ 1482V). M, p1–m3 of Sparnotheriodon epsilonoides (MACN 18225; holotype). N, O, m3 of Wainka tshotshe? [AMNH VP-29101 (mirrored)]. Relevant anatomical features of the dentition are labelled. More information on the specimens and observations are in Supporting information, File S2. For information about the tooth position convention, check the Material and methods. Abbreviations: end, entoconid; hlph, hypolophid; hyd, hypoconid; hyld, hypoconulid; med, metaconid; mlph, mesolophid; pad, paraconid; prd, protoconid; prgd, precingulid; psmcd, postmetacristid. Scale bars equal 1 cm.

Figure 3 in A new dentition-based phylogeny of Litopterna (Mammalia: Placentalia) and 'archaic' South American ungulates

Figure 3. Dental nomenclature used in the text and the characters. A, right upper molar in occlusal view. B–D, right lower molars in occlusal view. The main cusps of the molars are highlighted in bold. The molars represent structures sometimes present in SANUs and with relevance in the character scoring of this study. The molars do not represent any particular SANU. Molars in A and B were partially based on drawings from Gelfo (2006). Abbreviations upper molar: ecg, buccal cingulum or ectocingulum; es, entostyle; hy, hypocone; hys, hypostyle; me, metacone; ms, mesostyle; mt, metastyle; mtl, metaconule; pa, paracone; pcg, precingulum; phyc, prehypocrista; pmc, premetacrista; pmlc, premetaconular crista; ppc, preparacrista (or paracrista); pplc, preparaconular crista; pprc, preprotocrista; pr, protocone; prl, paraconule; prt, protostyle; ps, parastyle; pscg, postcingulum; pshyc, posthypocrista; psmc, postmetacrista (or metacrista); psmlc, postmetaconular crista; pspc, postparacrista; psplc, postparaconular crista; psprc, postprotocrista. Abbreviations lower molar: co, cristid obliqua; encd, entocristid; end, entoconid; dbgd, distobuccal cingulid; dlgd, distolingual cingulid; hlph, hypolophid; hycd, hypocristid; hyd, hypoconid; hyld, hypoconulid; mbgd, mesiobuccal cingulid; med, metaconid; mlgd, mesiolingual cingulid; mlph, mesolophid; msd, mesoconid; pacd, paracristid; pad, paraconid; peld, preentoconulid; pmcd, premetacristid; prcd, protocristid; prd, protoconid; prgd, precingulid; pscd, postcristid (or postentocristid); pseld, postentoconulid; psgd, postcingulid; psmcd, postmetacristid.

Figure 4 in A new dentition-based phylogeny of Litopterna (Mammalia: Placentalia) and 'archaic' South American ungulates

Figure 4. Right upper molars of Litopterna in occlusal view. A, M3 of Polymorphis ligatus (holotype, MLP 12-2169). B, M3 of Polymorphis? (AMNH-VP 29481). C, M2? of Polyacrodon lanciformis Roth, 1899 [MLP 12-2170 (mirrored)]. D, P1–M3 of Cramauchenia normalis (MLP 85-VII-3-38a). E, P1–M3 of Theosodon garretorum (FMNH P 13175). F, P5–M3 of Proectocion precisus (holotype; MACN A 10679). G, P2– M3 of Tricoelodus bicuspidatus [cast of MLP 61-IV-11-65 (P2–P4 mirrored)]. H, M3 of Proectocion argentinus (holotype; MACN A 10673). I, M1 of Lambdaconus suinus [MNHN.F.DES162 (mirrored)]. J, P1–M3 of Diadiaphorus majusculus (MLP 12-304). K, P4–M3 of Lambdaconus suinus (MACN A 52-198; P4 was mirrored). L, M1–M3 of Victorlemoinea prototypica (AMNH-VP 111963, M1 (cast of MNRJ specimen); cast of MNRJ 1470V, M2 (holotype; mirrored); cast of MNRJ 1472V, M3 (mirrored). M, M1–M3 of Paranisolambda prodromus (cast of DGM 304M, M1; cast of DGM 310M, M2–M3). N, P4–M3 of Anisolambda sp. (MLP 59-II-28-68, P4-P5 (mirrored); MLP 59-II-24-453, M1; MNHN.F.CAS 486, M2 (mirrored); MNHN.F.CAS488, M3 (mirrored). O, P5? of Wainka tshotshe (holotype; AMNH VP-28505 (mirrored). Relevant anatomical features of the dentition are labelled. Taxa with two prehypocristae are numbered from buccal (phyc1) to lingual (phyc2). When there are two cristae originating from the same cusp, they are numbered. More information on the specimens and observations are in Supporting information, File S2. For information about the tooth position convention, check the Material and methods. Abbreviations: hy, hypocone; hys, hypostyle; me, metacone; ms, mesostyle; mtl, metaconule; pa, paracone; phyc, prehypocrista; pmc, premetacrista; pmlc, premetaconular crista; pplc, preparaconular crista; pr, protocone; prl, paraconule; prt, protostyle; psmlc, postmetaconular crista; psplc, postparaconular crista; psprc, postprotocrista. Scale bars equal 1 cm.

Figure 2 in A new dentition-based phylogeny of Litopterna (Mammalia: Placentalia) and 'archaic' South American ungulates

Figure 2. Diversity of litoptern and associated early SANU families expressed as the number of genera. A, pie chart expressing the relative diversity of each family. B, diversity over time of the different families of interest with colours corresponding to the families listed in (A). C, same as (B) but using a smoothing function that averages the different occurrences aiding the eye in seeing patterns. In (A) the number of genera for each family is indicated next to the name between brackets. In (C) the function geom_smooth from the R package ggplot v.3.4, method = loess and span = 0.5 was used. In (B) and (C) apart from the standard Periods, Epochs, and Ages below, the SALMAs are indicated in grey boxes crossing the plots. The Tiupampan and Peligran SALMAs and the Bonaerian and Lujanian SALMAs are taken as only two temporal units instead of four for the plots. The data on taxa and occurrences were taken from Supporting information, Table S1, and the temporal information on SALMAs were taken from Supporting information, File S6. Note that the two genera of 'amilnedwarsids' were not included in this plot. Note that in the Discussion section, we proposed to redefine the families Anisolambdidae and Sparnotheriodontidae as the subfamilies Anisolambdinae and Sparnotheriodontinae of the family Anisolambdidae. Abbreviations: Ba, Barrancan; Bo/Lu, Bonaerian and Lujanian; Cc, Colloncuran; Cd, Carodnia Zone; Ch, Chasicoan; Co, Colhuehuapian; Cp, Chapadmalalan; De, Deseadean; En, Ensenadan; Hu, Huayquerian; It, Itaboraian; La, Laventan; Ma, Marplatan; Mo, Montehermosan; Mu, Mustersan; Ri, Riochican; Sa, Sapoan; San, Santacrucian; Tg, Tinguirirican; Ti/Pe, Tiupampan and Peligran; Va, Vacan.

Figure 1 in A new dentition-based phylogeny of Litopterna (Mammalia: Placentalia) and 'archaic' South American ungulates

Figure 1. Phylogenies of the order Litopterna illustrating its interordinal relationships (A–B) and its interfamilial relationships (C–D). A, Buckley (2015) phylogeny. B, Westbury et al. (2017) phylogeny. C, Cifelli (1993) phylogeny. D, Bonaparte and Morales (1997) phylogeny. Different colours in the branches indicate different families or orders: blue Adianthidae; brown, Notopterna; green, Proterotheriidae; red, Macraucheniidae; yellow, Sparnotheriodontidae. Litopterna is indicated with a star, but other nodes or tips of relevance are indicated in circles: blue, orders; orange, suborders; pink, superfamilies; black, families; green, non-defined rank. Abbreviations: Ad, Adianthidae; An, Anisolambdidae; Di, Didolodontidae; I, Indaleciidae; L, Litopterna; Lo, Lopholipterna; Ma, Macraucheniidae; Mo, Macrauchenoidea; Nu, Notoungulata; Pa, Panperissodactyla; Pe, Proterotheriidae; Po, Protolipternidae; S, Sparnotheriodontidae.