title: Retreat and extinction of the Late Pleistocene cave bear (Ursus spelaeus sensu lato).
abstract: The cave bear (Ursus spelaeus sensu lato) is a typical representative of Pleistocene megafauna which became extinct at the end of the Last Glacial. Detailed knowledge of cave bear extinction could explain this spectacular ecological transformation. The paper provides a report on the youngest remains of the cave bear dated to 20,930 ± 14014C years before present (BP). Ancient DNA analyses proved its affiliation to the Ursus ingressus haplotype. Using this record and 205 other dates, we determined, following eight approaches, the extinction time of this mammal at 26,100-24,300 cal. years BP. The time is only slightly earlier, i.e. 27,000-26,100 cal. years BP, when young dates without associated collagen data are excluded. The demise of cave bear falls within the coldest phase of the last glacial period, Greenland Stadial 3. This finding and the significant decrease in the cave bear records with cooling indicate that the drastic climatic changes were responsible for its extinction. Climate deterioration lowered vegetation productivity, on which the cave bear strongly depended as a strict herbivore. The distribution of the last cave bear records in Europe suggests that this animal was vanishing by fragmentation into subpopulations occupying small habitats. One of them was the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland in Poland, where we discovered the latest record of the cave bear and also two other, younger than 25,00014C years BP. The relatively long survival of this bear in karst regions may result from suitable microclimate and continuous access to water provided by deep aquifers, indicating a refugial role of such regions in the Pleistocene for many species.
authors.affiliation: Center for Precolumbian Studies, University of Warsaw, Krakowskie Przedmieście 26/28, 00-927, Warszawa, Poland.|Institute of Genetics and Biotechnology, University of Warsaw, Pawińskiego 5A, 02-106, Warszawa, Poland.
authors.forename: Mateusz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baca
authors.affiliation: Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, S. Banacha 2c, 02-097, Warszawa, Poland.
authors.forename: Danijela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Popović
authors.affiliation: Department of Paleozoology, Institute of Environmental Biology, University of Wrocław, Sienkiewicza 21, 50-335, Wrocław, Poland.
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stefaniak
authors.affiliation: Department of Paleozoology, Institute of Environmental Biology, University of Wrocław, Sienkiewicza 21, 50-335, Wrocław, Poland.
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marciszak
authors.affiliation: Department of Archaeology, Institute of History and International Relations, Szczecin University, Krakowska 71-79, 71-017, Szczecin, Poland.
authors.forename: Mikołaj
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Urbanowski
authors.affiliation: Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, Sławkowska 17, 31-016, Kraków, Poland.
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nadachowski
authors.affiliation: Department of Genomics, Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Wrocław, Joliot-Curie 14a, 50-383, Wrocław, Poland. pamac@smorfland.uni.wroc.pl.
authors.forename: Paweł
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mackiewicz
mesh_terms: D063147:Animal Distribution; D000818:Animals; D002980:Climate; D053476:Extinction, Biological; D005580:Fossils; D006239:Haplotypes / Q000235:genetics; D001503:Ursidae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Ancient DNA; Cave bear; Extinction; Last glacial maximum; Megafauna; Refugium