Late Quaternary horses in Eurasia in the face of climate and vegetation change

摘要: Wild horses thrived across Eurasia until the Last Glacial Maximum to collapse after beginning of Holocene. The interplay climate change, species adaptability different environments, and human domestication in horse history is still lacking coherent continental-scale analysis integrating lines evidence. We assembled temporal geographical information on 3070 occurrences Eurasia, frequency data for 1120 archeological layers Europe, matched them paleoclimatic paleoenvironmental simulations Late Quaternary. Climate controlled distribution horses, they inhabited regions Europe Asia with climates ecosystem productivity, suggesting plasticity populate environments. Their decline during Holocene appears associated an increasing loss fragmentation open habitats. was most likely source spread toward more temperate regions, we propose both Iberia central as potential centers domestication.