Humans colonized the Balearic Islands between roughly 3000 and 2000 BC. They arrived there in a uniquely adapted ecosystem with Myotragus balearicus as a very important species. This animal went...Show moreHumans colonized the Balearic Islands between roughly 3000 and 2000 BC. They arrived there in a uniquely adapted ecosystem with Myotragus balearicus as a very important species. This animal went extinct rapidly after human arrival on the islands. During the same time period a marked vegetation change occurred. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the extinction of Myotragus balearicus and its relation to human arrival. For the present study ancient DNA analysis was performed on preserved coprolites from Myotragus balearicus, providing information on its diet and palaeo-environment. DNA barcodes (rbcL, trnL and nrITS1) were used for the identification of ancient plant DNA. Targeted amplification of part of the 12S mitochondrial DNA of Myotragus balearicus was performed as well. The Sanger based approach allowed the retrieval of numerous DNA sequences, despite the unfavourable thermal age of the coprolites. The information acquired showed, in combination with pollen analysis performed on the same coprolites, that Myotragus balearicus was heavily dependent on Buxus balearica during part of the year and that it was most probably a browser. This suggests that the extinction of Myotragus balearicus can be related to the drastic decline and regional extinction of Buxus balearica that occurred on the Balearic Islands during the same time humans arrived. The vegetation change is thought to be caused by increased aridity occurring throughout the Mediterranean during this period. No evidence for direct human influence on its extinction could be found, and previous hypotheses relating the extinction of Myotragus balearicus directly to the arrival of humans on the island must be rejected.Show less
