Data from: Anthropogenic extinction dominates Holocene declines of West Indian mammals

The massive postglacial mammal losses of the West Indies provide an important opportunity to evaluate extinction dynamics, but limited data have hindered our ability to test hypotheses. Here, we analyze the tempo and dynamics of extinction using a novel dataset of faunal Last Appearance Dates and human First Appearance Dates, demonstrating widespread overlap between humans and extinct terrestrial mammals. Humans arrived in four waves (Lithic, Archaic, Ceramic, European), each associated with increasing environmental impact. Large-bodied mammals and several bats were extinct by the Archaic, following “sitzkrieg” extinction dynamics perhaps reflecting habitat loss. Most small-bodied rodents and lipotyphlans survived the Ceramic, but extensive landscape transformation and invasive introductions following European colonization caused further extinctions, leaving a threatened remnant fauna. Both large- and small-bodied non-volant mammals disappeared, reflecting complex relationships between body size, ecology and anthropogenic change. Extinct bats were generally larger, matching declines from natural catastrophes and human pressure.

西印度群岛发生的大规模冰期后哺乳动物灭绝事件，为评估物种灭绝动态提供了关键研究契机，但相关数据的匮乏阻碍了学界对相关假说开展验证工作。本研究基于一套全新的动物群末次出现日期（Last Appearance Dates）与人类首次出现日期（First Appearance Dates）数据集，分析了灭绝事件的节奏与动态模式，结果显示人类与已灭绝陆生哺乳动物的生存时空存在广泛重叠。人类分四波抵达该区域：石器时代（Lithic）、古风时代（Archaic）、彩陶时代（Ceramic）以及欧洲殖民时代，每一波人类迁徙都伴随着环境影响的逐步加剧。大型哺乳动物与数种蝙蝠类群至古风时代便已灭绝，其灭绝过程遵循“静坐战（sitzkrieg）”式动态特征，这或许反映了栖息地丧失的核心驱动作用。多数小型啮齿类与食虫目（Lipotyphla）动物在彩陶时代得以存续，但欧洲殖民时期出现的大规模景观改造与外来物种引入，引发了新一轮的灭绝事件，最终仅存受威胁的残存动物群落。大型与小型的非飞行哺乳动物均已灭绝，这表明体型大小、生态学特征与人为环境改变之间存在复杂的关联机制。已灭绝的蝙蝠类群普遍体型更大，这一特征与自然灾难及人类压力导致的种群衰退模式相吻合。