Dispersing or Contracting: A Perspective on the Evolutionary History and Population Conservation of Musk Deer

Zhixiao Liu; Colin Groves

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ajls.20160402.12

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Dispersing or Contracting: A Perspective on the Evolutionary History and Population Conservation of Musk Deer

Zhixiao Liu, Colin Groves

Published in American Journal of Life Sciences (Volume 4, Issue 2)

Received: 8 April 2016 Published: 9 April 2016

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Abstract

Musk deer, as a small hornless group, are of great significance in the phylogenetic evolution of ruminants. Clarification of their evolutionary history has the potential to contribute to an understanding of the total phylogeny of both cervids and bovids. In this paper, based on a comprehensive review of the literature, an integrated rearrangement of moschid fossils is proposed. Our review has produced the following results on the evolution and conservation of moschids: (1) the family Moschidae probably appeared abruptly at a around 30±5Ma, and evolved in parallel with Cervidae and Bovidae; (2) compared with Tragulidae and other Pecora, the Moschidae have acquired a number of progressive traits in common with Cervidae and Bovidae while maintaining certain primitive features, while in their own evolutionary history, they developed a suite of derived features to meet with new environmental circumstances while retaining the most important primitive traits; (3) the origin, divergence, diversification, dispersal and ultimate disappearance of moschids in Europe and North America are essentially closely related with the fluctuation of the global climate and local environmental changes; (4) an overall picture of the evolutionary history of Moschus is given; (5) multiple causes are responsible for the global downturn and near-extinction of all musk deer species and populations in recent decades, but it is due mainly to the international background of musk smuggling and domestic anthropocentric factors, particularly overpoaching using Gansitao. All in all, Early moschids underwent over 20Ma of "boom and bust" history from the late Oligocene to the end of Miocene in Europe and North America, and only the Eastern part of Asia sheltered the recent representatives during the Quaternary glacial cycles, but there is still a very long way to go before we can reconstruct the family’s phylogenetic history in full, and the conservation of today's musk deer populations is currently the most urgent mission.

Published in	American Journal of Life Sciences (Volume 4, Issue 2)
DOI	10.11648/j.ajls.20160402.12
Page(s)	20-30
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2016. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Evolution, Fossil, Moschidae, Moschus, Cervidae, Bovidae, Ruminants

References

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APA Style

Zhixiao Liu, Colin Groves. (2016). Dispersing or Contracting: A Perspective on the Evolutionary History and Population Conservation of Musk Deer. American Journal of Life Sciences, 4(2), 20-30. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajls.20160402.12

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Zhixiao Liu; Colin Groves. Dispersing or Contracting: A Perspective on the Evolutionary History and Population Conservation of Musk Deer. Am. J. Life Sci. 2016, 4(2), 20-30. doi: 10.11648/j.ajls.20160402.12

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AMA Style

Zhixiao Liu, Colin Groves. Dispersing or Contracting: A Perspective on the Evolutionary History and Population Conservation of Musk Deer. Am J Life Sci. 2016;4(2):20-30. doi: 10.11648/j.ajls.20160402.12

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@article{10.11648/j.ajls.20160402.12,
  author = {Zhixiao Liu and Colin Groves},
  title = {Dispersing or Contracting: A Perspective on the Evolutionary History and Population Conservation of Musk Deer},
  journal = {American Journal of Life Sciences},
  volume = {4},
  number = {2},
  pages = {20-30},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajls.20160402.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajls.20160402.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajls.20160402.12},
  abstract = {Musk deer, as a small hornless group, are of great significance in the phylogenetic evolution of ruminants. Clarification of their evolutionary history has the potential to contribute to an understanding of the total phylogeny of both cervids and bovids. In this paper, based on a comprehensive review of the literature, an integrated rearrangement of moschid fossils is proposed. Our review has produced the following results on the evolution and conservation of moschids: (1) the family Moschidae probably appeared abruptly at a around 30±5Ma, and evolved in parallel with Cervidae and Bovidae; (2) compared with Tragulidae and other Pecora, the Moschidae have acquired a number of progressive traits in common with Cervidae and Bovidae while maintaining certain primitive features, while in their own evolutionary history, they developed a suite of derived features to meet with new environmental circumstances while retaining the most important primitive traits; (3) the origin, divergence, diversification, dispersal and ultimate disappearance of moschids in Europe and North America are essentially closely related with the fluctuation of the global climate and local environmental changes; (4) an overall picture of the evolutionary history of Moschus is given; (5) multiple causes are responsible for the global downturn and near-extinction of all musk deer species and populations in recent decades, but it is due mainly to the international background of musk smuggling and domestic anthropocentric factors, particularly overpoaching using Gansitao. All in all, Early moschids underwent over 20Ma of "boom and bust" history from the late Oligocene to the end of Miocene in Europe and North America, and only the Eastern part of Asia sheltered the recent representatives during the Quaternary glacial cycles, but there is still a very long way to go before we can reconstruct the family’s phylogenetic history in full, and the conservation of today's musk deer populations is currently the most urgent mission.},
 year = {2016}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Dispersing or Contracting: A Perspective on the Evolutionary History and Population Conservation of Musk Deer
AU  - Zhixiao Liu
AU  - Colin Groves
Y1  - 2016/04/09
PY  - 2016
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajls.20160402.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajls.20160402.12
T2  - American Journal of Life Sciences
JF  - American Journal of Life Sciences
JO  - American Journal of Life Sciences
SP  - 20
EP  - 30
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2328-5737
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajls.20160402.12
AB  - Musk deer, as a small hornless group, are of great significance in the phylogenetic evolution of ruminants. Clarification of their evolutionary history has the potential to contribute to an understanding of the total phylogeny of both cervids and bovids. In this paper, based on a comprehensive review of the literature, an integrated rearrangement of moschid fossils is proposed. Our review has produced the following results on the evolution and conservation of moschids: (1) the family Moschidae probably appeared abruptly at a around 30±5Ma, and evolved in parallel with Cervidae and Bovidae; (2) compared with Tragulidae and other Pecora, the Moschidae have acquired a number of progressive traits in common with Cervidae and Bovidae while maintaining certain primitive features, while in their own evolutionary history, they developed a suite of derived features to meet with new environmental circumstances while retaining the most important primitive traits; (3) the origin, divergence, diversification, dispersal and ultimate disappearance of moschids in Europe and North America are essentially closely related with the fluctuation of the global climate and local environmental changes; (4) an overall picture of the evolutionary history of Moschus is given; (5) multiple causes are responsible for the global downturn and near-extinction of all musk deer species and populations in recent decades, but it is due mainly to the international background of musk smuggling and domestic anthropocentric factors, particularly overpoaching using Gansitao. All in all, Early moschids underwent over 20Ma of "boom and bust" history from the late Oligocene to the end of Miocene in Europe and North America, and only the Eastern part of Asia sheltered the recent representatives during the Quaternary glacial cycles, but there is still a very long way to go before we can reconstruct the family’s phylogenetic history in full, and the conservation of today's musk deer populations is currently the most urgent mission.
VL  - 4
IS  - 2
ER  -

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Author Information

Zhixiao Liu

College of Biology and Envionmental Sciences, Jishou University, Jishou City, Hunan Province, China
Colin Groves

School of Archaeology and Anthropology, Australia National University, 2602 ACT, Canberra, Australia

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Zhixiao Liu, Colin Groves. (2016). Dispersing or Contracting: A Perspective on the Evolutionary History and Population Conservation of Musk Deer. American Journal of Life Sciences, 4(2), 20-30. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajls.20160402.12

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ACS Style

Zhixiao Liu; Colin Groves. Dispersing or Contracting: A Perspective on the Evolutionary History and Population Conservation of Musk Deer. Am. J. Life Sci. 2016, 4(2), 20-30. doi: 10.11648/j.ajls.20160402.12

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AMA Style

Zhixiao Liu, Colin Groves. Dispersing or Contracting: A Perspective on the Evolutionary History and Population Conservation of Musk Deer. Am J Life Sci. 2016;4(2):20-30. doi: 10.11648/j.ajls.20160402.12

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@article{10.11648/j.ajls.20160402.12,
  author = {Zhixiao Liu and Colin Groves},
  title = {Dispersing or Contracting: A Perspective on the Evolutionary History and Population Conservation of Musk Deer},
  journal = {American Journal of Life Sciences},
  volume = {4},
  number = {2},
  pages = {20-30},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajls.20160402.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajls.20160402.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajls.20160402.12},
  abstract = {Musk deer, as a small hornless group, are of great significance in the phylogenetic evolution of ruminants. Clarification of their evolutionary history has the potential to contribute to an understanding of the total phylogeny of both cervids and bovids. In this paper, based on a comprehensive review of the literature, an integrated rearrangement of moschid fossils is proposed. Our review has produced the following results on the evolution and conservation of moschids: (1) the family Moschidae probably appeared abruptly at a around 30±5Ma, and evolved in parallel with Cervidae and Bovidae; (2) compared with Tragulidae and other Pecora, the Moschidae have acquired a number of progressive traits in common with Cervidae and Bovidae while maintaining certain primitive features, while in their own evolutionary history, they developed a suite of derived features to meet with new environmental circumstances while retaining the most important primitive traits; (3) the origin, divergence, diversification, dispersal and ultimate disappearance of moschids in Europe and North America are essentially closely related with the fluctuation of the global climate and local environmental changes; (4) an overall picture of the evolutionary history of Moschus is given; (5) multiple causes are responsible for the global downturn and near-extinction of all musk deer species and populations in recent decades, but it is due mainly to the international background of musk smuggling and domestic anthropocentric factors, particularly overpoaching using Gansitao. All in all, Early moschids underwent over 20Ma of "boom and bust" history from the late Oligocene to the end of Miocene in Europe and North America, and only the Eastern part of Asia sheltered the recent representatives during the Quaternary glacial cycles, but there is still a very long way to go before we can reconstruct the family’s phylogenetic history in full, and the conservation of today's musk deer populations is currently the most urgent mission.},
 year = {2016}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Dispersing or Contracting: A Perspective on the Evolutionary History and Population Conservation of Musk Deer
AU  - Zhixiao Liu
AU  - Colin Groves
Y1  - 2016/04/09
PY  - 2016
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajls.20160402.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajls.20160402.12
T2  - American Journal of Life Sciences
JF  - American Journal of Life Sciences
JO  - American Journal of Life Sciences
SP  - 20
EP  - 30
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2328-5737
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajls.20160402.12
AB  - Musk deer, as a small hornless group, are of great significance in the phylogenetic evolution of ruminants. Clarification of their evolutionary history has the potential to contribute to an understanding of the total phylogeny of both cervids and bovids. In this paper, based on a comprehensive review of the literature, an integrated rearrangement of moschid fossils is proposed. Our review has produced the following results on the evolution and conservation of moschids: (1) the family Moschidae probably appeared abruptly at a around 30±5Ma, and evolved in parallel with Cervidae and Bovidae; (2) compared with Tragulidae and other Pecora, the Moschidae have acquired a number of progressive traits in common with Cervidae and Bovidae while maintaining certain primitive features, while in their own evolutionary history, they developed a suite of derived features to meet with new environmental circumstances while retaining the most important primitive traits; (3) the origin, divergence, diversification, dispersal and ultimate disappearance of moschids in Europe and North America are essentially closely related with the fluctuation of the global climate and local environmental changes; (4) an overall picture of the evolutionary history of Moschus is given; (5) multiple causes are responsible for the global downturn and near-extinction of all musk deer species and populations in recent decades, but it is due mainly to the international background of musk smuggling and domestic anthropocentric factors, particularly overpoaching using Gansitao. All in all, Early moschids underwent over 20Ma of "boom and bust" history from the late Oligocene to the end of Miocene in Europe and North America, and only the Eastern part of Asia sheltered the recent representatives during the Quaternary glacial cycles, but there is still a very long way to go before we can reconstruct the family’s phylogenetic history in full, and the conservation of today's musk deer populations is currently the most urgent mission.
VL  - 4
IS  - 2
ER  -

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