Fossil specimens of the mesofauna from the Quaternary period of the Yana Plateau as indicators of the paleolandscape conditions during the late Pleistocene
https://doi.org/10.31242/2618-9712-2025-30-2-272-281
Abstract
This article presents the results of a study focused on Pleistocene entomofauna and earthworms found within Quaternary deposits in the North-East of Russia. Fossil specimens of the Quaternary mesofauna were identified in buried horizons and yedoma deposits within the Batagay thermoerosion basin, as well as in the silted sands of the Ulakhan Sullar outcrop on the Yana Plateau. Paleobotanical reconstructions indicate that the Batagaysky site, situated on the Yana Plateau in Yakutia, was predominantly characterized by meadow steppes and larch forests throughout the majority of the late Pleistocene epoch. Research conducted on the buried soils within the study areas has indicated that the proportion of taiga to meadow-steppe vegetation within the total vegetation cover has varied over time. These fluctuations are indicative of alterations in climatic conditions as well as the impact of recurrent forest fires. The article highlights several dominant species from Pleistocene communities, including Hypera, Morychus viridis, and Pterostichus (Cryobius), while also providing an overview of their ecological characteristics and distribution. Additionally, it explores the potential for conducting paleoreconstructions of the natural conditions of past eras. The research indicates that paleoentomological remains discovered in the permafrost layers of the studied sites on the Yana Plateau suggest the presence of insects inhabiting both forest and steppe environments during this period.
Keywords
fossil insects,
Pleistocene,
Holocene,
tundra-steppe,
Batagaysky depression,
mesofauna,
buried horizons
Supporting agencies: This study was conducted within the framework of the state assignment from the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation “Biota and abiotic components of ecosystems in the North-East of Russia and the rational development of natural resources in the cryolithozone in the context of climate change and technogenic impact” (No. FSRG-2013-0011).
About the Authors
V. S. Boeskorov
Savvinov Research Institute of Applied Ecology of the North, Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
BOESKOROV, Vasily Stepanovich, Cand. Sci. (Biol.), Senior Researcher
ResearcherID: H-177-2019, Scopus Author ID: 16641946800
Yakutsk
G. N. Savvinov
Savvinov Research Institute of Applied Ecology of the North, Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
SAVVINOV, Grigory Nikolaevich, Dr. Sci. (Biol.), Chief Researcher, Director
ResearcherID: T-7914-2017, Scopus Author ID: 56028258300
Yakutsk
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Review
For citations:
Boeskorov V.S., Savvinov G.N. Fossil specimens of the mesofauna from the Quaternary period of the Yana Plateau as indicators of the paleolandscape conditions during the late Pleistocene. Arctic and Subarctic Natural Resources. 2025;30(2):272-281. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.31242/2618-9712-2025-30-2-272-281
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