A new quantitative approach for guild analyses reveals the evolution of the carnivoran (Mammalia) guild at the Upper Miocene Proto-Rhine (Germany)

We compare carnivoran guilds (defined by body mass, locomotor pattern, and diet preference) of the Eppelsheim Formation (MN 9/10) to that of Dorn-Dürkheim 1 (MN 11), Germany, to establish qualitative as well as quantitative bases for the comparison of faunal associations. Taxonomic results reveal moderate faunal exchange between these two communities, mainly due to the disappearance of amphicyonids and the appearance of hyenids at Dorn-Dürkheim 1. As verified by cluster analysis and principal component analysis, the corresponding niches get replaced by new taxa with very similar ecologies, while several guild elements remain stable. However, the number of species occupying a single niche rises at Dorn-Dürkheim 1 to three, supporting previous studies on the whole mammal community that showed that the taxa of this site lived in a highly diverse environment. The only significant ecomorphological change is the disappearance of semiaquatical lutrines such as Limonyx and Sivaonyx.
The evolution of the early to middle Upper Miocene carnivoran guilds in Germany is thus characterised by small ecomorphological changes reflecting a diversification of the environment from MN 9 to MN 11, while taxonomic structures of the guilds changed on family level.