Page 24 - mamm.73.3.169

Article in press - uncorrected proof
192 M. Masseti: Homogenisation and the loss of biodiversity of mammals of the Mediterranean islands
probable foundation of the Rhodian population by
humans in Neolithic times has resulted in the chance
preservation of a significant portion of the mitochondrial
genetic variability of the species up to the present time
(Masseti et al. 2008). The current challenge is how to use
this specific knowledge to manage and conserve this
anthropochorous population. Its survival represents not
only the first documented instance of ‘ad hoc conser-
vation’, but is also significant in historical, archaeological
and ecological terms. For these reasons too, its impor-
tance has to be considered on a par with that of a human
artefact, as the dynamic testimony of ancient intervention
which is still available for our evaluation and our appre-
ciation, with all the consequences that such an estimate
brings with it.
Similar to many other Mediterranean island anthropo-
chorous mammal populations of ancient introduction,
however, the Rhodian deer has never been recognised
as an endemic subspecies or ecotype, nor has it
appeared in the international conservation lists.
Acknowledgements
In the course of this project I have been fortunate to have the
help of many friends and colleagues. I am particularly grateful
to Gaetano Aloise, Dipartimento di Ecologia, Universita` della
Calabria, Cosenza; Giovanni Amori, CNR, Institute of Ecosystem
Studies, Rome; Wolfang Bo¨ hme, Zoologisches Forschungsin-
stitut und Museum Alexander Koenig, Bonn; Tahar Lamine Che-
niti, Univerisite des Sciences, des Tecniques et de Medicine de
Tunis; Anna M. De Marinis, Istituto Nazionale per la Fauna Sel-
vatica, Bologna; Toula Marketou, 22nd Ephorate of Prehistoric
and Classical Antiquities (Rhodes); Federico Masini, Dipartimen-
to di Geologia e Geodesia of the University of Palermo; Joan
Mayol Serra, Govern de les Illes Balears; Paul Mazza, Depart-
ment of Earth Sciences, University of Florence; Paolo Sposimo,
NEMO S.r.l., Firenze; Stuart Swiny, Department of Anthropology
of the University of Albany, NY; George E. Theodorou, National
and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Faculty of Geology and
Geoenvironment, Department of Historical Geology and
Palaeontology, Athens; Cristiano Vernesi, Centro di Ecologia
Alpina, Trento (Italy); Bruno Zava, Wilderness-Studi ambientali,
Palermo. Special thanks are due to Simon J.M. Davis, Portu-
guese Institute of Archaeology, Lisbon, and Jean-Denis Vigne,
CNRS, Muse´ um National d’Histoire Naturelle, De´ partement Eco-
logie et Gestion de la Biodiversite´ , Paris, for the enjoyable and
stimulating discussions on the archaeozoology of the Mediter-
ranean region, and to Piero ‘‘Papik’’ Genovesi, Istituto Superiore
per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA), Ozzano dell-
’Emilia (Bologna), for his invaluable encouragement and support.
References
Adams, A.L. 1870. Notes of a naturalist in the Nile valley and
Malta. A narrative of exploration and research in connection
with the natural history, geology, and archaeology of the
lower Nile and Maltese islands. Edmonston and Douglas,
Edinburgh. pp. 294.
Adams, A.L. 1875. On the dentition and osteology of the Maltese
fossil elephant. Trans. Zool. Soc. London 9: 47–51.
Adler, G.H. and R. Levins 1994. The islands syndrome in rodent
populations. Quart. Rev. Biol. 69: 473–490.
Agnelli, P. 1996. Mammiferi. In: (B. Lanza, ed) Isola d’Elba. Geo-
logia, flora, fauna, storia, arte, ambiente. Pro. Grams. Italia,
Milano. pp. 66–73.
Albarella, U., F. Manconi, J.-D. Vigne and P. Rowley-Cowye.
2007. Ethoarchaeology of pig husbandry in Sardinia and Cor-
sica. In: (U. Albarella, K. Dobney, A. Ervynck and P. Rpwley-
Conwy, eds) Pigs and humans. 10,000 years of interaction.
Oxford University Press, Oxford/New York. pp. 285–307.
Alcover, J.A. 1979. Els Mamı´fers de les Balears. Editorial Moll,
Palma de Mallorca. pp. 196.
Alcover, J.A. 1980. Note on the origin of the present mammalian
fauna from the Balearic and Pityusic Islands. Miscellania
Zool. 6: 141–149.
Alcover, J.A. and J. Gosalbez. 1988. Estudio comparado de la
fauna de micromamiferos de las Islas Baleares y Pitiusas.
Bull. Ecol. 19: 321–328.
Alcover, J.A., S. Moya` -Sola` and J. Pons-Moya` . 1981. Les qui-
meres del passat. Els vertebrats fo` ssils del Plio-Quaternari
de les Balears i Pitiu¨ ses. Insitucio` Catalana d’Histo` ria Natu-
ral, Memo` ria, 11. Editorial Moll, Palma de Mallorca. pp. 266.
Alcover, J.A., X. Campillo, M. Macias and A. Sans. 1998. Mam-
mal species of the World: additional data on insular mam-
mals. Am. Mus. Nov. 3248: 1–29.
Alcover, J.A., B. Segu´ı and P. Bover. 1999. Extinctions and local
disappearances of vertebrates in the Western Mediterranean
islands. In: (I. MacPhee, ed) Extinctions in near time. Kluwer
Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York. pp. 165–188.
Alcover, J.A., M. Llabre´ s and Ll. Moragues. 2000. Les Balears
abans dels humans. Monografia de la Societat de Histo` ria
Natural de les Balears, 8. Societat de Histo` ria Natural de les
Balears, Palma de Mallorca. pp. 1–78.
Ambrosetti, P. 1968. The Pleistocene dwarf elephants of Spi-
nagallo (Siracusa, South-Eastern Sicily). Geol. Rom. 7: 277–
398.
Ambrosetti, P., A. Azzaroli and T. Kotsakis. 1980. Mammiferi del
Plio-Pleistocene delle isole. In: I vertebrati fossili italiani.
Catalogo della mostra di Verona, Verona. pp. 243–248.
Amori, G. 1993. Italian insectivores and rodents: extinctions and
current status. Suppl. Ric. Biol. Selvaggina 21: 115–134.
Amori, G. and M. Masseti. 1996. Does the occurrence of pred-
ators on Central Mediterranean islands affect the body size
of micromammals. Vie Milieu 46: 205–211.
Anastasakis, G.C. and M. Dermitzakis. 1990. Post-Middle-Mio-
cene paleogeography evolution of the Central Aegean Sea
and detailed Quaternary reconstruction of the region. Its pos-
sible influence on the distribution of the Quaternary mam-
mals of the Cyclades islands. N. Jarhb. Geol. Pala¨ ont. Monat.
22: 1–16.
Anderson, E. 1970. Quaternary evolution of the genus Martes
(Carnivora, Mustelidae). Acta Zool. Fennica. 130: 1–132.
Atkinson, I.A.E. 1985. The spread of commensal species of Rat-
tus to oceanic islands and their effects on island avifaunas.
In: (P.J. Moors, ed) Conservation of island birds: case studies
for the management of threatened island species. Interna-
tional Council for Bird Preservation, Cambridge, United King-
dom. pp. 35–81.
Atkinson, I.A.E. 1989. Introduced animals and extinctions. In: (D.
Western and D. Pearl, eds) Conservation for the twenty-first
century. Oxford University Press, New York. pp. 54–75.
Azzaroli, A. 1971. Il significato delle faune insulari quaternarie.
Le Scienze 30: 84–93.
Azzaroli, A. 1977. Considerazioni sui mammiferi fossili delle isole
mediterranee. Boll. Zool. 44: 201–211.
Azzaroli, A. 1978. Fossil mammals from the Island Pianosa in the
Northern Tyrrhenian Sea. Boll. Soc. Paleont. It. 17: 15–27.
Azzaroli, A. 1982. Insularity and its effects on terrestrial verte-
brates: evolutionary and biogeographic aspects. In. (E. Mon-
tanaro Gallitelli, ed) Palaeontology: essential of historical
geology. S.T.E.M. Mucchi, Modena. pp. 193–215.
Azzaroli, A. 1983. Biogeografia dei mammiferi della Sardegna.
Lavori Soc. Ital. Biogeograf. 8: 35–52.
Azzaroli Puccetti, M.L. and B. Zava. 1988. Nouvelles donne´ es
sur les chiropte` res des ˆıles du Cap-Vert. Boll. Mus. Region.
Sci. Nat. Torino 6: 603–615.