Figure 2

Time series of average BSI for rodent faunal assemblages through the Iberian Plio-Pleistocene. Average biomic specialization index (BSI) estimated for 44 fossil sites from the Iberian Plio-Pleistocene dated between 5.25 and 0.01 Ma. Solid and dashed lines are the results of the MARS analysis [44], which identified a hinge point (Table 2) in the trend that separates the assemblages before (circles) and after (squares) the onset of the modern glaciations in the Northern Hemisphere ~ 2.75 million years ago. The implied Mammal Neogene zones (MN, [48]), European land mammal ages (see [38]) and epochs are shown at the bottom.