CHANGES IN MAMMALIAN COMMUNITIES AT THE PLEISTOCENE-HOLOCENE BOUNDARY

Analysis of the mammal fauna of the last glacial shows that the main factor of mammal distribution was the humidity or aridity and its effect on the flora, rather than the temperature itself. The biome typical of the last glacial in Central Europe, forests of parkland character, does not exist today. The variety of habitats resulted in a rich species diversity, which became poorer with the gradual growth of continuous forests during the Holocene.