Josep Antoni Alcover
Biographic Data
| ID | 4073841 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Josep Antoni Alcover |
| GIVEN NAMES | Josep Antoni |
| FAMILY NAME | Alcover |
| SIGNATURE | ALCOVER J A |
| AFFILIATIONS | American Museum of Natural History |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-9905-2588 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 15 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 102 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 15 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2001 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
New direct radiocarbon dates constrain the timing of Nesophontes spp
The disappearance of Nesophontidae represents one of the few family-wide mammalian extinctions documented in recent history. Previous radiometric studies from Hispaniola suggested that this extinction occurred during European colonization, coinciding with significant landscape transformation and the introduction of invasive species, including the black rat ( Rattus rattus ). However, direct evidence for the temporal overlap between nesophontids a…
Asynchronous ecological upheavals on the Western Mediterranean islands
Comparative studies on extinction scenarios are an invaluable contribution to enhance our understanding of their patterns and mechanisms underpinning them. This paper presents new radiocarbon dates based on specimens of five extinct mammal species from Mallorca and Sardinia. The new evidence permits to reanalyse the extinction dynamics on both islands. Radiocarbon ages directly obtained on bone collagen from these species show evidence of differe…
The impact of Roman conquest on the pattern of livestock exploitation on the Balearic Islands
The conquest of the Eastern Balearic Islands by the Romans produced a profoundtransformation of the native communities and of their economic system. Whereas several aspects of the local economy at that period are well known, the changes experienced in the patterns of production and consumption of livestock still remain to be deciphered. By studying a series of faunal remains from the two main islands (i.e., Mallorca and Menorca), and focusing on …
Both introduced and extinct
Closing the gap
The chronology of the extinction of the Balearic fossil bovid Myotragus balearicus in Mallorca and Menorca has been under discussion since its discovery in 1909, and especially in the last decades, thanks to the radiocarbon dates that have been obtained from several deposits of the island of Mallorca. Here, we present new radiocarbon dates of M. balearicus bones (including the most recent date ever obtained for the species, 4035 ± 32 BP, 2830–247…
Stomatal density and stomatal index of fossil Buxus from coprolites of extinct Myotragus balearicus Bate (Artiodactyla, Caprinae) as evidence of increased CO 2 concentration during the late Holocene
Stomatal density of plants may vary depending on environmental factors, such as CO 2 concentration. Under the current atmospheric conditions, it is expected that leaves have different stomatal density than they had hundreds or thousands of years ago, due to the rise in CO 2 in the atmosphere. Coprolites of the extinct Myotragus balearicus from Cova Estreta (Pollença, Mallorca), with a radiocarbon age of 3775–3640 cal. bc, have been used to study …
Documenting Introductions
We emphasize the importance of adopting a restrictive reading of the validity and reliability of the faunal record with respect to past animal introductions. As a case study, we analyze the earliest evidence for dogs in the early prehistory of the Balearic Islands. This research is based on direct AMS 14C dates from selected dog bones obtained in archaeological contexts. These dates, together with a conservative interpretation of the archaeologic…
Late-Holocene asynchronous extinction of endemic mammals on the eastern Canary Islands
The Lava mouse ( Malpaisomys insularis), and the Canarian shrew ( Crocidura canariensis) are endemic of the Eastern Canary Islands and islets. The former is extinct while Canarian shrew survives in the two main islands and two islets. In order to provide insights regarding causes and processes contributing to the extinction of these endemic mammals: (i) we established last occurrence dates for Lava mouse, and first records for two exotic species …
Economic transitions in finis terra
A gradualist approach has been taken in describing the evolution of the last foragers in the Iberian Mediterranean Region (IMR) up to their rapid collapse, brought about by the appearance of the first prehistoric farmers. This point of view assumes that the post-Last Glaical Maximum (LGM) climatic change brought about a certain restructuring of the mammal fauna and exerted a direct influence by flooding the changing coastal plain and submerging c…
Chronology and causes of the extinction of the Lava Mouse, Malpaisomys insularis (Rodentia
Understanding late Holocene extinctions on islands requires accurate chronologies for all relevant events, including multiple colonisations by humans and the introduction of alien species. The most widely held hypothesis on the causes of Holocene island vertebrate extinctions incorporates human impacts, although climatic-related hypotheses cannot be excluded. Both hypotheses have been suggested to account for the extinction of the endemic Lava Mo…
Three islands, three worlds
The First Mallorcans
The Chronology of the First Settlement of the Balearic Islands
The goal of this paper is to establish a solid chronology which spans the earliest human presence in each of the three larger Balearic Islands. For this purpose, a review is undertaken of archaeological evidence and associated absolute dating related to the period before the 2nd millennium Cal BC. Additionally, palaeoecological, sedimentological and palaeocultural evidence for human absence on these islands during the middle Holocene is introduce…
Focus
Revisiting the Earliest Human Presence in Mallorca, Western Mediterranean
A new date for the assumed first humans in Mallorca disagrees strongly with the earliest dating of them. New light on the first settlement of Mallorca comes from the discussion of dates and the review of the empirical evidence for that settlement. We conclude that human arrival on Mallorca must be situated in the 3rd millennium cal BC
Economic transitions in finis terra
A gradualist approach has been taken in describing the evolution of the last foragers in the Iberian Mediterranean Region (IMR) up to their rapid collapse, brought about by the appearance of the first prehistoric farmers. This point of view assumes that the post-Last Glaical Maximum (LGM) climatic change brought about a certain restructuring of the mammal fauna and exerted a direct influence by flooding the changing coastal plain and submerging c…
The First Mallorcans
Closing the gap
The chronology of the extinction of the Balearic fossil bovid Myotragus balearicus in Mallorca and Menorca has been under discussion since its discovery in 1909, and especially in the last decades, thanks to the radiocarbon dates that have been obtained from several deposits of the island of Mallorca. Here, we present new radiocarbon dates of M. balearicus bones (including the most recent date ever obtained for the species, 4035 ± 32 BP, 2830–247…
The Chronology of the First Settlement of the Balearic Islands
The goal of this paper is to establish a solid chronology which spans the earliest human presence in each of the three larger Balearic Islands. For this purpose, a review is undertaken of archaeological evidence and associated absolute dating related to the period before the 2nd millennium Cal BC. Additionally, palaeoecological, sedimentological and palaeocultural evidence for human absence on these islands during the middle Holocene is introduce…
The impact of Roman conquest on the pattern of livestock exploitation on the Balearic Islands
The conquest of the Eastern Balearic Islands by the Romans produced a profoundtransformation of the native communities and of their economic system. Whereas several aspects of the local economy at that period are well known, the changes experienced in the patterns of production and consumption of livestock still remain to be deciphered. By studying a series of faunal remains from the two main islands (i.e., Mallorca and Menorca), and focusing on …
Stomatal density and stomatal index of fossil Buxus from coprolites of extinct Myotragus balearicus Bate (Artiodactyla, Caprinae) as evidence of increased CO 2 concentration during the late Holocene
Stomatal density of plants may vary depending on environmental factors, such as CO 2 concentration. Under the current atmospheric conditions, it is expected that leaves have different stomatal density than they had hundreds or thousands of years ago, due to the rise in CO 2 in the atmosphere. Coprolites of the extinct Myotragus balearicus from Cova Estreta (Pollença, Mallorca), with a radiocarbon age of 3775–3640 cal. bc, have been used to study …
Late-Holocene asynchronous extinction of endemic mammals on the eastern Canary Islands
The Lava mouse ( Malpaisomys insularis), and the Canarian shrew ( Crocidura canariensis) are endemic of the Eastern Canary Islands and islets. The former is extinct while Canarian shrew survives in the two main islands and two islets. In order to provide insights regarding causes and processes contributing to the extinction of these endemic mammals: (i) we established last occurrence dates for Lava mouse, and first records for two exotic species …
Asynchronous ecological upheavals on the Western Mediterranean islands
Comparative studies on extinction scenarios are an invaluable contribution to enhance our understanding of their patterns and mechanisms underpinning them. This paper presents new radiocarbon dates based on specimens of five extinct mammal species from Mallorca and Sardinia. The new evidence permits to reanalyse the extinction dynamics on both islands. Radiocarbon ages directly obtained on bone collagen from these species show evidence of differe…
Both introduced and extinct
Documenting Introductions
We emphasize the importance of adopting a restrictive reading of the validity and reliability of the faunal record with respect to past animal introductions. As a case study, we analyze the earliest evidence for dogs in the early prehistory of the Balearic Islands. This research is based on direct AMS 14C dates from selected dog bones obtained in archaeological contexts. These dates, together with a conservative interpretation of the archaeologic…
Focus
Revisiting the Earliest Human Presence in Mallorca, Western Mediterranean
A new date for the assumed first humans in Mallorca disagrees strongly with the earliest dating of them. New light on the first settlement of Mallorca comes from the discussion of dates and the review of the empirical evidence for that settlement. We conclude that human arrival on Mallorca must be situated in the 3rd millennium cal BC
The Chronology of the First Settlement of the Balearic Islands
The goal of this paper is to establish a solid chronology which spans the earliest human presence in each of the three larger Balearic Islands. For this purpose, a review is undertaken of archaeological evidence and associated absolute dating related to the period before the 2nd millennium Cal BC. Additionally, palaeoecological, sedimentological and palaeocultural evidence for human absence on these islands during the middle Holocene is introduce…
Chronology and causes of the extinction of the Lava Mouse, Malpaisomys insularis (Rodentia
Understanding late Holocene extinctions on islands requires accurate chronologies for all relevant events, including multiple colonisations by humans and the introduction of alien species. The most widely held hypothesis on the causes of Holocene island vertebrate extinctions incorporates human impacts, although climatic-related hypotheses cannot be excluded. Both hypotheses have been suggested to account for the extinction of the endemic Lava Mo…
Three islands, three worlds
The First Mallorcans
Economic transitions in finis terra
A gradualist approach has been taken in describing the evolution of the last foragers in the Iberian Mediterranean Region (IMR) up to their rapid collapse, brought about by the appearance of the first prehistoric farmers. This point of view assumes that the post-Last Glaical Maximum (LGM) climatic change brought about a certain restructuring of the mammal fauna and exerted a direct influence by flooding the changing coastal plain and submerging c…
Late-Holocene asynchronous extinction of endemic mammals on the eastern Canary Islands
The Lava mouse ( Malpaisomys insularis), and the Canarian shrew ( Crocidura canariensis) are endemic of the Eastern Canary Islands and islets. The former is extinct while Canarian shrew survives in the two main islands and two islets. In order to provide insights regarding causes and processes contributing to the extinction of these endemic mammals: (i) we established last occurrence dates for Lava mouse, and first records for two exotic species …
Documenting Introductions
We emphasize the importance of adopting a restrictive reading of the validity and reliability of the faunal record with respect to past animal introductions. As a case study, we analyze the earliest evidence for dogs in the early prehistory of the Balearic Islands. This research is based on direct AMS 14C dates from selected dog bones obtained in archaeological contexts. These dates, together with a conservative interpretation of the archaeologic…
Stomatal density and stomatal index of fossil Buxus from coprolites of extinct Myotragus balearicus Bate (Artiodactyla, Caprinae) as evidence of increased CO 2 concentration during the late Holocene
Stomatal density of plants may vary depending on environmental factors, such as CO 2 concentration. Under the current atmospheric conditions, it is expected that leaves have different stomatal density than they had hundreds or thousands of years ago, due to the rise in CO 2 in the atmosphere. Coprolites of the extinct Myotragus balearicus from Cova Estreta (Pollença, Mallorca), with a radiocarbon age of 3775–3640 cal. bc, have been used to study …
Both introduced and extinct
Closing the gap
The chronology of the extinction of the Balearic fossil bovid Myotragus balearicus in Mallorca and Menorca has been under discussion since its discovery in 1909, and especially in the last decades, thanks to the radiocarbon dates that have been obtained from several deposits of the island of Mallorca. Here, we present new radiocarbon dates of M. balearicus bones (including the most recent date ever obtained for the species, 4035 ± 32 BP, 2830–247…
The impact of Roman conquest on the pattern of livestock exploitation on the Balearic Islands
The conquest of the Eastern Balearic Islands by the Romans produced a profoundtransformation of the native communities and of their economic system. Whereas several aspects of the local economy at that period are well known, the changes experienced in the patterns of production and consumption of livestock still remain to be deciphered. By studying a series of faunal remains from the two main islands (i.e., Mallorca and Menorca), and focusing on …
Asynchronous ecological upheavals on the Western Mediterranean islands
Comparative studies on extinction scenarios are an invaluable contribution to enhance our understanding of their patterns and mechanisms underpinning them. This paper presents new radiocarbon dates based on specimens of five extinct mammal species from Mallorca and Sardinia. The new evidence permits to reanalyse the extinction dynamics on both islands. Radiocarbon ages directly obtained on bone collagen from these species show evidence of differe…
New direct radiocarbon dates constrain the timing of Nesophontes spp
The disappearance of Nesophontidae represents one of the few family-wide mammalian extinctions documented in recent history. Previous radiometric studies from Hispaniola suggested that this extinction occurred during European colonization, coinciding with significant landscape transformation and the introduction of invasive species, including the black rat ( Rattus rattus ). However, direct evidence for the temporal overlap between nesophontids a…
Geography (12 works) · Archaeology (9 works) · Biology (9 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (7 works) · Ecology (7 works) · Balearic islands (6 works) · Mediterranean climate (6 works) · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology (6 works) · Cartography (5 works) · Chronology (5 works)