8,000 years of wild and domestic animal body size data reveal long-term synchrony and recent divergence due to intensified human impact

Abstract

The long-term evolution of domestic mammal body size in Western Europe since the Early Neolithic is mainly attributed to human selection. However, the relative influence of environmental and anthropogenic factors in animal body size evolution, and the coevolution of wild and domestic species remain poorly understood. In the Northwestern Mediterranean, abundant archaeozoological data from well-contextualized sites and reliable paleoenvironmental reconstructions provide a unique opportunity to explore long-term morphological changes and their drivers over time. This study analyzes 81,211 biometric measurements from 311 archaeological sites in Mediterranean France, spanning the past 8,000 y. It examines body size evolution in key wild (red deer, red fox, brown hare, rabbit) and domestic (sheep, goat, cattle, pig, chicken) species alongside vegetation, climate, and human activity changes. Our analyses reveal a long-standing synchrony between wild and domestic species until the last millennium, both influenced by a complex interplay of environmental and anthropogenic factors. From the Early Neolithic to the Roman period, environmental conditions exerted comparable effects on wild and domestic species, though the magnitude and timing of changes varied, reflecting species-specific interactions with humans. From the Middle Ages onward, evolutionary trajectories diverged. Domestic species experienced intensified human selection, while human activities increasingly impacted wild populations and their habitat. These findings highlight the dynamic and interwoven roles of environmental and anthropogenic factors in shaping animal morphological evolution, emphasizing the importance of environmental factors in the evolution of domestic species, and illustrating the growing impact of human activities on wild populations.