Étude paléogénétique du cerf élaphe (Cervus elaphus) au cours de la transition Tardiglaciaire - Holocène ancien du Jura (15 000 – 6 000 BP) : relations entre changements morphologiques, environnementaux et génétiques

The Late-Glacial - Holocene transition, around 13,000 to 8,000 years ago, is the world theatre of an ample climatic upsetting associated to a deep change of the landscapes. Around the rock-shelter of Rochedane, an archaeological site from the French Jura, the climate shifts from peri-glacial to temperate, open environment becomes progressively closed and the faunal assemblages are consequently strongly modified. In order to understand the evolutionary mechanisms implied and their different aspects, a multidisciplinary survey has been led on bones from Red Deer, Cervus elaphus, found in the shelter associated with remains of lithic industry and prehistoric art let by the hunters-gatherers during this unstable time. Isotopic geochemistry has already showed that during this period, the habitat and the diet of deers changed. Moreover, morphological studies is demonstrating that, in the same way, the size of deers seems to decrease. To complete both studies, a palaeogenetic approach was then developed to test two different alternative: do the deers found come from a single population that adapts to new ecological conditions or instead do they correspond to a succession of different populations depending on environmental conditions? The results obtained up to now do not allow to conclude between both hypotheses. However, it was demonstrated that it was possible to access authentic mitochondrial DNA sequences (control region, cytochrome b) from these prehistoric bones and to discriminate the deers of Rochedane to the individual level. Thus, this approach is promising in order to decipher in the future the possible ties between environmental, morphological and genetic changes.