Diversity of Late Neogene-Pleistocene small mammals of the Baikalian region and implications for paleoenvironment and biostratigraphy: An overview

Gradual cooling in the Northern latitudes and intensive orogenic processes led to a prominent environmental change in Eurasia during the Pliocene. The climate changed towards arid and cool conditions. This resulted in a significant reorganization of the biogeocenosis of the Baikalian region. Several open landscape dwellers appeared in mammal faunas. The diverse small mammal species are characteristic of the faunas of Transbaikalia and Prebaikalia. However, the Prebaikalian fauna slightly differs from Transbaikalian one as it includes some peculiar species. Further trends of gradual climatic changes led to significant differences in the biota of these two regions that continue to exist at present.