中国热带第四纪动物群的70多个实例约有40%出现在冷期,反映气候波动幅度较小。动物群的时空分布可以佐证早更新世气候波动的2个主旋回、中更新世的3个主旋回、晚更新世的2个主旋回和全新世大暖期。末次冰期和新冰期未曾危及热带动物群的生存。历史时期的冷波动使动物逐步南辽,但其绝迹主要是受人为因素影响。
More than seventy examples related to the time and space distribution of tropical faunas during Quaternary in China's tropics are enumerated in this paper. About forty percent of the examples can be found even in cooling stages, showing the smaller amplitude of climatic fluctuation during Quaternary due to the relatively stable physical geographic environment in tropical China. The enumerated faunas are mostly of forest animals but the grassland ani- mals appeared in cooling stages such as the Last Glacial Age, Younger Dryas Age and Neoglaciation Age, showing the climatic fluctuation in some degree. The distribution of faunas gives an evidence of the two main cycles of climatic fluctuation in Early Pleistocene, three main cycles in Middle Pleistocene, two main cycles in Late Pleistocene and the Holocene Megathermal. The drop in temperature during the Last Glacial Age and Neoglaciation Age has not endangered the existence of tropical faunas. With influence of cooling fluctuations the Rhinoceros sinensis, Elephas maximus, Pavo muticus and Tomistoma schelegelli moved southwards progressively. But the disappearance of those animals in tropical China was mainly the results of artificial factors during the historical period.