Life, death and fossilization on Gran Canaria: Implications for Macaronesian biogeography and molecular dating

The Canaries have recently served as a test-bed island system for evaluating newly developed parametric biogeographical methods that can incorporate information from molecular phylogenetic dating and ages of geological events. To use such information successfully, knowledge of geological history and...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Anderson, Cajsa Lisa, Channing, Alan, Zamuner, Alba Berta
Formato: Articulo
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: 2009
Materias:
Ciencias Naturales
Canary Islands
Fossil
Gran Canaria
Laurisilva
Macaronesia
Miocene
Molecular dating
Pliocene
Roque Nublo
Tetraclinis
Acceso en línea:http://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/handle/10915/82712
Aporte de:
SEDICI (UNLP) de Universidad Nacional de La Plata
id I19-R120-10915-82712
record_format dspace
institution Universidad Nacional de La Plata
institution_str I-19
repository_str R-120
collection SEDICI (UNLP)
language Inglés
topic Ciencias Naturales
Canary Islands
Fossil
Gran Canaria
Laurisilva
Macaronesia
Miocene
Molecular dating
Pliocene
Roque Nublo
Tetraclinis
spellingShingle Ciencias Naturales
Canary Islands
Fossil
Gran Canaria
Laurisilva
Macaronesia
Miocene
Molecular dating
Pliocene
Roque Nublo
Tetraclinis
Anderson, Cajsa Lisa
Channing, Alan
Zamuner, Alba Berta
Life, death and fossilization on Gran Canaria: Implications for Macaronesian biogeography and molecular dating
topic_facet Ciencias Naturales
Canary Islands
Fossil
Gran Canaria
Laurisilva
Macaronesia
Miocene
Molecular dating
Pliocene
Roque Nublo
Tetraclinis
description The Canaries have recently served as a test-bed island system for evaluating newly developed parametric biogeographical methods that can incorporate information from molecular phylogenetic dating and ages of geological events. To use such information successfully, knowledge of geological history and the fossil record is essential. Studies presenting phylogenetic datings of plant groups on oceanic islands often through necessity, but perhaps inappropriately, use the geological age of the oldest island in an archipelago as a maximum-age constraint for earliest possible introductions. Recently published papers suggest that there is little chance of informative fossil floras being found on volcanic islands, and that nothing could survive violent periods of volcanic activity. One such example is the Roque Nublo period in Gran Canaria, which is assumed to have caused the extinction of the flora of the island (c. 5.3-3.7 Ma). However, recent investigations of Gran Canaria have identified numerous volcanic and sedimentological settings where plant remains are common. We argue, based on evidence from the Miocene-Pliocene rock and fossil records, that complete sterilization of the island is implausible. Moreover, based on fossil evidence, we conclude that the typical ecosystems of the Canary Islands, such as the laurisilva, the Pinus forest and the thermophilous scrubland, were already present on Gran Canaria during the Miocene-Pliocene. The fossil record we present provides new information, which may be used as age constraints in phylogenetic datings, in addition to or instead of the less reliable ages of island emergences or catastrophic events. We also suggest island environments that are likely to yield further fossil localities. Finally, we briefly review further examples of fossil floras of Macaronesia.
format Articulo
Articulo
author Anderson, Cajsa Lisa
Channing, Alan
Zamuner, Alba Berta
author_facet Anderson, Cajsa Lisa
Channing, Alan
Zamuner, Alba Berta
author_sort Anderson, Cajsa Lisa
title Life, death and fossilization on Gran Canaria: Implications for Macaronesian biogeography and molecular dating
title_short Life, death and fossilization on Gran Canaria: Implications for Macaronesian biogeography and molecular dating
title_full Life, death and fossilization on Gran Canaria: Implications for Macaronesian biogeography and molecular dating
title_fullStr Life, death and fossilization on Gran Canaria: Implications for Macaronesian biogeography and molecular dating
title_full_unstemmed Life, death and fossilization on Gran Canaria: Implications for Macaronesian biogeography and molecular dating
title_sort life, death and fossilization on gran canaria: implications for macaronesian biogeography and molecular dating
publishDate 2009
url http://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/handle/10915/82712
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