A reconstruction of Palaeo‐Macaronesia, with particular reference to the long‐term biogeography of the Atlantic island laurel forests

By J. Fernández-Palacios, L. de Nascimento, R. Otto, J. Delgado, Eduardo García‐del‐Rey, J. Arévalo, Robert J. Whittaker. 2011

383 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Macaronesia is a biogeographical region comprising five Atlantic Oceanic archipelagos: the Azores, Madeira, Selvagen (Savage Islands), Canaries and Cape Verde. It has strong affinities with the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula and the north‐western fringes of Africa. This paper re‐evaluates the biogeographical history and relationships of Macaronesia in the light of geological evidence, which suggests that large and high islands may have been continuously available in the region for very much longer than is indicated by the maximum surface area of the oldest current island (27 Ma) – possibly for as long as 60 million years. We review this literature, attempting a sequential reconstruction of Palaeo‐Macaronesia from 60 Ma to the present. We consider the implications of these geological dynamics for our understanding of the history of colonization of the present islands of Macaronesia. We also evaluate the role of these archipelagos as stepping stones and as both repositories of palaeo‐endemic forms and crucibles of neo‐endemic radiations of plant and animal groups. Our principal focus is on the laurel forest communities, long considered impoverished relicts of the Palaeotropical Tethyan flora. This account is therefore contextualized by reference to the long‐term climatic and biogeographical history of Southern Europe and North Africa and by consideration of the implications of changes in land–sea configuration, climate and ocean circulation for Macaronesian biogeography. We go on to provide a synthesis of the more recent history of Macaronesian forests, which has involved a process of impoverishment of the native elements of the biota that has accelerated since human conquest of the islands. We comment briefly on these processes and on the contemporary status and varied conservation opportunities and threats facing these forests across the Macaronesian biogeographical region.

Subfields: Atmospheric Science, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Paleontology

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/7d61139d05eea39e1d9518a1906451c56828b0e8

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Citations in the corpus

How do islands become green (2015, background): “The flora is largely considered to have colonized the Azores from continental Europe (Guppy, 1917; Dias, 2001; Schaefer, 2003; Fernandez-Palacios et al., 2011).”
Insular Woodiness on the Canary Islands: A Remarkable Case of Convergent Evolution (2013, background): “…5–6 Ma; Potts and Behrensmeyer 1992; Schuster et al. 2006) and the onset of cooler and drier periods during the glaciation cycles, co-occurring with lower sea levels (during the past 2–3 Myr; Garcı́a-Talavera 1997; Geldmacher et al. 2001; Meco et al. 2005, 2006; Fernández-Palacios et al. 2009).”
Area and the rapid radiation of Hawaiian Bidens (Asteraceae) (2012, background): “These traits are now considered unreliable taxonomic characters in this group (Gillett & Lim, 1970; Ganders & Nagata, 1984). At the opposite end of the spectrum, Gillett (1975) suggested that all Hawaiian Bidens should be included in just two species, based on their genetic compatibility in crossing”
Horizontal and elevational phylogeographic patterns of Himalayan and Southeast Asian forest passerines (Aves: Passeriformes) (2012, background): “…canariensis, Regulus regulus teneriffae, Cyanistes teneriffae) from 5.96 Ma (beginning of the Messinian crisis; Krijgsman et al., 1999) to 1.22 Ma (last phase of volcanic eruptions on El Hierro; Ancochea et al., 1990; but see Fernández-Palacios et al., 2011 for slightly younger ages).”
Impacts of global climate change on the floras of oceanic islands – Projections, implications and current knowledge (2015, background): “…and possibilities in the face of global climate change on small islands relict species (e.g. Laurus novocanariensis and Woodwardia radicans on the Macaronesian Islands) and neo-endemic lineages document the long-term persistence of island populations (see also Fernández-Palacios et al., 2011).”
From Mediterranean shores to central Saharan mountains: key phylogeographical insights from the genus Myrtus (2012, background): “…broadleaved evergreen vegetation (laurisilva), which was dominated by taxa of tropical affinities during the Oligocene and has persisted until today, notably in the Macaronesian Journal of Biogeography 39, 942–956 943 ª 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd islands (Fernández-Palacios et al., 2011).”