A Vicariance Model of Caribbean Biogeography

Rosen, Donn Eric

doi:10.2307/2412905

Cited by 331 publications

(165 citation statements)

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“…Prior to the general acceptance of continental drift in the 1970s, overland dispersal to islands required land bridges, now submerged, in the distant past (Wallace 1876;Darlington 1957). Overland dispersal and subsequent vicariance-or separation of biotas-resulting from continental drift was first argued by Rosen ( 1976Rosen ( , 1978Rosen ( , 1985 for freshwater fish and other land-locked organisms (Chakrabarty 2006;Echelle et al 2006). This idea was strongly defended by Guyer & Savage (1985) and Crother & Guyer (1996), among others, for such landbound taxa as lizards and snakes and terrestrial…”

Section: Vicariance Versus Dispersal Biogeographymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The most famous of these comprise not only the Anolis lizards of the Greater Antilles (Williams 1972;Williams 1983;Roughgarden 1995;Losos 1996;Losos & Schluter 2000) but also such diverse endemic groups as Eleutherodactylus frogs (Hedges 1989), the extinct sloths (White & MacPhee 2001) and mostly extinct rodents (Woods 1989b). Regardless, island biogeography within the region has been dominated by debates related to colonization routes, particularly by non-flying vertebrates in the Greater Antilles, and their bearing on the existence of earlier land connections to the continents (Rosen 1976;Guyer & Savage 1985;Rosen 1985;Iturralde-Vinent & MacPhee 1999), the alternative being over-water dispersal (Hedges 1996a(Hedges ,b, 2001. In this context, biogeographic distributions have been scrutinized for inferences concerning relationships between West Indian and continental landmasses before the Miocene, when the present-day geographical configuration of the islands was established.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The West Indies as a laboratory of biogeography and evolution

Ricklefs

Bermingham

2007

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

212

267

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Islands have long provided material and inspiration for the study of evolution and ecology. The West Indies are complex historically and geographically, providing a rich backdrop for the analysis of colonization, diversification and extinction of species. They are sufficiently isolated to sustain endemic forms and close enough to sources of colonists to develop a dynamic interaction with surrounding continental regions. The Greater Antilles comprise old fragments of continental crust, some very large; the Lesser Antilles are a more recent volcanic island arc, and the low-lying Bahama Islands are scattered on a shallow oceanic platform. Dating of island lineages using molecular methods indicates over-water dispersal of most inhabitants of the West Indies, although direct connections with what is now southern Mexico in the Early Tertiary, and subsequent land bridges or stepping stone islands linking to Central and South America might also have facilitated colonization. Species-area relationships within the West Indies suggest a strong role for endemic radiations and extinction in shaping patterns of diversity. Diversification is promoted by opportunities for allopatric divergence between islands, or within the large islands of the Greater Antilles, with a classic example provided by the Anolis lizards. The timing of colonization events using molecular clocks permits analysis of colonization-extinction dynamics by means of species accumulation curves. These indicate low rates of colonization and extinction for reptiles and amphibians in the Greater Antilles, with estimated average persistence times of lineages in the West Indies exceeding 30 Myr. Even though individual island populations of birds might persist an average of 2 Myr on larger islands in the Lesser Antilles, recolonization from within the archipelago appears to maintain avian lineages within the island chain indefinitely. Birds of the Lesser Antilles also provide evidence of a mass extinction event within the past million years, emphasizing the time-heterogeneity of historical processes. Geographical dynamics are matched by ecological changes in the distribution of species within islands over time resulting from adaptive radiation and shifts in habitat, often following repeatable patterns. Although extinction is relatively infrequent under natural conditions, changes in island environments as a result of human activities have exterminated many populations and othersespecially old, endemic species-remain vulnerable. Conservation efforts are strengthened by recognition of aesthetic, cultural and scientific values of the unique flora and fauna of the West Indies.

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Section: Vicariance Versus Dispersal Biogeographymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The West Indies as a laboratory of biogeography and evolution

Ricklefs

Bermingham

2007

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

212

267

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“…The Caribbean has been an important model system for studying biotic over-water dispersal from continents and island colonization [1-4], as well as vicariance [5,6] as mechanisms for the origin of diversity, and within-island diversification as mediators of species richness and endemism [7,8]. The geological evolution of the region has certainly had a strong influence on the diversification of species there, and a general understanding of the former is crucial to an understanding of the latter.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Causes of endemic radiation in the Caribbean: evidence from the historical biogeography and diversification of the butterfly genus Calisto(Nymphalidae: Satyrinae: Satyrini)

et al. 2014

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BackgroundCalisto is the largest butterfly genus in the West Indies but its systematics, historical biogeography and the causes of its diversification have not been previously rigorously evaluated. Several studies attempting to explain the wide-ranging diversity of Calisto gave different weights to vicariance, dispersal and adaptive radiation. We utilized molecular phylogenetic approaches and secondary calibrations points to estimate lineage ages. In addition, we used the dispersal-extinction-cladogenesis model and Caribbean paleogeographical information to reconstruct ancestral geographical distributions. We also evaluated different models of diversification to estimate the dynamics of lineage radiation within Calisto. By understanding the evolution of Calisto butterflies, we attempt to identify the main processes acting on insular insect diversity and the causes of its origin and its maintenance.ResultsThe crown age of Calisto was estimated to the early Oligocene (31 ± 5 Ma), and a single shift in diversification rate following a diversity-dependent speciation process was the best explanation for the present-day diversity found within the genus. A major increase in diversification rate was recovered at 14 Ma, following geological arrangements that favoured the availability of empty niches. Inferred ancestral distributional ranges suggested that the origin of extant Calisto is in agreement with a vicariant model and the origin of the Cuban lineage was likely the result of vicariance caused by the Cuba-Hispaniola split. A long-distance dispersal was the best explanation for the colonization of Jamaica and the Bahamas.ConclusionsThe ancestral geographical distribution of Calisto is in line with the paleogeographical model of Caribbean colonization, which favours island-to-island vicariance. Because the sister lineage of Calisto remains ambiguous, its arrival to the West Indies remains to be explained, although, given its age and historical biogeography, the hypothesized GAARlandia land bridge might have been a plausible introduction route from continental America. Intra-island radiation caused by ecological innovation and the abiotic creation of niche spaces was found to be the main force shaping Calisto diversity and island endemism in Hispaniola and Cuba.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12862-014-0199-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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“…Interest blossomed further with the development of new ecological models, cladistic analysis, continental drift, vicariance thinking and molecular phylogenetics (e.g. [7][8][9][10][11]). The Greater Antilles is also important as a laboratory for investigating recent extinctions [12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First skull ofAntillothrix bernensis, an extinct relict monkey from the Dominican Republic

et al. 2010

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The nearly pristine remains of Antillothrix bernensis, a capuchin-sized (Cebus) extinct platyrrhine from the Dominican Republic, have been found submerged in an underwater cave. This represents the first specimen of an extinct Caribbean primate with diagnostic craniodental and skeletal parts in association, only the second example of a skull from the region, and one of the most complete specimens of a fossil platyrrhine cranium yet discovered. Cranially, it closely resembles living cebines but is more conservative. Dentally, it is less bunodont and more primitive than Cebus, with crowns resembling Saimiri (squirrel monkeys) and one of the oldest definitive cebines, the late Early Miocene Killikaike blakei from Argentina. The tricuspid second molar also resembles the enigmatic marmosets and tamarins, whose origins continue to present a major gap in knowledge of primate evolution. While the femur is oddly short and stout, the ulna, though more robust, compares well with Cebus. As a member of the cebid clade, Antillothrix demonstrates that insular Caribbean monkeys are not monophyletically related and may not be the product of a single colonizing event. Antillothrix bernensis is an intriguing mosaic whose primitive characters are consistent with an early origin, possibly antedating the assembly of the modern primate fauna in greater Amazonia during the La Venta horizon. While most Greater Antillean primate specimens are quite young geologically, this vanished radiation, known from Cuba (Paralouatta) and Jamaica (Xenothrix) as well as Hispaniola, appears to be composed of long-lived lineages like several other mainland clades.

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A Vicariance Model of Caribbean Biogeography

Cited by 331 publications

References 0 publications

The West Indies as a laboratory of biogeography and evolution

The West Indies as a laboratory of biogeography and evolution

Causes of endemic radiation in the Caribbean: evidence from the historical biogeography and diversification of the butterfly genus Calisto(Nymphalidae: Satyrinae: Satyrini)

First skull ofAntillothrix bernensis, an extinct relict monkey from the Dominican Republic

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