Evolution of Endemic Species, Ecological Interactions and Geographical Changes in an Insular Environment: A Case Study of Quaternary Mammals of Sicily (Italy, EU)

Abstract

The Quaternary mammals of Sicily are well known, and five faunal complexes have been distinguished on the basis of bioevents (extinctions and new arrivals) and evolution of endemic species. It is clear that the composition of mammal faunas is strictly related to the dispersal ability of each species and to the paleogeography of the area. Until now, researches have chiefly attributed paleogeographical changes as controlling these dispersals: the sea strait between the island and the Italian peninsula has had different widths and depths over time, operating different kinds of filters on the spreading of terrestrial mammals. Moreover, Sicily and its nearby mainland underwent changes in paleogeography. Some incongruence in bioevents has been attributed to the filter operated by the marine strait, which could have acted in differential ways on large and small mammals. However, the roles of ecological interactions among vertebrate species and their control on bioevents have been greatly underestimated. In this critical review, changes in mammals’ associations are reconsidered not only in terms of biochronology and dispersal ability of taxa through the marine strait, evolution of endemic features, in addition to the paleogeography of the island, but also considering the ecological role of each species and the interactions among the species with each faunal complex

Response to Bonfiglio, L. Notes and Discussions on Marra, A.C. Evolution of Endemic Species, Ecological Interactions and Geographical Changes in an Insular Environment: A Case Study of Quaternary Mammals of Sicily (Italy, EU). Geosciences 2013, 3, 114–139.

“…Bonfiglio [2] reports data on elephants sourcing from Herridge's PhD thesis [3], still unpublished, so they have to be treated with caution. Marra [1] did not report that large ("normal") sized elephants are in the same lineage of Palaeoloxodon falconeri, as Bonfiglio asserts, but proposed that some occurrences of elephants having a size comparable to mainland ones might be related to several dispersal events through the Strait of Messina during late Middle Pleistocene. This hypothesis has also been considered by Palombo, with particular attention to the samples from Contrada Fusco, dated MIS 5 [4].…”

“…The data suggested by Bonfiglio [2] and the discussion represent details included in the references cited by Marra [1]. In particular:…”

“…These works in progress will certainly improve the knowledge about the San Teodoro Faunal Complex (FC) but cannot be considered in this form. Furthermore, Marra [1] reported the determinations of species from S. Teodoro published by the Bonfiglio's research team on referred journals from 2000 to 2012 [5,[18][19][20][21][22], and it appears amazing that Bonfiglio considers the specific determinations wrong.…”

“…In the following discussion, the author replies to the critical notes by Bonfiglio and demonstrates that they did not discredit the reliability and the accuracy of her paper [1].…”

“…Amino acid racemization (AAR) dating might be considered not reliable, but it has to be reported; 3. Discussion on single sites is not pertinent to the review proposed by Marra [1]. However, data on the most relevant sites and their stratigraphy have been considered, and related papers, including wide discussions and rich bibliography, have been cited [19][20][21][22][23][24]; 4.…”