Gulf of Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean

Mann, Paul

doi:10.1016/b978-0-08-102908-4.00118-1

Cited by 4 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…According to the same authors, Rhizophora could have reached the Neotropics by the Atlantic Ocean, via the Tethys seaway. The use of this pathway cannot be supported or dismissed by paleogeographic reconstructions and fossil pollen records, as both Atlantic and Pacific seaways to the Caribbean were open for dispersal during the whole Eocene (Romito & Mann, 2020;Mann, 2021), and the fossil records do not show a clear Atlantic or Pacific pattern (Fig. 6).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Taxon cycles in Neotropical mangroves

Rull

2022

Preprint

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The concept of taxon cycle involves successive range expansions and contractions over time through which a species can maintain indefinitely its core distribution. Otherwise, it becomes extinct. A typical taxon cycle can be subdivided into four stages: (I) expansion, (II) population differentiation, (III) local extinction and incipient speciation (eventually initiating a new cycle), and (IV) relictualization and extinction. Taxon cycles have been defined mostly for tropical island faunas. Examples from continental areas are scare and similar case studies for plants remain unknown. Most taxon cycles have been identified on the basis of phylogenetic and phylogeographic studies, straightforward empirical evidence of expansion and contraction phases based on the fossil record are still lacking. Here empirical fossil evidence is provided for recurrent Eocene to present expansion and contraction cycles in a mangrove taxon (Pelliciera), after a Neotropical-wide study of the available pollen records (~80 sites). This recurrent behavior is compatible with the concept of taxon cycle from biogeographical, chronological and ecological perspectives. Evolutionary predictions are more difficult to evaluate with the available evidence. The biotic (dispersal, competition, facilitation, niche segregation) and abiotic (environmental shifts) drivers potentially involved in the initiation and maintenance of the Pelliciera expansion/contraction cycles are analyzed, and the ecological and evolutionary implications for Neotropical mangroves are discussed. Two main expansion/contraction Pelliciera cycles have been identified, the first during the Eocene and the second between the Oligocene and the present. It is suggested that the Eocene cycle would have led to the extinction of Pelliciera but the Late-Eocene arrival of a gerenalist long-distance disperser that dominates the extant Neotropical mangroves (Rhizophora) provided the conditions for its survival and further Oligo-Miocene expansion. After a drastic Mio-Pliocene contraction, Pelliciera is restricted today to a small relict patch similar, in extension and location, to its original Eocene range. Whether this could be a trend toward extinction is considered, under the predictions of the taxon cycle theory. The recurrent expansion and contraction cycles identified for Pelliciera from the Eocene to the present have strong potential for being the first empirically and unequivocally documented taxon cycles, and likely the only taxon cycles documented to date for plants.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Taxon cycles in Neotropical mangroves

Rull

2022

Preprint

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“…11), and GAARlandia would have acted as a barrier for Atlantic coastal continuity. All Eocene plate tectonic models agree that the western margin of the Caribbean plate was marked by a volcanic island arc open to Pacific circulation (Romito & Mann, 2020;Mann, 2021). Under the GAARlandia scenario, this may have important implications for mangrove dispersal, as only Pacific colonization would have been possible and, furthermore, the eventual Atlantic expansion of Pelliciera mangroves would have been prevented.…”

Section: Eocenementioning

confidence: 90%

“…Both Atlantic and Pacific pathways were open for dispersal through the corresponding volcanic island arcs (Mann, 2021), which can help explain the Oligocene mangrove expansion. However, it could be asked why Caribbean mangroves did not experience a similar expansion during the Eocene, when similar marine circulation conditions existed (except for the possible short GAARlandia interval).…”

Section: Oligocenementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Eocene to Miocene (44-14 Ma) eastward migration led to the formation of the Aves arc and its further abandonment as the Aves Ridge, as a remnant arc, and the formation of the Lesser-Antilles arc (Aitken et al, 2011;Neill et al, 2013;Allen et al, 2019). The most updated review on the evidence that supports this model can be found in Romito & Mann (2020) and Mann (2021).…”

Section: Tectonic Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…7). A number of paleogeographical reconstructions consider that, during the EOT, the Caribbean region was an open seaway that connected the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, as the eastern and western plate boundaries were defined by volcanic island arcs open for marine circulation (e.g., Pindell & Kenan, 2006;Mann, 2021). Others, however, contend that the outstanding sea-level fall that characterized the EOT, combined with enhanced uplift, would have led to the emergence of a continuous land bridge between South America and the Greater Antilles, known as GAARlandia (Greater Antilles-Aves Ridge landspan) (Fig.…”

Section: Paleogeography and Paleocurrentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Eocene/Oligocene global disruption and the revolution of Caribbean mangroves

Rull¹

2022

Preprint

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In a recent paper, the author demonstrated that, in contrast with the prevailing view of eventual gradual regional differentiation from a hypothetical Cretaceous pantropical mangrove belt around the Tethys Sea, the Caribbean mangroves originated de novo in the Eocene after the evolutionary appearance of the first mangrove-forming tree species known for the region, the ancestor of the extant Pelliciera. This paper represents a second step in the analysis of the evolution of Caribbean mangroves dealing with the most important change experienced by these communities, occurring across the Eocene‒Oligocene transition (EOT), which is termed here the Caribbean mangrove revolution. This shift consisted of the disappearance of the primeval Pelliciera mangroves and their replacement by mangrove communities dominated by Rhizophora, a newly emerged mangrove tree that still dominates extant Caribbean mangroves. This paper first reviews the available literature on the EOT global disruption (tectonic and paleogeographic reorganizations, ocean circulation, cooling, Antarctic glaciation, sea-level fall) and its regional manifestations in the study area, along with the corresponding biotic responses. This provides the paleoenvironmental framework with which to analyze the EOT mangrove revolution using the nearly 80 pollen records available for the region. In the circum-Caribbean region, cooling of 3-6 °C and a sea-level fall of 67 m were recorded between 33.8 and 33.5 Ma, which led to significant shifts in dispersal pathways and barriers, as well as in marine paleocurrents. Late Eocene mangroves were dominated by the autochthonous Pelliciera (up to 60% of pollen assemblages), while Rhizophora, which likely arrived from the Indo-Pacific region by long-distance dispersal, was absent or very scarce. After the EOT, the situation was radically different, as the mangroves were widely dominated by Rhizophora, and Pelliciera, when present, was a subordinate mangrove element (<10%). At the same time, Pelliciera, which had been restricted to a small patch (Central America and NW South America or CA/NWSA) during the Eocene, expanded its range across the Caribbean and beyond, always as a minor component of Rhizophora mangroves. The dominance shift could have been due to the cooling, by favoring the expansion of the euryclimatic and vagile Rhizophora over the stenoclimatic Pelliciera, of limited dispersal ability. This is considered a case of competitor coexistence by niche segregation. In addition, Rhizophora could have facilitated the expansion of Pelliciera by providing refuge against environmental and biotic stressors, notably light intensity and salinity. The Eocene Pelliciera mangroves never returned, but this species survived to the present as a minor element and experienced significant range shifts along three main phases, namely, EOT–Miocene expansion to the whole neotropics, Mio-Pliocene contraction to the southern Caribbean margin and Pliocene to recent reorganization to the original Eocene CA/NWSA location. The potential role of Neogene and Pleistocene climatic shifts and human activities in these biogeographical loops (taxon cycles) is discussed, with an emphasis on precipitation. The paper ends by suggesting some prospects for future research.

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Taxon Cycles in Neotropical Mangroves

Rull

2023

Plants

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The concept of the taxon cycle involves successive range expansions and contractions over time, through which a species can indefinitely maintain its core distribution. Otherwise, it becomes extinct. Taxon cycles have been defined mostly for tropical island faunas; examples from continental areas are scarce, and similar case studies for plants remain unknown. Most taxon cycles have been identified on the basis of phylogeographic studies, and straightforward empirical evidence from fossils is lacking. Here, empirical fossil evidence is provided for the recurrent Eocene to the present expansion/contraction cycles in a mangrove taxon (Pelliciera) after a Neotropical-wide study of the available pollen records. This recurrent behavior is compatible with the concept of the taxon cycle from biogeographical, chronological and ecological perspectives. The biotic and abiotic drivers potentially involved in the initiation and maintenance of the Pelliciera expansion/contraction cycles are analyzed, and the ecological and evolutionary implications are discussed. Whether this could be a trend toward extinction is considered under the predictions of the taxon cycle theory. The recurrent expansion and contraction cycles identified for Pelliciera have strong potential for being the first empirically and unequivocally documented taxon cycles and likely the only taxon cycles documented to date for plants.

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Gulf of Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean

Cited by 4 publications

References 19 publications

Taxon cycles in Neotropical mangroves

Taxon cycles in Neotropical mangroves

Eocene/Oligocene global disruption and the revolution of Caribbean mangroves

Taxon Cycles in Neotropical Mangroves

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