The Separation of Madagascar and Africa

Rabinowitz, Philip D.; Coffin, Millard F.; Falvey, David A.

doi:10.1126/science.220.4592.67

Cited by 442 publications

(271 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…3). Because the age of the most recent common ancestor of the primate order is still uncertain, our estimate was calibrated with the 50 (6), 61 (4), and 80 (45,46) The Indo-Madagascar continent split from the African mainland Ϸ165 mya and reached its current position Ϸ400 km east of Africa Ϸ121 mya (47). Later, Ϸ88 mya, the Indian subcontinent split from Madagascar (48), drifting north-eastward and colliding with Asia Ϸ56-66 mya (49).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Primate jumping genes elucidate strepsirrhine phylogeny

Roos

Schmitz

Zischler

2004

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

243

236

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Transposable elements provide a highly informative marker system for analyzing evolutionary histories. To solve controversially discussed topics in strepsirrhine phylogeny, we characterized 61 loci containing short interspersed elements (SINEs) and determined the SINE presence-absence pattern at orthologous loci in a representative strepsirrhine panel. This SINE monolocus study was complemented by a Southern blot analysis tracing multiple loci of two different strepsirrhine specific SINEs. The results thereof were combined with phylogenetic trees reconstructed on the basis of complete mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences from all recognized strepsirrhine genera. Here we present evidence for (i) a sister group relationship of Malagasy Chiromyiformes and Lemuriformes, (ii) Lorisidae being a monophyletic sister clade to the Galagidae, and (iii) common ancestry of African and Asian lorisids. Based on these findings, we conclude that strepsirrhines originated in Africa and that Madagascar and Asia were colonized by respective single immigration events. In agreement with paleocontinental data, the molecular analyses suggest a crossing of the Mozambique channel by rafting between the late Cretaceous and the middle Eocene, whereas Asia was most likely colonized between the early Eocene and the middle Oligocene on a continental route. Furthermore, one SINE integration links the two Lemuriformes families, Lemuridae and Indriidae, indicating a common origin of diurnality or cathemerality and a later reversal to nocturnality by the indriid genus Avahi.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Primate jumping genes elucidate strepsirrhine phylogeny

Roos

Schmitz

Zischler

2004

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

243

236

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“…ii) The hypothesis on molecular data showing A lineage split from other lineages 6 million years ago with A. m. unicolor divergence from other subspecies more recently (1 million years ago) (Han et al 2012). iii) The prehistoric breakup of the supercontinent Gondwana which separated Madagascar from mainland Africa is dated much earlier (around 135 million years ago; Rabinowitz et al 1983) than the first honeybee species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic diversity of the endemic honeybee: Apis mellifera unicolor (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in Madagascar

et al. 2015

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-Apis mellifera unicolor is a tropical honeybee endemic of Madagascar. Comprehensive knowledge about its mitochondrial and nuclear genetic diversity and structuration was our main purpose. Samples of worker bees were collected from 867 colonies in 76 sites in Madagascar and 1 reference population in South Africa. PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and sequencing were used to reveal variability in the COI-COII mtDNA region. Seventeen microsatellite loci were used for studying the nuclear diversity. Three PCR-RFLP profiles were observed, among which 99.4 % belonged to A1 haplotype, 0.2 % to a new A haplotype, and 0.4 % to A4 haplotype. In microsatellite analysis, moderate genetic diversity values were found for Madagascar, together with low mean number of alleles ranging from 2.47 to 3.88 compared to South Africa. Bayesian clustering assignment methods and principal component analysis (PCA) separated populations into two genetic clusters which matched with geographic areas. Several hypotheses are discussed regarding to the low genetic diversity of A. m. unicolor in its native range.Apis mellifera unicolor / microsatellite / African lineage / genetic diversity / mtDNA

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“…Madagascar and the granitic Seychelles are remnants of continental blocks that were isolated around 75-130 Ma (megannum) (Coffin and Rabinowitz, 1987;Kingdon, 1990;Rabinowitz et al, 1983). The Comoros archipelago is of volcanic origin and its islands are intermediate in age (Emerick and Duncan, 1982;Nougier et al, 1986), whereas the raised coralline islands of the Aldabra group along with the Farquhars and Amirantes represent the youngest archipelagos in the region (Radtkey, 1996;Thomson and Walton, 1972).…”

Section: Geological Background For the Islands Of The Western Indian mentioning

confidence: 99%