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How did they get here? The biogeography of the marine molluscs of the Azores

How did they get here? The biogeography of the marine molluscs of the Azores
How did they get here? The biogeography of the marine molluscs of the Azores
The geographical location of the Azores, midway between Europe and America, poses problems relative to their colonization and the biogeographic affinity of the biota presently living there. In the way of the Gulf Stream, originating off American shores, the Azorean biota, marine and terrestrial alike is predominantly European. To explain this distributional paradigm the present study investigates the Neogene fossil record of Santa Maria, Azores in order to establish the biogeographical relationships of the Pleistocene to Recent littoral molluscan fauna of this archipelago. The bulk of the Azorean malacofauna, both in the Pleistocene (71.3%) and in Recent times (75.6%) is biogeographically related with the eastern Atlantic, and that the Pleistocene (Eemian) fossil fauna is basically the same as the Recent fauna, with a few losses of tropical species and of shallow water bivalves associated to fine sand substrates.

It is hypothesized that during Pleistocene glacial-interglacial cycles, short-duration events have occurred during which short-lived oceanic currents must have been established, especially during or shortly after glacial terminations. During these short-term events, the arrival of species to the Azores may have been increased and facilitated by temporary sea-surface currents that no longer exist now. Probable routes of dispersal to the archipelago of the Azores are also discussed, as well as the possible influence of the Pleistocene glaciations in the shallow water marine molluscs of these islands.
Pleistocene, Recent, Mollusca, Azores, routes of dispersal, Palaeobiogeography
0037-9409
295-307
Ávila, Sérgio P.
e81c68a7-6249-4896-a0f8-d07373e9f985
Da Silva, Carlos Marques
ea2eaf5d-4867-468e-afbc-7cbaf00eef05
Schiebel, Ralf
5c48accb-ee14-471a-801f-4267d8e4b2e1
Cecca, Fabbrizzio
cf47e113-54fa-4551-917f-f8063393c450
Backeljau, Thierry
a6e53e80-77b5-4083-aebf-cd441acf8eab
De Frias Martins, António M.
141a5620-6f04-4f02-aeb9-900e6ba02d4f
Ávila, Sérgio P.
e81c68a7-6249-4896-a0f8-d07373e9f985
Da Silva, Carlos Marques
ea2eaf5d-4867-468e-afbc-7cbaf00eef05
Schiebel, Ralf
5c48accb-ee14-471a-801f-4267d8e4b2e1
Cecca, Fabbrizzio
cf47e113-54fa-4551-917f-f8063393c450
Backeljau, Thierry
a6e53e80-77b5-4083-aebf-cd441acf8eab
De Frias Martins, António M.
141a5620-6f04-4f02-aeb9-900e6ba02d4f

Ávila, Sérgio P., Da Silva, Carlos Marques, Schiebel, Ralf, Cecca, Fabbrizzio, Backeljau, Thierry and De Frias Martins, António M. (2009) How did they get here? The biogeography of the marine molluscs of the Azores. Bulletin de la Societe Geologique de France, 180 (4), 295-307. (doi:10.2113/gssgfbull.180.4.295).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The geographical location of the Azores, midway between Europe and America, poses problems relative to their colonization and the biogeographic affinity of the biota presently living there. In the way of the Gulf Stream, originating off American shores, the Azorean biota, marine and terrestrial alike is predominantly European. To explain this distributional paradigm the present study investigates the Neogene fossil record of Santa Maria, Azores in order to establish the biogeographical relationships of the Pleistocene to Recent littoral molluscan fauna of this archipelago. The bulk of the Azorean malacofauna, both in the Pleistocene (71.3%) and in Recent times (75.6%) is biogeographically related with the eastern Atlantic, and that the Pleistocene (Eemian) fossil fauna is basically the same as the Recent fauna, with a few losses of tropical species and of shallow water bivalves associated to fine sand substrates.

It is hypothesized that during Pleistocene glacial-interglacial cycles, short-duration events have occurred during which short-lived oceanic currents must have been established, especially during or shortly after glacial terminations. During these short-term events, the arrival of species to the Azores may have been increased and facilitated by temporary sea-surface currents that no longer exist now. Probable routes of dispersal to the archipelago of the Azores are also discussed, as well as the possible influence of the Pleistocene glaciations in the shallow water marine molluscs of these islands.

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More information

Published date: July 2009
Keywords: Pleistocene, Recent, Mollusca, Azores, routes of dispersal, Palaeobiogeography

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 68847
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/68847
ISSN: 0037-9409
PURE UUID: 4fb11a1c-7f0d-4153-a5cc-79f052a91ff8

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Date deposited: 06 Oct 2009
Last modified: 13 Mar 2024 19:11

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Contributors

Author: Sérgio P. Ávila
Author: Carlos Marques Da Silva
Author: Ralf Schiebel
Author: Fabbrizzio Cecca
Author: Thierry Backeljau
Author: António M. De Frias Martins

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