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      Crocodylian diversity peak and extinction in the late Cenozoic of the northern Neotropics

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          Abstract

          Northern South America and South East Asia are today's hotspots of crocodylian diversity with up to six (mainly alligatorid) and four (mainly crocodylid) living species respectively, of which usually no more than two or three occur sympatrically. In contrast, during the late Miocene, 14 species existed in South America. Here we show a diversity peak in sympatric occurrence of at least seven species, based on detailed stratigraphic sequence sampling and correlation, involving four geological formations from the middle Miocene to the Pliocene, and on the discovery of two new species and a new occurrence. This degree of crocodylian sympatry is unique in the world and shows that at least several members of Alligatoroidea and Gavialoidea coexisted. By the Pliocene, all these species became extinct, and their extinction was probably related to hydrographic changes linked to the Andean uplift. The extant fauna is first recorded with the oldest Crocodylus species from South America.

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          TNT, a free program for phylogenetic analysis

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            Amazonia through time: Andean uplift, climate change, landscape evolution, and biodiversity.

            The Amazonian rainforest is arguably the most species-rich terrestrial ecosystem in the world, yet the timing of the origin and evolutionary causes of this diversity are a matter of debate. We review the geologic and phylogenetic evidence from Amazonia and compare it with uplift records from the Andes. This uplift and its effect on regional climate fundamentally changed the Amazonian landscape by reconfiguring drainage patterns and creating a vast influx of sediments into the basin. On this "Andean" substrate, a region-wide edaphic mosaic developed that became extremely rich in species, particularly in Western Amazonia. We show that Andean uplift was crucial for the evolution of Amazonian landscapes and ecosystems, and that current biodiversity patterns are rooted deep in the pre-Quaternary.
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              PHYLOGENETICAPPROACHESTOWARDCROCODYLIANHISTORY

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                Author and article information

                Journal
                Nature Communications
                Nat Commun
                Springer Science and Business Media LLC
                2041-1723
                October 2013
                May 21 2013
                October 2013
                : 4
                : 1
                Article
                10.1038/ncomms2940
                23695701
                df5498c8-d030-485a-a7a9-c4f6d299e0c2
                © 2013

                http://www.springer.com/tdm

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