The planktonic foraminifera genus Globigerinoides provides a prime example of a species-rich genus in which genetic and morphological divergence are uncorrelated. To shed light on the evolutionary processes that lead to the present-day diversity of Globigerinoides, we investigated the genetic, ecological and morphological divergence of its constituent species. We assembled a global collection of single-cell barcode sequences and show that the genus consists of eight distinct genetic types organized in five extant morphospecies. Based on morphological evidence, we reassign the species Globoturborotalita tenella to Globigerinoides and amend Globigerinoides ruber by formally proposing two new subspecies, G. ruber albus n.subsp. and G. ruber ruber in order to express their subspecies level distinction and to replace the informal G. ruber “white” and G. ruber “pink”, respectively. The genetic types within G. ruber and Globigerinoides elongatus show a combination of endemism and coexistence, with little evidence for ecological differentiation. CT-scanning and ontogeny analysis reveal that the diagnostic differences in adult morphologies could be explained by alterations of the ontogenetic trajectories towards final (reproductive) size. This indicates that heterochrony may have caused the observed decoupling between genetic and morphological diversification within the genus. We find little evidence for environmental forcing of either the genetic or the morphological diversification, which allude to biotic interactions such as symbiosis, as the driver of speciation in Globigerinoides.

Abstract. The Pliocene sedimentary record provides a window into Earth's climate dynamics under warmer-than-present boundary conditions. However, the Pliocene cannot be considered a stable warm climate that constitutes a solid baseline for middle-of-the-road future climate projections. The increasing availability of time-continuous sedimentary archives (e.g., marine sediment cores) reveals complex temporal and spatial patterns of Pliocene ocean and climate variability on astronomical timescales. The Perth Basin is particularly interesting in that respect because it remains unclear if and how the Leeuwin Current sustained the comparably wet Pliocene climate in Western Australia, as well as how it influenced Southern Hemisphere paleoclimate variability. To constrain Leeuwin Current dynamics in time and space, this project obtained eight clumped-isotope Δ47 paleotemperatures and constructed a new orbitally resolved planktonic foraminifera (Trilobatus sacculifer) stable isotope record (δ18O) for the Plio-Pleistocene (4–2 Ma) interval of International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Site U1459. These new data complement an existing TEX86 record from the same site and similar planktonic isotope records from the Northern Carnarvon Basin (Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 763 and IODP Site U1463). The comparison of TEX86 and Δ47 paleothermometers reveals that TEX86 likely reflects sea surface temperatures (SSTs) with a seasonal warm bias (23.8–28.9 ∘C), whereas T. sacculifer Δ47 calcification temperatures probably echo mixed-layer temperatures at the studied Site U1459 (18.9–23.2 ∘C). The isotopic δ18O gradient along a 19–29∘ S latitudinal transect, between 3.9 and 2.2 Ma, displays large variability, ranging between 0.5 ‰ and 2.0 ‰. We use the latitudinal δ18O gradient as a proxy for Leeuwin Current strength, with an inverse relationship between both. The new results challenge the interpretation that suggested a tectonic event in the Indonesian Throughflow as the cause for the rapid steepening of the isotopic gradient (0.9 ‰ to 1.5 ‰) around 3.7 Ma. The tectonic interpretation appears obsolete as it is now clear that the 3.7 Ma steepening of the isotopic gradient is intermittent, with flat latitudinal gradients (∼0.5 ‰) restored in the latest Pliocene (2.9–2.6 Ma). Still, the new analysis affirms that a combination of astronomical forcing of wind patterns and eustatic sea level controlled Leeuwin Current intensity. On secular timescales, a period of relatively weak Leeuwin Current is observed between 3.7 and 3.1 Ma. Notably, this interval is marked by cooler conditions throughout the Southern Hemisphere. In conclusion, the intensity of the Leeuwin Current and the latitudinal position of the subtropical front are both long-range effects of the same forcing: heat transport through the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) valve and its propagation through Indian Ocean poleward heat transport. The common ITF forcing explains the observed coherence of Southern Hemisphere ocean and climate records.

Abstract. The Pliocene sedimentary record provides a window into Earth’s climate dynamics under warmer-than-present boundary conditions. However, the Pliocene cannot be considered a stable warm climate that constitutes a solid baseline for middle-road future climate projections. Indeed, the increasing availability of time-continuous sedimentary archives (e.g., marine sediment cores) reveals complex temporal and spatial patterns of Pliocene ocean and climate variability on astronomical timescales. The Perth Basin is particularly interesting in that respect because it remains unclear if and how the Leeuwin Current sustained the comparably wet Pliocene climate in West-Australia, as well as how it influenced Southern Hemisphere paleoclimate variability. To constrain Leeuwin Current dynamics in time and space, this project constructed a new orbitally-resolved planktonic foraminifera (Trilobatus sacculifer) stable isotope record (δ18O and clumped isotopes Δ47) for the Plio-Pleistocene (4–2 Ma) interval of International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Site U1459. It complements an existing TEX86 record from the same site and similar planktonic isotope records from the Northern Carnarvon Basin (ODP Site 763 and IODP Site U1463). The comparison of TEX86 and Δ47 paleothermometers reveals that TEX86 likely reflects sea surface temperatures (SST, 23.8–28.9 °C), whereas T. sacculifer Δ47 calcification temperatures probably echo the state of the lower mixed layer and upper thermocline at the studied Site U1459 (18.2–20.8 °C). The isotopic δ18O gradient along a 19° S–29° S latitudinal transect, between 3.9–2.2 Ma, displays large variability, ranging between 0.5 and 2.0 ‰, whereby a low latitudinal gradient is indicative of a strong Leeuwin Current and vice versa. These results challenge the interpretation that suggested a tectonic event in the Indonesian Throughflow as the cause for the rapid steepening of the isotopic gradient (0.9 to 1.5 ‰) around 3.7 Ma. The tectonic interpretation appears obsolete as it is now clear that the 3.7 Ma steepening of the isotopic gradient is intermittent, with flat latitudinal gradients (~0.5 ‰) restored in the latest Pliocene (2.9–2.6 Ma). Still, the new analysis affirms that a combination of astronomical forcing of wind patterns and eustatic sea level controlled Leeuwin Current intensity. A period of relatively weak Leeuwin Current between 3.7 and 3.1 Ma is advocated; a time interval also marked by cooler conditions throughout the Southern Hemisphere. In conclusion, the intensity of the Leeuwin Current and the latitudinal position of the subtropical front are rooted in the same forcing: Heat transport through the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) valve propagated to the temperate zone through Indian Ocean poleward heat transport. The common ITF forcing explains the observed coherence of Southern Hemisphere ocean and climate records.

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<p class="Default"><span lang="EN-US">The Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) operates as an important link in global thermohaline circulation and is often considered a modulator of global past climate changes, with effects as far as Africa or the Atlantic Ocean. Yet, to what extent ITF variability accounted for oceanographic change along the west Australian coast remains controversial. A tectonically reduced ITF has been invoked to explain the short, but intense Pliocene glaciation Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) M2 (3.3 Ma). The hypothesis hinges on a reduced equator-to-pole heat transfer in the Indian Ocean, in response to low connectivity with the Indo-Pacific warm pool. To clarify links between regional oceanographic change and global climate, we present a two-site multiproxy reconstruction from the Perth (U1459) and the Carnarvon (U1463) Basin. These sites provide the opportunity to unravel the Pliocene history of the Leeuwin Current (LC). We use the LC as a proxy for ITF connectivity, as the ITF is the source for the warm, low-salinity, nutrient-deficient LC. A U1459-U1463 comparison thus allows for investigating the possible relationship between mid-Pliocene glaciations and ITF heat flux. We show that the LC was active throughout the Pliocene, albeit with fluctuations in intensity and scope. We identify three main factors that controlled LC strength. First, a tectonic ITF reorganization caused an abrupt and permanent LC reduction at 3.7 Ma, coeval with the remarkably intense Pliocene glacial MIS Gi4. On shorter timescales, eustatic sea level and direct orbital forcing of wind patterns hampered or promoted the LC. At 3.3 Ma, LC intensity plunged in response to a eustatic ITF restriction. MIS M2 caused the latitudinal U1463–U1459 planktonic oxygen isotope gradient to steepen from 1.2 to 2.0‰ and the TEX<sub>86 </sub>sea surface temperatures gradient to increase from 3 to 6°C. Yet, comparison with Exmouth Plateau Site 763 shows that the LC did not shut down completely during MIS M2: The ITF heat flux dwindled but did not cease. Weakened ITF connectivity led to a significant drop in Indian Ocean poleward heat transport and thus constitutes a positive feedback mechanism that contributed to the relative intensity of MIS M2 and the thermal isolation of Antarctica. This positive feedback mechanism is ultimately driven by orbital-scale changes in relative sea level in the ITF region.</span></p>