Eocene aridity in southwestern Africa: timing of onset and biological consequences

Pickford, Martin; Sénut, Brigitte; Mocke, Helke; Mourer‐Chauviré, Cecile; Rage, Jean‐Claude; Mein, P.

doi:10.1080/0035919x.2014.933452

Cited by 66 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Fauna from the Sperrgebiet from 21-19 Myr (Aquitanian-Burdigalian, lower Miocene) indicates subtropical woodland conditions (Senut et al, 2009) but during the Aquitanian winter rainfall predominated and aridity increased in the Sperrgebiet as suggested by Pickford et al (2014b). The Burdigalian (c. 19 Ma, silicified woods from the Auchas palaeo-channel on the Orange River (no.…”

Section: Succulent Karoo Biomementioning

confidence: 97%

“…The arid, followed by hyper-arid conditions along the West coast were present in the north by the early Miocene and in the south by the middle Miocene (Pickford et al, 2014b;Guillocheau et al, 2012Guillocheau et al, , 2014. After the middle Miocene climatic optimum there was a period of decreasing temperatures (Coetzee, 1978;van Zinderen Bakker, 1984;Toggweiler & Bjornsson, 2000;Scotese, 2001;Cowling et al, 2005;Hassold et al, 2009;Majewski & Boharty, 2010).…”

Section: Setting Palaeogeography Sea Level Changes and Climatic Trendsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Siesser (1980), based on microfossils in a deep sea core, showed sustained upwelling from cold waters c. 10 Ma (Ward & Corbett, 1990;Pickford et al, 2014b). Undisputedly, global palaeogeographical changesfor example the opening of the Drake passage between Antarctica and South America and the Tasmanian gateway between Australia and Antarctica (Wright et al, 1991;Hassold et al, 2009)led to the establishment of the circum-Antarctic current, and consequently triggered the growth of the Antarctic ice sheet and Arctic glacial climates.…”

Section: Setting Palaeogeography Sea Level Changes and Climatic Trendsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…4, Figure 1) in southernmost Namibia was humid and tropical and influenced by summer rainfall (Pickford et al, 2014b). Based on phylogenetic data, Cowling et al (2005) suggest that the Albany Thicket biome might have originated in the Eocene although some elements, e.g.…”

Section: Palaeogene Biomes Of Southern Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast, Pickford et al (2008) described a middle Eocene humid and tropical fauna from the Ystervark Carbonatite Formation in the Sperrgebiet (no. 4, Figure 1) and also re-dated these sites: the Langental Beds are considered to be early Miocene and the Blaubok deposits to be early Oligocene (Pickford et al, 2011(Pickford et al, , 2014b.…”

Section: Palaeogene Biomes Of Southern Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Shaping of modern southern African biomes: Neogene vegetation and climate changes

Neumann

Bamford

2015

Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa

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Section: Succulent Karoo Biomementioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Setting Palaeogeography Sea Level Changes and Climatic Trendsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Setting Palaeogeography Sea Level Changes and Climatic Trendsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Palaeogene Biomes Of Southern Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Palaeogene Biomes Of Southern Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Shaping of modern southern African biomes: Neogene vegetation and climate changes

Neumann

Bamford

2015

Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa

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The middle and inner ears of the Palaeogene golden mole Namachloris: A comparison with extant species

Mason

Bennett

Pickford

2017

Journal of Morphology

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Many living species of golden moles (Chrysochloridae) have greatly enlarged middle ear ossicles, believed to be used in the detection of ground vibrations through inertial bone conduction. Other unusual features of chrysochlorids include internally coupled middle ear cavities and the loss of the tensor tympani muscle. Our understanding of the evolutionary history of these characteristics has been limited by the paucity of fossil evidence. In this article, we describe for the first time the exquisitely preserved middle and inner ears of Namachloris arenatans from the Palaeogene of Namibia, visualised using computed tomography, as well as ossicles attributed to this species. We compare the auditory region of this fossil golden mole, which evidently did not possess a hypertrophied malleus, to those of three extant species with similarly sized ear ossicles, Amblysomus hottentotus, Calcochloris obtusirostris, and Huetia leucorhinus. The auditory region of Namachloris shares many common features with the living species, including a pneumatized, trabeculated basicranium and lateral skull wall, arteries and nerves of the middle ear contained in bony tubes, a highly coiled cochlea, a secondary crus commune, and no identifiable canaliculus cochleae for the perilymphatic duct. However, Namachloris differs from extant golden moles in the apparent absence of a basicranial intercommunication between the right and left ears, the possession of a tensor tympani muscle and aspects of ossicular morphology. One Namachloris skull showed what may be pneumatization of some of the dorsal cranial bones, extending right around the brain. Although the ossicles are small in absolute terms, one of the Huetia leucorhinus specimens had a more prominent malleus head than the other. This potentially represents a previously unrecognised subspecific difference.

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The Making of the South African Landscape

Knight

2018

World Regional Geography Book Series

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Eocene aridity in southwestern Africa: timing of onset and biological consequences

Cited by 66 publications

References 19 publications

Shaping of modern southern African biomes: Neogene vegetation and climate changes

Shaping of modern southern African biomes: Neogene vegetation and climate changes

The middle and inner ears of the Palaeogene golden mole Namachloris: A comparison with extant species

The Making of the South African Landscape

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