Implications of recent geological investigations of the Mozambique Channel for the mammalian colonization of Madagascar

McCall, Robert A.

doi:10.1098/rspb.1997.0094

Cited by 108 publications

(92 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Post-Gondwana dispersal/migration events might have been involved in the formation of the disjunctive distribution of the tribe across the Indian Ocean Basin. A possible land-bridge, the temporal dry-out in large areas of the Mozambique Channel between 45 and 26 MY revealed by recent geological studies, has been suggested as a possible channel for mammals to colonize Madagascar (McCall, 1997). This land-bridge could serve as an important biogeographic connection between continental Africa and Madagascar for the tribe Exaceae as well.…”

Section: Biogeographical Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Monophyly and relationships of the tribe Exaceae (Gentianaceae) inferred from nuclear ribosomal and chloroplast DNA sequences

Yuan

Wohlhauser

Möller

et al. 2003

Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution

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Both chloroplast trnL (UAA) intron and nuclear ribosomal ITS sequences highly confirmed the monophyly of the tribes of the Gentianaceae defined by the recent classification, and revealed the tribe Exaceae as a basal clade just next to the basal-most lineage, the tribe Saccifolieae. Within the tribe Exaceae, Sebaea (except Sebaea madagascariensis) appeared as the most basal clade as the sister group to the rest of the tribe. The Madagascan endemic genera Gentianothamnus and Tachiadenus were very closely related to each other, together standing as sister to a clade comprising Sebaea madagascariensis, Ornichia, and Exacum. The saprophytic genus Cotylanthera nested deeply inside Exacum. Sebaea madagascariensis was shown closer to the Madagascan endemic genus Ornichia than to any other sampled Sebaea species. Exacum appeared as the most derived taxon within this tribe. The topology of the phylogenetic trees conform with the Gondwana vicariance hypothesis regarding the biogeography of Exaceae. However, no evidence for matching the older relationships within the family to the tectonic history could be corroborated with various divergence time analyses. Divergence dating estimated a post-Gondwana diverging of the Gentianaceae about 50 million years ago (MYA), and the tribe Exaceae as about 40 MYA. The Mozambique Channel land-bridge could have played an important role in the biogeographic history of the tribe Exaceae.

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Section: Biogeographical Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Monophyly and relationships of the tribe Exaceae (Gentianaceae) inferred from nuclear ribosomal and chloroplast DNA sequences

Yuan

Wohlhauser

Möller

et al. 2003

Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution

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“…Therefore, we consider that the continental origins of Madagascar and the granitic Seychelles, and their isolation from other land masses, considerably predate the arrival of sunbirds in the Indian Ocean. Likewise, while seamounts in the Mozambique channel between Africa and Madagascar may have aided the arrival of some Madagascar endemics, including certain groups of birds (Fjeldsa a et al, 1999), they are unlikely to have been important to Indian Ocean sunbird colonization owing to their relatively old dates, approximately 45-26 Ma (Bassias, 1992;Leclaire et al, 1989;McCall, 1997).…”

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

confidence: 99%

Molecular phylogeography reveals island colonization history and diversification of western Indian Ocean sunbirds (Nectarinia: Nectariniidae)

Warren

Bermingham

Bowie

et al. 2003

Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution

105

104

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“…The area cladograms of only three out of 20 groups coincide with the succession of plate tectonic events. The Malagasy fauna therefore contains an important component that originated by dispersal from Africa, possibly using currently submerged islands as stepping stones (Krause et al 1997;McCall 1997). Multiple additional dispersal events from Madagascar to the Comoros and Seychelles, and partly back to Africa, subsequently obscured this original biogeographic signal (Jansa et al 1999;Raxworthy et al 2002).…”

Section: (C) the Vertebrate Colonization Of Madagascarmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiple overseas dispersal in amphibians

Vences

Vieites

Glaw

et al. 2003

Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B

282

269

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Amphibians are thought to be unable to disperse over ocean barriers because they do not tolerate the osmotic stress of salt water. Their distribution patterns have therefore generally been explained by vicariance biogeography. Here, we present compelling evidence for overseas dispersal of frogs in the Indian Ocean region based on the discovery of two endemic species on Mayotte. This island belongs to the Comoro archipelago, which is entirely volcanic and surrounded by sea depths of more than 3500 m. This constitutes the first observation of endemic amphibians on oceanic islands that did not have any past physical contact to other land masses. The two species of frogs had previously been thought to be nonendemic and introduced from Madagascar, but clearly represent new species based on their morphological and genetic differentiation. They belong to the genera Mantidactylus and Boophis in the family Mantellidae that is otherwise restricted to Madagascar, and are distinguished by morphology and mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences from mantellid species occurring in Madagascar. This discovery permits us to update and test molecular clocks for frogs distributed in this region. The new calibrations are in agreement with previous rate estimates and indicate two further Cenozoic transmarine dispersal events that had previously been interpreted as vicariance: hyperoliid frogs from Africa to Madagascar (Heterixalus) and from Madagascar to the Seychelles islands (Tachycnemis). Our results provide the strongest evidence so far that overseas dispersal of amphibians exists and is no rare exception, although vicariance certainly retains much of its importance in explaining amphibian biogeography.

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Implications of recent geological investigations of the Mozambique Channel for the mammalian colonization of Madagascar

Cited by 108 publications

References 19 publications

Monophyly and relationships of the tribe Exaceae (Gentianaceae) inferred from nuclear ribosomal and chloroplast DNA sequences

Monophyly and relationships of the tribe Exaceae (Gentianaceae) inferred from nuclear ribosomal and chloroplast DNA sequences

Molecular phylogeography reveals island colonization history and diversification of western Indian Ocean sunbirds (Nectarinia: Nectariniidae)

Multiple overseas dispersal in amphibians

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