Publicaties
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Mountain-associated clade endemism in an ancient frog family (Nyctibatrachidae) on the Indian subcontinent Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Night frogs (Nyctibatrachidae) form a family endemic to the Western Ghats, a hill chain along the west coast of southern India. Extant members of this family are descendants of a lineage that originated on the subcontinent during its longtime isolation in the Late Cretaceous. Because the evolutionary history of Nyctibatrachidae has always been tightly connected to the subcontinent, these tropically-adapted frogs are an ideal group for studying ...
Evidence for widespread endemism among Antarctic micro-organisms Plantentuin Meise / Agentschap Plantentuin Meise Universiteit Gent Universiteit Antwerpen
Understanding the enormous diversity of microbes, their multiple roles in the functioning of ecosystems, and their response to large-scale environmental and climatic changes, are at the forefront of the international research agenda. In Antarctica, where terrestrial and lacustrine environments are predominantly microbial realms, an active and growing community of microbial ecologists is probing this diversity and its role in ecosystem processes. ...
Freshwater diatom biogeography and the genus Luticola: an extreme case of endemism in Antarctica Plantentuin Meise / Agentschap Plantentuin Meise Universiteit Antwerpen
Historical views have characterized Antarctica as a frozen desert with low diversity, although recent studies suggest that this may not be true for microscopic organisms. For microbes, assessing endemism in the Antarctic region has been particularly important, especially against a backdrop of debate regarding their presumed cosmopolitan nature. To contribute to this conversation, we highlight the observed endemism of the freshwater diatom genus ...
Patterns and processes of global riverine fish endemism Universiteit Antwerpen
Aim  To explore global patterns of riverine fish endemism by applying an island biogeography framework to river drainage basins and highlight evolutionary mechanisms producing two kinds of endemism: neo-endemism, arising from within-drainage cladogenetic speciation, and palaeo-endemism, arising from species range contraction or anagenetic speciation. Location  World-wide. Methods  We use a uniquely comprehensive data set of riverine fish species ...
Evolution of endemism on a young tropical mountain Plantentuin Meise / Agentschap Plantentuin Meise KU Leuven
Tropical mountains are hot spots of biodiversity and endemism1,2,3, but the evolutionary origins of their unique biotas are poorly understood4. In varying degrees, local and regional extinction, long-distance colonization, and local recruitment may all contribute to the exceptional character of these communities5. Also, it is debated whether mountain endemics mostly originate from local lowland taxa, or from lineages that reach the mountain by ...
Toad radiation reveals into-India dispersal as a source of endemism in the Western Ghats-Sri Lanka biodiversity hotspot Vrije Universiteit Brussel
BACKGROUND:High taxonomic level endemism in the Western Ghats-Sri Lanka biodiversity hotspot has been typically attributed to the subcontinent's geological history of long-term isolation. Subsequent out of - and into India dispersal of species after accretion to the Eurasian mainland is therefore often seen as a biogeographic factor that 'diluted' the composition of previously isolated Indian biota. However, few molecular studies have focussed ...
Notes on chydorid endemism in continental Africa: Matralona gen. n., a monotypic Alonine from the Fouta Djalon Plateau (Guinea, West Africa) (Crustacea: Cladocera: Anomopoda) Universiteit Gent
A study of the morphology of Alona simonei Dumont, 1981, here emended to Alona simoneae, from the ancient Fouta Djalon Plateau in Guinea (West Africa) reveals unique limb structures. We allocate this species to the monotypic Matralona gen. n. and consider it a relict of an Alona-like clade. Matralona gen. n. is another example of divergence in limb morphology among externally similar Aloninae. Separation of this monotypic genus is based on more ...
A review of contemporary patterns of endemism for shallow water reef fauna in the Red Sea Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Aim The Red Sea is characterised by a unique fauna and historical periods of desiccation, hypersalinity and intermittent isolation. The origin and contempo- rary composition of reef-associated taxa in this region can illuminate biogeo- graphical principles about vicariance and the establishment (or local extirpation) of existing species. Here we aim to: (1) outline the distribution of shallow water fauna between the Red Sea and adjacent regions, ...
Patterns of diversity and endemism of soft-bodied meiofauna in an oceanic island, Lanzarote, Canary Islands Universiteit Hasselt
Oceanic islands, characterized by high levels of endemism and distinct faunas when compared to neighbouring continents, represent natural evolutionary laboratories for biologists to understand ecological and evolutionary processes. However, most studies on oceanic islands have focused on terrestrial and marine macrofaunal organisms, and ignored microscopic animals. We present here an inventory of all soft-bodied meiofaunal organisms collected ...