Quaternary climate instability as the driver of genetic diversification in Neogloboquadrina pachyderma (sin)

• Published in: Anuário do Instituto de Geociências
• Main Authors: Darling, Kate, Kucera, Michal, Wade, Christopher
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2006
• Subjects: Neogloboquadrina pachyderma
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.11137/2006_1_533-533; https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/9900249

Molecular genetic analysis shows that many planktonic foraminiferal morphospecies represent complexes of several distinct genetic types with distinct ecologies and distributions. Such cryptic diversity is common in most planktonic protists. Global biogeographical patterns provide many clues to their specific adaptations in the present day but not always to the past processes which may have created them. Planktonic foraminifers are ideal taxa for addressing these issues as their evolutionary history can be traced back in time with high resolution using their outstanding fossil record. In combination with paleoceanographic evidence, it is possible to interpret the modern molecular studies in an historical oceanographic context and gain an insight into the links with past global climatic or tectonic events