The Effects of Cenozoic Global Change on Squirrel Phylogeny

摘要: By modifying habitats and creating bridges barriers between landmasses, climate change tectonic events are believed to have important consequences for diversification of terrestrial organisms. Such should be most evident in phylogenetic histories groups that ancient, widespread, diverse. The squirrel family (Sciuridae) is one very few mammalian families endemic Eurasia, Africa, North South America ideal examining these issues. Through molecular-clock analyses, we infer arrival squirrels on Sunda Shelf islands, across Beringea, the Panamanian isthmus coincide timing location with multiple well-documented sea-level, tectonic, paleontological events. These precise correspondences point an role global a major group mammals.