Simulated glacial and interglacial vegetation across Africa: implications for species phylogenies and trans‐African migration of plants and animals

摘要: The paleoenvironmental context of plant and animal species evolution (including glacial migrations population separations) is based on a very patchy incomplete paleo-phytogeographic record. It was our objective, therefore, to provide an additional source for paleovegetation comparison by presenting simulations from state-of-the-art fully coupled earth system model (HadCM3LC). We simulated potential distributions following pre-Industrial last maximum (LGM) climate forcing the continent Africa. Our LGM indicate that tropical broadleaf forest not severely displaced expanding grasslands within central Africa, although outer extent closed decreases, particularly in north. structure forests may have been much different today, were likely characterized lower leaf area indexes, tree heights vegetation carbon content. On other hand, warmer interglacial (like scenario) results expansion coast across Africa we postulate could acted as barrier migrations. suggest modeling experiments implications interpretation phylogenetic data, including own species, Homo sapiens sapiens.