The evolution of the diversity of the Southern South America land mammals throughout the last 12 million years: a systematic and ecological approach

ORTIZ JAUREGUIZAR, EDGARDO; PRADO, JOSÉ LUIS

Washington

Congreso; IV International Congress of Systematic and Evolutionary Biology; 1990

University of Mariland and The Smithsonian Institution

In this communication we analyzed  the evolution of the diversity of the Southern South Ame rica land-mammals throughout the last 12 million years. We employ a systematic (diversity) and ecological (body size and diet) approach. We sustain that this pattern of diversity is mainly constrained by physical changes of the climatic-environmental conditions, and only secondari1y by processes intrinsic to the biota itself.