Bases paleontológicas de la biodiversidad de moluscos del Atlántico sudoccidental

MARTINEZ, SERGIO; DEL RIO, CLAUDIA JULIA; ROJAS, ALEJANDRA

Cénarios de Vida

Interciencia

Año: 2011; p. 107 - 117

A review of the Tertiary molluscan assemblages of the Southern Atlantic Ocean indicates that the origins of the recent communities can be traced back to the Late Miocene, although during that time the species formed biogeographic units different from the recent ones due to an also different oceanic circulation pattern. Until now, no Pliocene marine faunas have been found in the region. This hiatus occurrs in an important epoch as in the Quaternary, extant species are recorded. However, biogeographic changes indicate warmer waters than today to the south, especially during the Late Pleistocene (probably OIS 5e) and the Holocene (between 6500-3500 radiocarbonic yrs BP). This situation is more evident in the Río de la Plata area as this is the distribution boundary of several warm water species.