Disproportionate extinction of South American mammals drove the asymmetry of the Great American Biotic Interchange.

ABSTRACT: The interchange between the previously disconnected faunas of North and South America was a massive experiment in biological invasion. A major gap in our understanding of this invasion is why there was a drastic increase in the proportion of mammals of North American origin found in South America. Four nonmutually exclusive mechanisms may explain this asymmetry: 1) Higher dispersal rate of North American mammals toward the south, 2) higher origination of North American immigrants in South America, 3) higher extinction of mammals with South American origin, and 4) similar dispersal rate but a larger pool of native taxa in North versus South America. We test among these mechanisms by analyzing ∼20,000 fossil occurrences with Bayesian methods to infer dispersal and diversification rates and t

SUBMITTER: Carrillo JD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7585031 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature