Cenozoic climatic changes drive evolution and dispersal of coastal benthic foraminifera in the Southern Ocean.

ABSTRACT: The Antarctic coastal fauna is characterized by high endemism related to the progressive cooling of Antarctic waters and their isolation by the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. The origin of the Antarctic coastal fauna could involve either colonization from adjoining deep-sea areas or migration through the Drake Passage from sub-Antarctic areas. Here, we tested these hypotheses by comparing the morphology and genetics of benthic foraminifera collected from Antarctica, sub-Antarctic coastal settings in South Georgia, the Falkland Islands and Patagonian fjords. We analyzed four genera (Cassidulina, Globocassidulina, Cassidulinoides, Ehrenbergina) of the family Cassidulinidae that are represented by at least nine species in our samples. Focusing on the genera Globocassidulina and Cassidulinoide

SUBMITTER: Majewski W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8494791 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature