Influences of the Miocene, Pliocene and Pleistocene on the Genetic and Paleontological Diversification of Fauna in the World

Dear Colleagues,

The geological, hydrological, and climatological changes that occurred during the Miocene, Pliocene, and Pleistocene epochs had a profound impact on the diversification of the fauna we know today. For example, in the Americas, the current hypothesis is that the appearance of a land bridge and the joining of Central and South America occurred around 13–15 million years ago, during the Middle Miocene. Indeed, the formation of the Isthmus of Panama began earlier and seems to be associated with the northern Andean uplift, around 24 million years ago (mya), contrary to the traditional view that this process occurred in the last 3.5–3.0 million years. Some recent studies have proposed that the most significant periods of mammal migration occurred between 20 and 6 mya, with similar migration rates between North and South America, and that asymmetric migration emerged after 6 mya, with migration from South to North America being higher. It has also been shown that many faunal colonization events associated with the American biotic interchange began around 10 mya. On the other hand, part of the Miocene coincided with a process of major global cooling, along with formation of the Antarctic ice sheet and a short-term but important drop in global sea levels. In addition, forests were reduced and transformed into savanna-like environments that expanded. These climatic events played an outstanding role in differentiation of mammalian species. Later, the climatic changes from the Pliocene period (5–1.8 mya) were also very important. The cold and dry climate during the Pliocene coincided with the onset of high-latitude glacial cycles, causing an explosive expansion of low-biomass vegetation, including grasslands and steppe at mid-latitudes and the development of taigas at high latitudes in Eurasia and North America. These changes were correlated with the diversification of prey species such as muroid rodents and passerine birds that exploited these new habitats, which in turn could provide new niches for many carnivores. Subsequently, during the Pleistocene, many climatic changes occurred (up to 27 possible major climatic changes with a periodicity of 100,000 years during the Pleistocene in Colombia alone) that had a significant impact on the fauna. To cite a couple of examples, the Bonaerense period, from 0.5 to 0.13 mya, was characterized by a large increase in mammals of Holarctic origin in South America (deer and Muridae rodents, for instance). This was a time of stable climate, with a warm and humid environment. The last large Pleistocene glacial period commenced at the end of this time interval, and there is clear evidence of the last glaciation that began 116,000 years ago and which had a profound influence on the epoch’s fauna. Although some of these examples have been postulated for the geological and climatological evolution of the Americas, these changes took place across the entire planet. Therefore, the publication of molecular and paleontological studies is crucial to strengthening our understanding of how geological, hydrological, climatic, and environmental changes have shaped fauna over the last 25 million years and given rise to the animal species we know today. In this Special Issue, we aim to gather together as many studies as possible to better understand the evolution of current fauna due to events that occurred from the Miocene to the present, and genetic and paleontological perspectives are essential to this understanding.

Dr. Manuel Ruiz-Garcia
Guest Editor

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