Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Ocakoğlu F., Licht A., Metais G., Coster P., Beard C.(Yürütücü)
Diğer Uluslararası Fon Programları, 2015 - 2022
of clades that succeed in expanding their ranges, while frequently transforming the ecosystems of newly colonized regions. However, the process of colonization itself, especially when it entails crossing some formidable geographic barrier (such as that posed by an ocean or seaway for terrestrial mammals), is often regarded as random or even miraculous, and therefore beyond the realm of scientific inquiry. This proposal investigates potential links between dynamic aspects of the physical environment (such as paleogeography, paleoclimate, and tectonics) and mammalian biogeography, using the unique Eocene mammal fauna and tectonic setting of Turkey as a key case study. If strong correlations can be demonstrated between major colonization episodes (such as the colonization of Africa by early anthropoid primates and hystricognathous rodents) and perturbations of Earth’s physical environment, then biotic dispersal is a phenomenon that can be interrogated scientifically rather than being dismissed or disregarded. With respect to the unique Eocene mammalian fauna being assembled by our team from Turkey, this project promises to yield new insights into the biogeographic role of Turkey as a likely crossroads between Africa, Europe and Asia during the Eocene. The Eocene mammal fauna of Turkey appears to have resulted from the mingling of formerly segregated biotas hailing from Gondwana and Laurasia, facilitated by tectonic convergence. As such, the Eocene of Turkey provides a rare opportunity to assess patterns and processes associated with the breakdown of longstanding barriers between separate faunal realms.