MANOS, PAUL S.* AND MICHAEL J. DONOGHUE. Department of Botany, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-0338, Harvard University Herbaria, 22 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138. - Historical biogeography of the Northern Hemisphere symposium abstract.
The phytogeography of the Northern Hemisphere represents one of the
great challenges to understanding the interaction of Earth history and
biological diversification. Although floristic similarities between
the disjunct areas of Laurasia are striking, it has become
increasingly clear that phylogenetic hypotheses are needed to resolve
the dynamic history of vicariance throughout the Cretaceous and
Tertiary. One of the major advances towards further understanding
phytogeographic connections around the Northern Hemisphere has been
the significant increase in the number of phylogenies for disjunct
taxa. By the summer of 2000 phylogenies for as many as 70 relevant
taxa will be available for consideration, allowing the search for
general patterns in area cladograms. The goals of this symposium are:
1) to assemble and help coordinate the activities of investigators
working from various perspectives on reconstructing angiosperm
distributions around the Northern Hemisphere; 2) to explore the use of
modern methods in analytical biogeography in synthesizing knowledge of
geographic patterns around the Northern Hemisphere; and 3) to evaluate
phylogenetic hypotheses for temporal congruence in the context of
fossil data and current theories regarding geological and climatic
changes.
Key words: analytical biogeography, angiosperms, Northern Hemisphere, phytogeography