what happened to biodiversity last time climate ran amok?

What Happened to BiodiversityLast Time Climate Ran Amok?

Duane GriffinGeography Dept

The carpet of flowering verdure spread over the naked crust of the Earth is unevenly woven: more tightly where the sun rises higher in the…skies, more loosely nearer the inert poles.

Alexander von Humboldt 1808

-10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 900

50

100

150

200

250

Amph. SAmph. N.Mamm. S.Logarithmic (Mamm. S.)Mamm. N.

Latitude (N or S)

Spec

ies

Why?

Species gains and losses

Tropics:Cradle

or Museum?

Cradle or Museum?

How did the diversity gradient develop?

?Glacial

Interglacial

How did the diversity gradient develop?

GlacialInterglacial

21,000 BP

25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 805

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

4521 ka

Latitude

Taxa

20,000 BP

25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 805

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Latitude

Taxa

19,000 BP

25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 805

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Latitude

Taxa

18,000 BP

25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 805

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Latitude

Taxa

17,000 BP

25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 805

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Latitude

Taxa

25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 805

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Latitude

Taxa

16,000 BP

25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 805

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Latitude

Taxa

15,000 BP

25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 805

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Latitude

Taxa

14,000 BP

25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 805

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Latitude

Taxa

13,000 BP

25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 805

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Latitude

Taxa

12,000 BP

25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 805

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Latitude

Taxa

11,000 BP

25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 805

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Latitude

Taxa

10,000 BP

25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 805

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Latitude

Taxa

9,000 BP

25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 805

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Latitude

Taxa

8,000 BP

25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 805

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Latitude

Taxa

7,000 BP

25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 805

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Latitude

Taxa

6,000 BP

25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 805

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Latitude

Taxa

5,000 BP

25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 805

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Latitude

Taxa

4,000 BP

25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 805

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Latitude

Taxa

3,000 BP

25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 805

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Latitude

Taxa

2,000 BP

25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 805

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Latitude

Taxa

1,000 BP

25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 805

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Latitude

Taxa

500 BP

25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 805

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Latitude

Taxa

0.5 ka

0 BP

25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 805

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Latitude

Taxa

How did the diversity gradient develop?

GlacialInterglacial