The Vallesian, 11.1-9 Ma, was a special time in the Vallès-Penedes basin near Barcelona, where a biodiversity hotspot existed. Europe had a subtropical climate, with rhinos, forest giraffes, lions,... Show moreThe Vallesian, 11.1-9 Ma, was a special time in the Vallès-Penedes basin near Barcelona, where a biodiversity hotspot existed. Europe had a subtropical climate, with rhinos, forest giraffes, lions, hyenas, flying squirrels and primates.Around 9.7 million years ago there was an abrupt collapse in diversity; the so-called 'Vallesian Crisis'. This was seen as the transition point to a climate with more seasonality and open landscapes.Using a fossil dataset from Miocene Eurasia, the influence of dataset quality on the severity of this crisis, which animals were most affected and their distribution patterns was studied.The crisis’ victims have three things in common: they are mainly forest dwellers, they date back to the Middle Miocene (16-11.1 Ma), and they are rare during the early Vallesian. The high Vallesian biodiversity was caused by the arrival of new immigrants in addition to older transient groups, possibly due to the unique coastal conditions.Major differences existed between the coastal region and the interior of the Iberian Peninsula. Some species appeared in the Vallès-Penedès, but never reached the inland. The 'Vallesian Crisis', while seen understandably as a time of abrupt and severe extinction, was thus largely a local turnover event. Show less
This thesis reviews the available coral studies in the Persian Gulf at a large scale, discusses the environmental challenges for corals in the context of climate change, and expands our... Show more This thesis reviews the available coral studies in the Persian Gulf at a large scale, discusses the environmental challenges for corals in the context of climate change, and expands our knowledge of coral biodiversity and biogeography of the region, highlights the remaining gaps in our knowledge and goes on to provide recommendations for further research. This is of special importance given recent international interest in the region as a harbinger of coral adaptation to climate change as the impacts to the global environment, human society and the economy unfold. Show less
