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Deglaciation Explains Bat Extinction In The Caribbean, Liliana M. Davalos, Amy L. Russell
Deglaciation Explains Bat Extinction In The Caribbean, Liliana M. Davalos, Amy L. Russell
Amy L. Russell
Ecological factors such as changing climate on land and interspecific competition have been debated as possible causes of postglacial Caribbean extinction. These hypotheses, however, have not been tested against a null model of climate-driven postglacial area loss. Here, we use a new Quaternary mammal database and deep-sea bathymetry to estimate species–area relationships (SARs) at present and during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) for bats of the Caribbean, and to model species loss as a function of area loss from rising sea level. Island area was a significant predictor of species richness in the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and Lesser Antilles at …