Book Description

The Mediterranean Basin, one of the five mediterranean-climate regions of the world, seems particularly suitable as a model system in which to integrate the study of species divergence (macroevolution) with that of population differentiation (microevolution), as it has been evidenced that both ecological specialization and geographical isolation have been primary determining factors to explain its high biodiversity. In the Mediterranean area, the genus Anthemis L. (Compositae, Anthemideae) provides a suitable plant group with which to link both the macro- and the microevolutionary approaches. It acts as a suitable proxy for the reconstruction of the biogeographical and climatological history of the Mediterranean area, spanning the transition from the subtropical climate of the Early Miocene to the typical Mediterranean environment of the present. On the other side, it includes many closely related groups of species, such as the Anthemis secundiramea group widespread across the Sicilian Channel, which provide suitable models to study the role of geographical and/or ecological diversification on a more local scale. Through the integration of phylogenetic, phylogeographical and eco-climatological reconstructions, this book shows that both macro- and microevolutionary approaches should be involved to understand patterns and processes in the evolution of biodiversity.