Plio–Quaternary Tectonic Activity in the Northern Nubian Belts: The Main Driving Forces by Enzo Mantovani, Marcello Viti, Daniele Babbucci, Caterina Tamburelli

“…It is suggested that the occurrence of tectonic activity in the northern Nubian belts (Tell-Rif and Atlas systems) since the Late Pliocene can be interpreted as one of the processes that were produced in the central and western Mediterranean zones by the collision of the Adriatic continental promontory with the Anatolian–Aegean Tethyan system. …”
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Integrating phylogeographic and phenotypic evidence to delimit deep evolutionary lineages in the Dryophytes japonicus species complex, with an assessment of their conservation need... by Amaël Borzée, Yikweon Jang, Siti N. Othman, Jordy Groffen, Irina V. Maslova, Zoljargal Purevdorj, Kiyomi Yasumiba, Tomohiko Shimada, Yoonjung Yi, Natalya Alekseevna Schepina, Desiree Andersen, Yoonhyuk Bae, Ikuo Miura, Christophe Dufresnes

“…Earlier studies on the northeast Asian treefrog, Dryophytes japonicus, identified a deep Mio-Pliocene diversification; however, phenotypic assessments were lacking, and the taxonomic identity of the identified clades is under debate. …”
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Genetic differentiation and historical dynamics of the endemic species Rheum pumilum on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau inferred from phylogeography implications by Shuliang Liu, Jianxin Gao, Bo Xiao, Wenjie Guo, Qiushi Yu, Ailan Wang, Weiwei Li

“…Haplotype divergence of Rh. pumilum approximately 11 million years ago, with notable divergence peaks observed during the late Miocene, as well as the Pliocene, Pleistocene and Holocene. Conclusion These findings suggest a correlation between genetic diversity, haplotype lineage divergence and key geological and climatic events, notably the uplift of the QTP, monsoon climate changes, and the climatic oscillations during the Quaternary ice ages. …”
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The saprotrophic Pleurotus ostreatus species complex: late Eocene origin in East Asia, multiple dispersal, and complex speciation by Jing Li, Li-Hong Han, Xiao-Bin Liu, Zhi-Wei Zhao, Zhu L. Yang

“…Species of the P. ostreatus complex might migrate from the East Asia into North America across the North Atlantic Land Bridge or the Bering Land Bridge at different times during the late Oligocene, late Miocene and late Pliocene, and then diversified in the Old and New Worlds simultaneously through multiple dispersal and vicariance events. …”
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Genome skimming provides evidence to accept two new genera (Apiaceae) separated from the Peucedanum s.l. by Bo-Ni Song, Chang-Kun Liu, Chang-Kun Liu, Jiao-Jiao Deng, Wei-Yan Tan, Song-Dong Zhou, Xing-Jin He

“…Furthermore, molecular dating analysis showed that the diversification of clades A and B occurred in the early Pleistocene and late Pliocene, respectively, which may have been driven by the complex geological and climate shifts of these periods. …”
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Results from an Australopithecus africanus dental enamel fragment confirm the potential of palaeoproteomics for South African Plio-Pleistocene fossil sites by Palesa P. Madupe, Fazeelah Munir, Marc Dickinson, Alberto J. Taurozzi, Meaghan Mackie, Mirriam Tawane, Catherine Mollereau, Nomawethu Hlazo, Kirsty Penkman, Lauren Schroeder, Clément Zanolli, Jesper V. Olsen, Rebecca R. Ackermann, Enrico Cappellini

“… The southern African Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene hominin record is abundant and exhibits a high taxonomic diversity with three genera represented: Australopithecus, Paranthropus and Homo. …”
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The articular wrist complex in Miocene and Plio-Pleistocene African hominoids: anatomofunctional and morphometric comparative approach by Guillaume Daver

“…Cette thèse avait pour objectif d’étudier la mise en place des spécialisations fonctionnelles de la main des hominidés pliocènes et de tester l’hypothèse de la terrestrialité à l’origine de la lignée hominidé. 115 os du poignet mio-pliocènes originaux, parmi lesquels 27 restaient à décrire, ont été comparés à 392 spécimens ostéologiques de poignets d’anthropoïdes actuels. 14 poignets de cadavres d’anthropoïdes non humains ont été également analysés. …”
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