Late Quaternary climate change shapes island biodiversity

The climatic oscillations of the Late Quaternary over short geological timescales strongly affected sea levels and caused massive changes in island area, isolation and connectivity. Consequences of these oscillations for present angiosperm diversity on islands worldwide are analysed in a Nature letter co-authored by biogeographer Manuel Steinbauer. The scientists found out the ice age climate oscillations left a strong imprint on present diversity of endemic species on islands.