Research Explorer

Project

Paleobiology of the Neogene Malacofauna of the African Rift Basins and implications for the evolutionary theory
Code
3F020207
Duration
01 October 2007 → 30 September 2011
Funding
Regional and community funding: Special Research Fund, Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO)
Research disciplines
  • Natural sciences
    • Animal biology
    • Evolutionary biology
    • General biology
  • Medical and health sciences
    • Social medical sciences
Keywords
palaeobiology systematic zoology invertebrate paleontology evolution
 
Project description
 

The African Rift lakes are called 'living laboratories of evolution'. Fine resolution freshwater mollusc sequences were recovered from three African rift basins. Although their paleoecosystems had a lot of characteristics in common, evolution of their malacofaunas happened differently. Paleoecological knowledge of these basins has the last decennia increased. Explaining the observed differences in tempo and mode of evolution becomes therefore possible.