Earlier (late Pliocene) first appearance of the Caribbean reef-building coral Acropora palmata: Stratigraphic and evolutionary implications

Abstract

Research Article| October 01, 1997 Earlier (late Pliocene) first appearance of the Caribbean reef-building coral Acropora palmata: Stratigraphic and evolutionary implications Donald F. McNeill; Donald F. McNeill 1Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, Florida 33149 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Ann F. Budd; Ann F. Budd 2Department of Geology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Pamela F. Borne Pamela F. Borne 3Department of Geology and Geophysics, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Donald F. McNeill 1Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, Florida 33149 Ann F. Budd 2Department of Geology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242 Pamela F. Borne 3Department of Geology and Geophysics, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803 Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (1997) 25 (10): 891–894. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1997)025<0891:ELPFAO>2.3.CO;2 Article history First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Donald F. McNeill, Ann F. Budd, Pamela F. Borne; Earlier (late Pliocene) first appearance of the Caribbean reef-building coral Acropora palmata: Stratigraphic and evolutionary implications. Geology 1997;; 25 (10): 891–894. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1997)025<0891:ELPFAO>2.3.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract An integrated stratigraphic study of reefal deposits on the Caribbean side of the Isthmus of Panama (Limon, Costa Rica) has discovered a significantly earlier first appearance of the major reef-building coral Acropora palmata. A. palmata is here reported from the early late Pliocene, constrained in age to within the Gauss chron (ca. 3.6–2.6 Ma). This coral was previously thought to have originated in the earliest Pleistocene and has subsequently been used as a Quaternary marker throughout the Caribbean and the Bahamas. An earlier appearance in the southern Caribbean implies a diachronous first appearance datum relative to the northern Caribbean. This older age also places A. palmata well within the transition phase of a Pliocene (4–1 Ma) faunal turnover that was marked by widespread extinction and origination of Caribbean coral species. An early late Pliocene origination is coincident with formation of the Isthmus, climate reorganization, and frequent sea-level changes associated with onset of Northern Hemisphere glaciations. The rapid growth and accumulation rates that characterize A. palmata may therefore be adaptive to these fluctuating environmental conditions, enabling its success during the subsequent Pleistocene glacial cycles. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.