The Mediterranean peninsulas contain much genetic and species diversity, which
decreases toward higher latitudes in Europe. In considering how such diversity evolved …

Aim In contrast to the attention given to southern Europe both as a centre of speciation and
differentiation and as a Pleistocene refugium of Western Palaearctic taxa, North Africa has …

A critical review of the evolutionary biology of Iberian and North African lizard members of
the genus Podarcis (Lacertidae) based on phylogeny, phylogeography, morphometrics …

Evolutionary inference based on molecular phylogenetic methods has profoundly modified
the way that we understand biological diversity, unravelling a higher evolutionary diversity …

Background Pleistocene climatic oscillations have played a major role in structuring present-
day biodiversity. The southern Mediterranean peninsulas have long been recognized as …

Morphological variation in relation to habitat is known to occur in several lizard groups.
Comparative studies have linked morphology and habitat use, showing that locomotion is …

The increase in biodiversity from high to low latitudes is a widely recognized
biogeographical pattern. According to the latitudinal gradient hypothesis (LGH), this pattern …

Genetic divergence in bat communities was assessed on both sides of the Straits of Gibraltar
and cryptic diversity was examined. Screening was carried out using partial sequences of …

Background Quaternary climatic oscillations had dramatic effects on species evolution. In
northern latitudes, populations had to survive the coldest periods in refugial areas and …

The climate has undergone significant changes since the end of the Last Glacial Maximum
and in the course of the Holocene, parallel to important cultural transformations and …