Páramo islands through the Pleistocene

Abstract

Biogeography The paramo habitat is the treeless alpine biome characteristic of the high tropical Andes, a habitat that has fluctuated widely in extent and elevation during the cycles of Pleistocene glaciations. Using a 1-million-year fossil pollen record from Colombia as a baseline, Flantua et al. model how the paramo underwent cycles of fragmentation and reconnection. This “flickering connectivity” provides a basis for interpreting the biogeographic history of the rich flora of the paramo and understanding the mechanisms of diversification that have shaped it. J. Biogeogr. 46 , 1808 (2019).