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Science 15 October 2004:
Vol. 306. no. 5695, pp. 479 - 481
DOI: 10.1126/science.1100167
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Reports

Local Endemism Within the Western Ghats-Sri Lanka Biodiversity Hotspot

Franky Bossuyt,1,2*{dagger} Madhava Meegaskumbura,3,4* Natalie Beenaerts,1* David J. Gower,5 Rohan Pethiyagoda,4 Kim Roelants,1 An Mannaert,1 Mark Wilkinson,5 Mohomed M. Bahir,4 Kelum Manamendra-Arachchi,4 Peter K. L. Ng,6 Christopher J. Schneider,3 Oommen V. Oommen,7 Michel C. Milinkovitch2

The apparent biotic affinities between the mainland and the island in the Western Ghats–Sri Lanka biodiversity hotspot have been interpreted as the result of frequent migrations during recent periods of low sea level. We show, using molecular phylogenies of two invertebrate and four vertebrate groups, that biotic interchange between these areas has been much more limited than hitherto assumed. Despite several extended periods of land connection during the past 500,000 years, Sri Lanka has maintained a fauna that is largely distinct from that of the Indian mainland. Future conservation programs for the subcontinent should take into account such patterns of local endemism at the finest scale at which they may occur.

1 Biology Department, Unit of Ecology and Systematics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
2 Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Code Postal, 300, Institute for Molecular Biology and Medicine, Rue Jeener and Brachet 12, B-6041 Gosselies, Belgium.
3 Department of Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington Street, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
4 Wildlife Heritage Trust, 95 Cotta Road, Colombo 8, Sri Lanka.
5 Department of Zoology, The Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK.
6 Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Kent Ridge, Singapore 119260, Republic of Singapore.
7 Department of Zoology, University of Kerala, Kariavattom 695581, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.



* These authors contributed equally to this work.

{dagger} To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: fbossuyt{at}vub.ac.be

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