Pleistocene Caves of Eastern Sicily Coast: Exceptional Archives to Reconstruct the History of the Island’s Biota
The distinctive features and fossil content of some caves from eastern Sicily (San Teodoro, Donnavilla, Fulco, Taormina, Tremilia, Spinagallo), altogether spanning from the middle Pleistocene until the beginning of the Holocene, are discussed. Although dating on vertebrate and/or invertebrate remain...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Geosciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/12/7/258 |
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| author | Laura Bonfiglio Antonietta Rosso Victoria Herridge Gianni Insacco Agatino Reitano Gianmarco Minniti Gabriella Mangano Rossana Sanfilippo |
| author_facet | Laura Bonfiglio Antonietta Rosso Victoria Herridge Gianni Insacco Agatino Reitano Gianmarco Minniti Gabriella Mangano Rossana Sanfilippo |
| author_sort | Laura Bonfiglio |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The distinctive features and fossil content of some caves from eastern Sicily (San Teodoro, Donnavilla, Fulco, Taormina, Tremilia, Spinagallo), altogether spanning from the middle Pleistocene until the beginning of the Holocene, are discussed. Although dating on vertebrate and/or invertebrate remains is available in few instances, coastal notches and marine terraces correlate with the caves, provide further chronological constraint. The San Teodoro and Spinagallo caves are the best known, whereas the Tremilia cave deserves to be better analysed. Most caves, but not the San Teodoro one (including only terrestrial faunas), testify to the transition from submarine coastal environments (documented by biogenic crusts, borings, shelly sediments), to continental conditions (vertebrate remains of the <i>Paleoloxodon falconeri</i>, Maccagnone and San Teodoro Faunistic Complexes). The fossil register preserved in these cavities represents a source of information useful to (1) reconstruct the palaeogeography of Sicily and its coastline, largely resulting from the interplay between tectonic and sea-level changes linked to climate fluctuations; and (2) the consequent evolution of the terrestrial biota, including the dominance of insular endemic taxa later replaced by species shared with continental Italy, after the establishment of temporary connection through the Messina Strait. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:22:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-62dd5c79c47b441dba00987dda374736 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3263 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:22:28Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geosciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-62dd5c79c47b441dba00987dda3747362023-12-03T15:06:29ZengMDPI AGGeosciences2076-32632022-06-0112725810.3390/geosciences12070258Pleistocene Caves of Eastern Sicily Coast: Exceptional Archives to Reconstruct the History of the Island’s BiotaLaura Bonfiglio0Antonietta Rosso1Victoria Herridge2Gianni Insacco3Agatino Reitano4Gianmarco Minniti5Gabriella Mangano6Rossana Sanfilippo7Museo della Fauna, Annunziata Academic Centre, 98168 Messina, ItalyDipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali, Università di Catania, Corso Italia 57, 95129 Catania, ItalyDepartment of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UKMuseo Civico di Storia Naturale, Via Degli Studi 9, 97013 Comiso, ItalyDipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali, Università di Catania, Corso Italia 57, 95129 Catania, ItalyDipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali, Università di Catania, Corso Italia 57, 95129 Catania, ItalyMuseo della Fauna, Annunziata Academic Centre, 98168 Messina, ItalyDipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali, Università di Catania, Corso Italia 57, 95129 Catania, ItalyThe distinctive features and fossil content of some caves from eastern Sicily (San Teodoro, Donnavilla, Fulco, Taormina, Tremilia, Spinagallo), altogether spanning from the middle Pleistocene until the beginning of the Holocene, are discussed. Although dating on vertebrate and/or invertebrate remains is available in few instances, coastal notches and marine terraces correlate with the caves, provide further chronological constraint. The San Teodoro and Spinagallo caves are the best known, whereas the Tremilia cave deserves to be better analysed. Most caves, but not the San Teodoro one (including only terrestrial faunas), testify to the transition from submarine coastal environments (documented by biogenic crusts, borings, shelly sediments), to continental conditions (vertebrate remains of the <i>Paleoloxodon falconeri</i>, Maccagnone and San Teodoro Faunistic Complexes). The fossil register preserved in these cavities represents a source of information useful to (1) reconstruct the palaeogeography of Sicily and its coastline, largely resulting from the interplay between tectonic and sea-level changes linked to climate fluctuations; and (2) the consequent evolution of the terrestrial biota, including the dominance of insular endemic taxa later replaced by species shared with continental Italy, after the establishment of temporary connection through the Messina Strait.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/12/7/258cave habitatsinvertebratesmammalsterracespalaeobiogeographyQuaternary |
| spellingShingle | Laura Bonfiglio Antonietta Rosso Victoria Herridge Gianni Insacco Agatino Reitano Gianmarco Minniti Gabriella Mangano Rossana Sanfilippo Pleistocene Caves of Eastern Sicily Coast: Exceptional Archives to Reconstruct the History of the Island’s Biota Geosciences cave habitats invertebrates mammals terraces palaeobiogeography Quaternary |
| title | Pleistocene Caves of Eastern Sicily Coast: Exceptional Archives to Reconstruct the History of the Island’s Biota |
| title_full | Pleistocene Caves of Eastern Sicily Coast: Exceptional Archives to Reconstruct the History of the Island’s Biota |
| title_fullStr | Pleistocene Caves of Eastern Sicily Coast: Exceptional Archives to Reconstruct the History of the Island’s Biota |
| title_full_unstemmed | Pleistocene Caves of Eastern Sicily Coast: Exceptional Archives to Reconstruct the History of the Island’s Biota |
| title_short | Pleistocene Caves of Eastern Sicily Coast: Exceptional Archives to Reconstruct the History of the Island’s Biota |
| title_sort | pleistocene caves of eastern sicily coast exceptional archives to reconstruct the history of the island s biota |
| topic | cave habitats invertebrates mammals terraces palaeobiogeography Quaternary |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/12/7/258 |
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