[Taxacom] Nothofagus (Chile-New Zealand distributions)

[John Grehan]

There is no "probably" for any of the dispersals referred to by Ken
since they all exist only in his imagination.

As for the main massings, as Heads has pointed out, they are empirically
quantifiable realities. Nothing imaginary there. The dispersal fantasies
only exist by suppressing the main massings from consciousness.

John Grehan

-----Original Message-----
From: taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
[mailto:taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu] On Behalf Of Kenneth Kinman
Sent: Monday, July 26, 2010 9:36 PM
To: taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
Subject: [Taxacom] Nothofagus (Chile-New Zealand distributions)

Hi Geoff,
      You are correct.  I shouldn't have used the word "directly", which
implies a straight line.  The Nothofagus driftwood which went from Chile
to Tasmania no doubt was swept north of 30 degrees and then west along
the return current.    
       However, although this would be true for modern and late Tertiary
ocean currents, some of the dispersals which I am talking about probably
occurred in the early or middle Tertiary when ocean currents in the
southern Pacific were no doubt quite different.  Anyway, as far as I am
concerned, the whole Nothofagus biogeography debate is still in the
early stages, and new data could totally change our understanding of how
much vicariance and dispersal each played a role in shaping the present
distribution.  The main massings of panbiogeography may well prove to be
overly simplistic in many cases.  Only time will tell.     
       -------Cheers,
                           Ken
  


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