Studies on mass speciation in response to major climatic events in the Cenozoic

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Molecular phylogenetic analyses were made for a number of animal groups including terrestrial and marine mammals (Cervidae, Bovidae, Suidae, Sirenians, Cetacea, Pinnipedians), euteleostean Perciforms and marine gastropods (Umboniinae, Turbiniidae, Potamididae, Batillariidae and Buccinidae), based on the nucleotide sequence data of mitochondrial 12s and 16s rRNA genes and cytochrome b gene.Our phylogenetic analyses revealed that speciation events occurred synchronously among a number of animal group in both terrestrial and marine ecosystems, suggesting that this mass- speciation events were induced by the major climatic events in the Cenozoic.In this study, a new schema on the chlonological and geographical distribution of the Japanese Neogene and Quaternary shallow marine warm-water molluscan faunas is also presented in relation to the Neogene warmmarine climatic events in the Pacific.The present study revealed that many warm-water species invaded from the south into the mid-latitudes during the warm events and their settlements and geographical isolation around the Japanese Islands after the climatic optima led to mass-speciation. The warm events repeatedly made renewal of the faunal composition and finally have established the preset-day Kuroshio fauna. In this study we summarized the range charts of the Neogene and Quaternary marine molluscs in Japan to show clearly the facts of mass-speciation events. Papers on the molecular phylogenetic analysis of the Cervidae, Cetaceans and euteleostean Perciforms were published on the international scientific journals and text-book.