02082nas a2200121   4500008004100000245006400041210005900105260002300164520164100187100001801828700002001846856009401866       2013                        eng d00aThe evolution of Indo-Pacific reef building coralline algae0 aevolution of IndoPacific reef building coralline algae  aBerlinc10/03/20133 aThe onset of the biodiversity hotspot in the Indo-West Pacific region took place during the Miocene. Crustose coralline algae (CCA) of this epoch from South East Asia, however, are poorly known, despite their importance for the generation and maintenance of reef biodiversity.

We studied CCA in Miocene reefs in the Kutai Basin (East Kalimantan, Indonesia) to fill this knowledge gap, crucial to understand the evolutionary history of reef building algae. CCA are mostly found encrusting corals and forming nodules together with foraminifers. Two main CCA assemblages can be recognized in the studied reefs: 1) A shallow-water assemblage, comprising two species of Neogoniolithon, several Hydrolithon species, Spongites, Lithoporella, and also Sporolithon. 2) A melobesioid assemblage that preferentially grew in darker waters, consisting of Lithothamnion, Mesophyllum and Sporolithon. The recorded palaeodepth distribution of CCA assemblages is consistent with the one reported from modern and fossil coral reefs.

Miocene CCA of East Kalimantan include some extant species, which appeared earlier than previously known. These new first-occurrence dates are used to produce a detailed time tree of the main reef building CCA species with the help of a new molecular phylogeny, which is based on five genetic markers (18S, 28S, COI, psbA, UPA). The sequences have been obtained from samples from Indo-Pacific localities and Genbank. This study comprises the biggest set of reef building CCA taxa ever analysed before, and aims to disentangle the polyphyly of traditional taxa such as the mastophoroid and lithophylloid subfamilies.1 aRösler, Anja1 aBraga, Juan, C.  uhttps://ipaeg.myspecies.info/content/evolution-indo-pacific-reef-building-coralline-algae03072nas a2200205   4500008004100000245013700041210006900178260007500247520222000322653001502542653002002557653001702577653003802594653000902632653002402641100001802665700002402683700002502707856013402732       2011                        eng d00aThe origins and evolution of the modern Indo-Pacific reef algal flora: the coralline algae in the context of the THROUGHFLOW Project0 aorigins and evolution of the modern IndoPacific reef algal flora  aCluj Napoca, RomaniabInternational Fossil Algae Associationc12/09/113 aSouth East (SE) Asia hosts the global centre of maximum diversity for shallow marine ecosystems, mainly associated with thriving coral reefs (Renema et al., 2008). The factors responsible for the origins and maintenance of this diverse biota remain unknown. Previous studies suggest that the formation of the ancestral centre of diversity could be related to the constriction of the Indonesian Throughflow current (ITF) during the Cenozoic, resulting in increased speciation and/or immigration during the Miocene. Unfortunately, the fossil evidence currently available to document this pattern and its geographic context is sparse, and there is a need to collect new data.

The scientific objective of the THROUGHFLOW Project is to reconstruct the biological and environmental history of shallow marine habitats of a selected area of Southeast Asia. Specifically, a multidisciplinary study of key sections in Eastern Kalimantan (Indonesia) will be performed, integrating data from geology, geochemistry, ocean modeling, and paleontology to understand the Neogene history of the region.

In this framework, the projects carried out at Granada University aim to document the timing and patterns of the diversification of Indo-Pacific reef-building coralline algae, the second most important builders in modern Indo-Pacific reefs. The collected data will be integrated with a robust sedimentological framework for detailed reconstructions of the shallow marine carbonate paleoenvironments and their evolution through time.

The first expedition has been already carried out in East Kalimantan (Indonesia) during November-December 2010. A variety of shallow marine ecosystems, including coral reefs and sea grass environments, were found. First results show an exceptional preservation of some fossil algae, especially in places with a high siliciclastic influence (Miocene deposits of the Mahakam Delta). A new expedition is scheduled for summer 2011. We will study a wider temporal (Early to Late Miocene and possibly Late Oligocene) and spatial range of outcrops.

Acknowledgements: This paper is a contribution to the project supported by Marie Curie Actions, Seventh Framework Programme (Grant No. 237922).10acarbonates10acoralline algae10aINDO-PACIFIC10apaleoenvironmental reconstruction10aREEF10aTHROUGHFLOW project1 aRösler, Anja1 aBraga, Juan, Carlos1 aPerfectti, Francisco  uhttps://ipaeg.myspecies.info/content/origins-and-evolution-modern-indo-pacific-reef-algal-flora-coralline-algae-context-throughfl