Cenozoic Tethyan changes dominated Eurasian animal evolution and diversity patterns.

Cenozoic tectonic evolution in the Tethyan region has greatly changed the landforms and environment of Eurasia, driving the evolution of animals and greatly affecting the diversity patterns of Eurasian animals. By combining the latest Tethyan paleogeographic models and some recently published Eurasian zoological studies, we systematically summarize how tectonic evolution in the Tethyan region has influenced the evolution and diversity patterns of Eurasian animals. The convergence of continental plates, closure of Tethys Sea, and Tethyan sea-level changes have directly affected the composition and spatial distribution of Eurasian animal diversity. The topographic and environmental changes caused by Tethyan tectonics have determined regional animal diversity in Eurasia by influencing animal origin, dispersal, preservation, diversification, and extinction. The ecological transformations resulted in the emergence of new habitats and niches, which promoted animal adaptive evolution, specialization, speciation, and expansion. We highlight that the Cenozoic tectonic evolution of the Tethyan region has been responsible for much of the alteration in Eurasian animal distribution and has been an essential force in shaping organic evolution. Furthermore, we generalize a general pattern that Tethyan geological events are linked with Eurasian animal evolution and diversity dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]