Pleistocene extinctions as drivers of biogeographical patterns on the easternmost Canary Islands

Subtropical islands are often viewed as refuges where Quaternary climatic shifts driving global episodes of extinction were buffered. Island biodiversity, however, may have been impacted by climatic fluctuations at local scales, particularly in spatially heterogeneous island systems. In this study, we generated a conceptual framework for predicting the potential impact of Pleistocene extinctions on the biogeographical pattern of the Canarian spermatophyte flora, with a focus on the easternmost Canarian islands (ECI). Then, we performed an exhaustive bibliographic revision (270 studies) to examine whether taxonomic, phylogenetic and phylogeographical data support our predictions. Although molecular information is limited for many lineages, the available data suggest that the majority of extant ECI plant taxa may be the result of relatively recent (
C. G.V. was funded by project SV‐17‐GIJON‐BOTANICO. J.P. was funded by the MINECO through the Ramón y Cajal Program (RYC‐2016‐20506), and Marie Sklodowska‐Curie COFUND, Researchers' Night and Individual Fellowships Global (MSCA grant agreement No 747238, 'UNISLAND').