At the first meeting it was decided to develop a database of phylogenetic divergences that reflected divergences either between different biomes within continents, or between different present-day southern continents. The divergences between continents would be dated to the extent possible from the molecular phylogenies, and coded as to whether or not they clearly post-dated the geological separation of the landmasses, implying the divergence involved cross-ocean dispersal.

The database will provide a synoptic overview of phylogenetic divergences, allowing us to assess what proportion of different floras has arisen through vicariance, through cross-ocean dispersal, and through radiation from one biome into another.

At the second meeting in Sydney the database was further expanded, and the gaps in the data for specific groups were filled. We now have a database of 45 clades, including over 11,000 species. These have all been scored for biome and continent, they have been linked into the newest phylogenies, and the disjunctions separated into those that could be accounted for by dispersal, and those that might have been the result of vicariance. The dataset is now ready for analysis.

Last updated March 2008