American Amphitropical Disjunction Working Group

The goal of the American Amphitropical Disjunction Working Group is to promote and facilitate collaborative research and communication of data and ideas for the study of organisms with an American amphitropical disjunct distribution, occurring in areas of North and South America on either side of the neotropics. Specific objectives of the working group are: 1) To maintain and continually update a database of AAD examples, with referenced information on their biogeographic history (including the timing, direction, and mechanism of dispersal), ecology, genetics (including chromosome number), morphology, nomenclature, phylogeny, reproductive biology, and speciation rates; 2) to maintain an annotated bibliography of papers pertinent to the study of AADs; 3) to provide an active forum for discussion of AAD organisms; 4) To provide distribution maps of AAD examples; 5) to evaluate common patterns and processes among AAD organisms that may be used to generate hypotheses on aspects of their dispersal and diversification. Click on the Compendium of American Amphitropical Vascular Plant Disjunctions below to examine the list of AAD vascular plants in spreadsheet form. A companion website listing known AAD vascular plants, literature pertinent to AAD studies, and useuful links is available at: http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/plants/AAD. We invite interested researchers to join as collaborators and post additional data and resources associated with this topic. To join the group, first start a (free) account with figshare, then email Michael Simpson (msimpson@sdsu.edu) to be added to the members list.