Plant diversity and biogeography of the Aegean archipelago: a new synthesis

Abstract

The Aegean archipelago is a typical archipelago of continental islands which stands at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa. Herein we present one of the few global studies of bioregionalization, i.e., the process of identifying, delimiting and naming biogeographical regions, based on eight animal taxa, namely ants (Formicidae), land birds, reptiles and amphibians, land snails, terrestrial isopods (Oniscidea), tenebrionid beetles (Tenebrionidae), Lepidoptera, Orthoptera and centipedes (Chilopoda). Dispersal ability, ecological requirements, and endemism seem to shape the major biogeographical regions identified. Further insights on the processes establishing biodiversity patterns can be gained by such multi-taxon approaches.