To assess whether plants migrated from Africa into western Eurasia via the famed Gomphotherium land bridge by identifying African floral elements in western Eurasia. To achieve this, key floras across the early to late Miocene in Anatolia, Greece and Central Europe will be investigated.

To reconstruct terrestrial environments (vegetation) in Anatolia, Greece and Central Europe that were inhabited by mammals of African origin. To achieve this, evidence from previously studied macrofloras (leaves, fruits, and seeds) will be combined with high taxonomic resolution palynological data obtained during this project.

To evaluate whether or not African mammals arriving in Anatolia and Europe during the Miocene occupied new habitats (regarding vegetation units). To achieve this, floras from well documented late Oligocene to middle Miocene sites in Africa north of the equator will be compared to the focal floras from Anatolia, Greece and Central Europe selected for this project.

Link to this project: http://www.fridgeirgrimsson.com/fwf-p29501-b25/