四名古生物學家根據(jù)曾遍布全球的巨型螞蟻的化石,，發(fā)現(xiàn)了全球變暖如何影響5000萬年前生命的分布,。該論文發(fā)表在英國《皇家學會學報B》上,。
加拿大西蒙弗雷澤大學的布魯斯和羅爾夫,、加拿大布賴頓大學的大衛(wèi)·格林伍德以及美國丹佛自然科學博物館柯克·約翰遜描述了一種新的巨型螞蟻化石物種,。這種有翼蟻后生活在5000萬年前的始新世時代,，其體長超過5厘米,，與蜂鳥大小相近,。
研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，巨型螞蟻化石大多在過去曾經(jīng)是熱帶氣候的地區(qū)發(fā)現(xiàn),，如現(xiàn)今的美國懷俄明州,、北美和歐洲，而現(xiàn)代巨型螞蟻則分布在熱帶非洲地區(qū),，說明巨型螞蟻需要生活在高溫下,。
在始新世時代，許多動植物物種通過當時連接著北美和歐洲兩大洲的北極進行遷移,。然而這些古代巨型螞蟻如何通過溫度過低的北極,，非常令人困惑。研究人員猜測,，始新世時代的全球變暖可能使北極出現(xiàn)了周期性的高溫機會,，讓適應熱帶生活的生命穿越了北極。
研究人員指出,，這一發(fā)現(xiàn)有助于科學家更好地把握全球變暖對生命的影響,。理解生命形式在過去如何適應全球變暖，對人類應對未來的全球變暖十分重要。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原文出處：
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences DOI： 10.1098/rspb.2011.0729
Intercontinental dispersal of giant thermophilic ants across the Arctic during early Eocene hyperthermals
Archibald, S. Bruce; Johnson, Kirk R.; Mathewes, Rolf W.; Greenwood, David R.
Early Eocene land bridges allowed numerous plant and animal species to cross between Europe and North America via the Arctic.While many species suited to prevailing cool Arctic climates would have been able to cross throughout much of this period,others would have found dispersal opportunities only during limited intervals when their requirements for higher temperatureswere met. Here, we present Titanomyrma lubei gen. et sp. nov. from Wyoming, USA, a new giant (greater than 5 cm long) formiciine ant from the early Eocene (approx. 49.5Ma) Green River Formation. We show that the extinct ant subfamily Formiciinae is only known from localities with an estimatedmean annual temperature of about 20°C or greater, consistent with the tropical ranges of almost all of the largest livingant species. This is, to our knowledge, the first known formiciine of gigantic size in the Western Hemisphere and the firstreported cross-Arctic dispersal by a thermophilic insect group. This implies intercontinental migration during one or morebrief high-temperature episodes (hyperthermals) sometime between the latest Palaeocene establishment of intercontinental landconnections and the presence of giant formiciines in Europe and North America by the early middle Eocene.
