Data from: Biological evidence supports an early and complex emergence of the Isthmus of Panama

The formation of the Isthmus of Panama, which linked North and South America, is key to understanding the biodiversity, oceanography, atmosphere, and climate in the region. Despite its importance across multiple disciplines, the timing of formation and emergence of the Isthmus and the biological patterns it created have been controversial. Here, we analyze molecular and fossil data, including terrestrial and marine organisms, to show that biotic migrations across the Isthmus of Panama began several million years earlier than commonly assumed. An earlier evolution of the Isthmus has broad implications for the mechanisms driving global climate (e.g., Pleistocene glaciations, thermohaline circulation) as well as the rich biodiversity of the Americas.

连接南北美洲的巴拿马地峡（Isthmus of Panama）的形成，是解析该区域生物多样性、海洋学、大气环境与气候特征的核心关键。尽管该构造在多学科领域均具有重要价值，但巴拿马地峡的形成与隆起时间，以及其催生的生物分布格局，长期以来始终存在学术争议。本研究通过分析涵盖陆生与海洋生物在内的分子及化石数据，证实跨巴拿马地峡的生物迁移活动起始时间，较学界普遍认知的结果早数百万年。巴拿马地峡的更早形成，对驱动全球气候的相关机制（如更新世冰期、温盐环流）以及美洲地区丰富的生物多样性，均具有深远的研究意义。