Late Cretaceous-Cenozoic history of the Lake Baikal depression and formation of its unique biodiversity

Lake Baikal's unique biodiversity, one of the planet's oldest and deepest freshwater lakes, has been shaped by dramatic environmental changes over the past 70 million years. This study reveals a strong correlation between geological transformations—such as shifts in abiotic elements—and the evolution of its biota. While some taxa emerged around 70 million years ago, the majority formed during significant environmental upheavals 4–3 million years ago, with the youngest species appearing between 1.8 and 0.15 million years ago amid superdeep lake conditions and glaciations. The research integrates geological and molecular-biological chronologies to demonstrate how abiotic changes influenced biotic assemblages, highlighting the interplay between environmental shifts and biodiversity formation.

Mats, V. D., Shcherbakov, D. Yu., & Efimova, I. M. (2011). Late Cretaceous-Cenozoic history of the Lake Baikal depression and formation of its unique biodiversity. Stratigraphy and Geological Correlation, 19(4), 404–423. https://doi.org/10.1134/s0869593811040058