Distributional patterns of freshwater taxa (fishes, crustaceans and plants) from the Mexican Transition Zone

Abstract

Aim To test whether distributional patterns of Neotropical freshwater taxa fit the generalized tracks already postulated for terrestrial groups occurring in the Mexican Transition Zone. Location The study units comprised 17 hydrological basins located along the Pacific coast of the Americas from Mexico to Panama, and in the Gulf of Mexico from the Papaloapan to the Grijalva–Usumacinta basin. Methods Distributional data for 22 fish species, 34 crab species of the tribe Pseudothelphusini, and 22 strictly freshwater species of angiosperms were analysed. Parsimony analysis of endemicity is based on presence/absence data of these taxa and uses the computer programs Winclada and NONA. Results Three generalized tracks were obtained: (1) Mexican North Pacific, (2) Mexican Central Pacific, and (3) Southern Mexico–Guatemala. A node resulted at the intersection of the first two tracks, coinciding with the Neovolcanic Axis in central Mexico. Main conclusions Freshwater generalized tracks with an altitudinal distribution below 1000 m, mainly including fishes and angiosperms, are close to the Tropical Mesoamerican generalized track. Generalized tracks above 1000 m, including freshwater crabs, have a stronger affinity with the Mountain Mesoamerican track. The Isthmus of Tehuantepec represents a node for the Neotropical freshwater and terrestrial biota. These results seem to indicate that common geobiotic processes have induced these patterns.

Hibernation in an Antarctic Fish: On Ice for Winter

“…Mesoamerica is one of the most complex biogeographical areas in the world [1][2][3][4][5]. This complexity reflects the confluence of Neotropical and Nearctic biotas and a long history of geological activity, stretching from the Miocene to the present, during which movements of the Cocos, North American, Pacific and Caribbean Plates [6,7] created barriers and land-bridges that have affected the distribution of freshwater fishes [8][9][10][11][12][13].…”

Endemism in historical biogeography and conservation biology: concepts and implications

“…The units used in PAE are predetermined areas of any kind, such as arbitrary operational units (van Soest, 1994), quadrats (Morrone 1994a, Linder 2001a,b, García-Barros et al 2002, Morrone and Escalante 2002, Rovito et al 2004, García-Barros, 2003, Rojas-Soto et al 2003, Vergara et al 2006, Herrera-Paniagua et al 2008, Meng et al 2008, Löwenberg-Neto and de Carvalho, 2009, Ramírez-Barahona et al 2009), islands (Bisconti et al 2001, Trejo-Torres and Ackerman 2001, Fattorini 2002, localities (Raxworthy and Nussbaum, 1996, Ron 2000, Anstey et al 2003, Ribichich, 2005, Ramírez-Arriaga and Martínez-Hernández, 2007, Gates et al 2010, Aguirre et al 2011, interfluvial regions (Silva and Oren 1996), hydrological basins (Aguilar-Aguilar et al 2003, Huidobro et al 2006, politically defined areas (Cué-Bär et al 2006, Nelson 2008, Ribeiro and Eterovic 2011, biogeographical areas (Glasby andAlvarez 1999, Vega et al 1999), predefined areas of endemism (Goldani et al 2002, Katinas et al 2004, Espinosa et al 2006, Albert and Carvalho 2011. In a few analyses, latitudinal (Morrone et al 1997…”

“…until no more species support any clade. This approach has been used, among others, by García-Barros (2003), Huidobro et al (2006), Vergara et al (2006), Corona et al (2007), Zamora-Manzur et al (2011) and, in a panbiogeographical framework, by Morrone (2010, 2013) to find nodes or composite areas as areas where different generalized tracks (corresponding to the alternative clades obtained in different analyses) overlap.…”

Regionalización biogeográfica de la mastofauna de los bosques tropicales perennifolios de Mesoamérica

“…Éstos incluyen trabajos sobre plantas (Richardson et al 2001, Novick et al 2003, artrópodos (Zeh et al 2003), peces dulceacuícolas (Perdices et al 2002, Rican et al 2008, anfibios (Weigt et al 2005, Wang et al 2008, reptiles (Zamudio & Greene 1997), mamíferos (Collins & Dubach 2000a, Collins 2004, Larsen et al 2007, así como loros (Eberhard & Bermingham 2004). Estas coincidencias parecen indicar que procesos geobióticos comunes han inducido estos patrones; sin embargo, otros estudios han demostrado una escasa diferenciación en las tierras bajas mesoamericanas, además sugieren que la especiación en estas tierras se debe más a dispersión que a vicarianza (Savage 1982, Halffter 1987, Wake et al 1992, Marshall & Liebherr 2000, Huidobro et al 2006, inclusive Köhler (2003) propone solo dos tipos de barreras efectivas para las especies de tierras bajas: los macizos montañosos y áreas de clima inusual. Por lo pronto, puede ser prematuro resumir la historia de esta compleja región en patrones biogeográficos generales, puesto que muchos investigadores apenas se encuentran en etapas preliminares de recopilar información de linajes extensos del Neotrópico.…”