Fish Assemblages and Functional Groups

Whitfield, Alan K.; Able, Kenneth W.; Blaber, S. J. M.; Elliott, Michael; Franco, Anita; Harrison, Trevor D.; Potter, I. C.; Tweedley, J.R.

doi:10.1002/9781119705345.ch2

Cited by 21 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 176 publications

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“…Similarly, biologists working in estuaries recognise fish guilds based on patterns of estuary use (Potter et al ., 2015; Whitfield et al ., 2022). This includes an estuarine–freshwater guild (species that form populations in either habitat) and a freshwater estuarine–opportunist guild (species that populate estuaries under fortuitous conditions).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biogeography of Greater Antillean freshwater fishes, with a review of competing hypotheses

Massip‐Veloso,

Hoagstrom,

McMahan

et al. 2024

Biological Reviews

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In biogeography, vicariance and long‐distance dispersal are often characterised as competing scenarios. However, they are related concepts, both relying on collective geological, ecological, and phylogenetic evidence. This is illustrated by freshwater fishes, which may immigrate to islands either when freshwater connections are temporarily present and later severed (vicariance), or by unusual means when ocean gaps are crossed (long‐distance dispersal). Marine barriers have a strong filtering effect on freshwater fishes, limiting immigrants to those most capable of oceanic dispersal. The roles of vicariance and dispersal are debated for freshwater fishes of the Greater Antilles. We review three active hypotheses [Cretaceous vicariance, Greater Antilles–Aves Ridge (GAARlandia), long‐distance dispersal] and propose long‐distance dispersal to be an appropriate model due to limited support for freshwater fish use of landspans. Greater Antillean freshwater fishes have six potential source bioregions (defined from faunal similarity): Northern Gulf of México, Western Gulf of México, Maya Terrane, Chortís Block, Eastern Panamá, and Northern South America. Faunas of the Greater Antilles are composed of taxa immigrating from many of these bioregions, but there is strong compositional disharmony between island and mainland fish faunas (>90% of Antillean species are cyprinodontiforms, compared to <10% in Northern Gulf of México and Northern South America, and ≤50% elsewhere), consistent with a hypothesis of long‐distance dispersal. Ancestral‐area reconstruction analysis indicates there were 16 or 17 immigration events over the last 51 million years, 14 or 15 of these by cyprinodontiforms. Published divergence estimates and evidence available for each immigration event suggests they occurred at different times and by different pathways, possibly with rafts of vegetation discharged from rivers or washed to sea during storms. If so, ocean currents likely provide critical pathways for immigration when flowing from one landmass to another. On the other hand, currents create dispersal barriers when flowing perpendicularly between landmasses. In addition to high salinity tolerance, cyprinodontiforms collectively display a variety of adaptations that could enhance their ability to live with rafts (small body size, viviparity, low metabolism, amphibiousness, diapause, self‐fertilisation). These adaptations likely also helped immigrants establish island populations after arrival and to persist long term thereafter. Cichlids may have used a pseudo bridge (Nicaragua Rise) to reach the Greater Antilles. Gars (Lepisosteidae) may have crossed the Straits of Florida to Cuba, a relatively short crossing that is not a barrier to gene flow for several cyprinodontiform immigrants. Indeed, widespread distributions of Quaternary migrants (Cyprinodon, Gambusia, Kryptolebias), within the Greater Antilles and among neighbouring bioregions, imply that long‐distance dispersal is not necessarily inhibitory for well‐adapted species, even though it appears to be virtually impossible for all other freshwater fishes.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biogeography of Greater Antillean freshwater fishes, with a review of competing hypotheses

Massip‐Veloso,

Hoagstrom,

McMahan

et al. 2024

Biological Reviews

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“…The fish biomass in estuaries worldwide is almost invariably dominated by marine species that use these systems as nursery habitats during their juvenile life and as foraging areas by the adults of some taxa (Whitfield et al, 2022). Most species that also use coastal marine waters as nursery areas are referred to as ‘marine estuarine‐opportunists’, while the few marine species that depend entirely on estuaries as a nursery area are termed ‘marine estuarine‐dependents’ (Able, 2005; Potter, Tweedley, et al, 2015; Potter, Warwick, et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, the many species that infrequently enter estuaries from the adjacent marine environment, and which are found in low numbers in some estuaries, are termed ‘marine stragglers’ (Figure 1). In terms of species richness, the combined number of marine stragglers, marine estuarine‐opportunists and marine estuarine‐dependents in an estuary almost invariably exceeds that of estuarine and freshwater species combined (Whitfield et al, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modes of ingress by larvae and juveniles of marine fishes into estuaries: From microtidal to macrotidal systems

Whitfield

Potter

Neira³

et al. 2023

Fish and Fisheries

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We review published research on the ingress of larvae and early juveniles of marine fishes into estuaries subjected to different tidal regimes and provide perspectives on the abilities and responses of these early‐life stages to the physico‐chemical, hydrodynamic and biological drivers that facilitate such ingress. We focus on documenting ingress and the mechanisms employed by early‐stage fishes from coastal waters to enter different types of microtidal and macrotidal estuaries but also include information on ingress into mesotidal systems. Spawning localities for estuary‐associated marine fishes are assessed with respect to ontogeny of larvae and their ability to ingress estuaries during the preflexion and postflexion stages. The processes and physico‐chemical cues employed by larvae and early juveniles to locate estuaries are reviewed, with olfactory cues being recognised as especially important. Particular emphasis is directed to vertical migratory behaviours and selective tidal stream transport (STST) employed by many larvae ingressing macrotidal estuaries, contrasting with mainly passive flood‐tide entry and active swimming modes typically used by larvae and early juveniles that enter microtidal estuaries and estuarine lakes and lagoon systems.

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“…Similarly, biologists working in estuaries recognize fish guilds based on patterns of estuary use (Potter et al, 2015; Whitfield et al, 2022). This includes an estuarine-freshwater guild (species that form populations in either habitat) and a freshwater estuarine-opportunist guild (species that populate estuaries under fortuitous conditions).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biogeography of Greater Antillean freshwater fishes, with a review of competing hypotheses

Massip-Veloso,

Hoagstrom,

McMahan

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In biogeography, vicariance and long-distance dispersal are often characterized as competing scenarios. However, they are related concepts, both relying on reciprocal illumination from geological, ecological, and phylogenetic evidence. This can be illustrated for freshwater fishes, which may immigrate to islands when freshwater connections are temporarily present (vicariance), or by unusual means when oceanic gaps are crossed (long-distance dispersal). Marine barriers have a strong filtering effect, limiting immigrants to those most capable of oceanic dispersal. The roles of landspans and oceanic dispersal are being debated for freshwater fishes of the Greater Antilles. We review three active hypotheses (Cretaceous vicariance, GAARlandia, long-distance dispersal) and propose long-distance dispersal to be an appropriate null model due to a lack of reciprocal illumination for landspan hypotheses. Greater Antillean freshwater fishes have six potential source bioregions (defined from faunal similarity): Northern Gulf of México, Western Gulf of México, Maya Terrane, Chortís Block, Eastern Panamá, and Northern South America. Faunas of the Greater Antilles are composed of taxa immigrating from many of these bioregions, but there is strong compositional disharmony between island and mainland fish faunas (>90% of the species are cyprinodontiforms, compared to <10% in Northern Gulf of México and Northern South America, and ≤50% elsewhere), consistent with a hypothesis of long-distance dispersal. Ancestral area analysis indicates there were 16 or 17 immigration events over the last 51 my, 14 or 15 of these by cyprinodontiforms. Published divergence estimates and evidence available for each immigration event suggest they occurred at different times and by different pathways, possibly with rafts of vegetation discharged from rivers or washed to sea during storms. If so, ocean currents likely provide critical pathways for immigration when flowing from one landmass to another, but create dispersal barriers when flowing perpendicular between landmasses. In addition to high salinity tolerance, cyprinodontiforms (collectively) display a variety of adaptations that could enhance their ability to live with rafts (small body size, viviparity, low metabolism, amphibiousness, diapause, self-fertilization). These adaptations likely also helped immigrants establish island populations after arrival and persist long term thereafter. Cichlids may have used a pseudo bridge (Nicaragua Rise) to reach the Greater Antilles, persisting only on the largest islands (Cuba, Hispaniola). Gar (Lepisosteidae) may have crossed the Straits of Florida to Cuba, a relatively short crossing that is not a barrier to gene flow for several cyprinodontiform immigrants. Indeed, widespread distributions of Quaternary migrants (Cyprinodon,Gambusia,Kryptolebias), within the Greater Antilles and among neighbouring bioregions, imply long-distance dispersal is not necessarily inhibitory for well-adapted species, even though it appears to be virtually impossible all other freshwater fishes.

show abstract

Fish Assemblages and Functional Groups

Cited by 21 publications

References 176 publications

Biogeography of Greater Antillean freshwater fishes, with a review of competing hypotheses

Biogeography of Greater Antillean freshwater fishes, with a review of competing hypotheses

Modes of ingress by larvae and juveniles of marine fishes into estuaries: From microtidal to macrotidal systems

Biogeography of Greater Antillean freshwater fishes, with a review of competing hypotheses

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