Global-scale latitudinal patterns of species diversity in the deep-sea benthos

Rex, Michael A.; Stuart, Carol T.; Hessler, Robert R.; Allen, J. A.; Sanders, Howard L.; Wilson, George

doi:10.1038/365636a0

Cited by 378 publications

(301 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…1). For these three taxa, HЈ is very highly correlated (r ϭ 0.902-0.951, P Ͻ 0.001) with E(S n ), the diversity measure most frequently applied in deep-sea ecology and the one originally used to reveal latitudinal patterns (9). Fig.…”

Section: Latitudinal Species Diversity Gradients (Lsdgs) In the Northernmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…In the Northern Hemisphere, these poleward declines in diversity are well known for the biotas of terrestrial (5), fresh-water (6), coastal-marine (7), and open-ocean pelagic (8) environments. Recently, LSDGs were discovered in the deep sea (9)(10)(11)(12), an environment long considered to be uniform throughout and insulated from the global climatic gradients that ultimately appear to shape major biogeographic patterns in surface ecosystems.…”

Section: Latitudinal Species Diversity Gradients (Lsdgs) In the Northernmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The information can be partitioned among geographic axes such as depth and latitude (9,22) and among ecological variables in a way that more realistically matches the scales of evolutionary and ecological mechanisms to variation in species diversity (23). Because communities appear to show high variation in diversity on all scales (e.g., Fig.…”

Section: Latitudinal Species Diversity Gradients (Lsdgs) In the Northernmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Latitudinal gradients of species richness in the deep-sea benthos of the North Atlantic

Rex

Stuart

Coyne

2000

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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167

127

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Latitudinal species diversity gradients (LSDGs) in the NorthernHemisphere are the most well established biogeographic patterns on Earth. Despite long-standing interest in LSDGs as a central problem in ecology, their explanation remains uncertain. In terrestrial as well as coastal and pelagic marine ecosystems, these poleward declines in diversity typically have been represented and interpreted in terms of species richness, the number of coexisting species. Newly discovered LSDGs in the bathyal (500 -4,000 m) benthos of the North Atlantic may help to resolve the underlying causes of these large-scale trends because the deep sea is such a physically distinct environment. However, a major problem in comparing surface and deep-sea LSDGs is that the latter have been measured differently, by using species diversity indices that are affected by both species richness and the evenness of relative abundance. Here, we demonstrate that deep-sea isopods, gastropods, and bivalves in the North Atlantic do exhibit poleward decreases in species richness, just as those found in other environments. A comprehensive systematic revision of the largest deepsea gastropod family (Turridae) has provided a unique database on geographic distributions that is directly comparable to those used to document LSDGs in surface biotas. This taxon also shows a poleward decline in the number of species. Seasonal organic enrichment from sinking phytodetritus is the most plausible ecological explanation for deep-sea LSDGs and is the environmental factor most consistently associated with depressed diversity in a variety of bathyal habitats. N ew theoretical perspectives on large-scale biogeographic phenomena (1, 2) and the global biodiversity crisis (3, 4) have refocused the attention of ecologists on one of the most conspicuous and still perplexing patterns in nature-latitudinal species diversity gradients (LSDGs). In the Northern Hemisphere, these poleward declines in diversity are well known for the biotas of terrestrial (5), fresh-water (6), coastal-marine (7), and open-ocean pelagic (8) environments. Recently, LSDGs were discovered in the deep sea (9-12), an environment long considered to be uniform throughout and insulated from the global climatic gradients that ultimately appear to shape major biogeographic patterns in surface ecosystems.An important difficulty in comparing deep-sea and surface LSDGs is that fundamentally different methods have been used to assess species diversity. In terrestrial and shallow marine habitats, patterns of diversity traditionally have been measured in terms of species richness, the number of coexisting species per unit area or within a latitudinal band, compiled from distributional maps of individual species. This approach is possible because the long history of exploration and taxonomic research in these accessible environments has permitted reasonably accurate descriptions of species' ranges. In contrast, large-scale patterns of community structure in the deep sea have been detected by deploying remote sampling ...

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Section: Latitudinal Species Diversity Gradients (Lsdgs) In the Northernmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Latitudinal Species Diversity Gradients (Lsdgs) In the Northernmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Latitudinal Species Diversity Gradients (Lsdgs) In the Northernmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Latitudinal gradients of species richness in the deep-sea benthos of the North Atlantic

Rex

Stuart

Coyne

2000

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

Self Cite

167

127

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“…foraminiferans (Culver & Buzas 2000) or marine macrobenthos (Rex et al 1993, Gray 2002. Nevertheless, comprehensive meta-analysis does not show any consistent differences between hemispheres, despite some variations among the oceans (Hillebrand 2004).…”

Section: Resale or Republication Not Permitted Without Written Consenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Broad-scale patterns in local diversity of marine benthic harpacticoid copepods (Crustacea)

Azovsky¹,

Garlitska²,

Chertoprud³

2012

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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The α and β diversity of benthic harpacticoids were estimated using 103 published datasets from all over the world, with depths ranging from the intertidal zone to 5600 m. α diversity (expected number of species per 100 individuals) was correlated with organic matter flux to the bottom, and this effect was depth-dependent, with the correlation being negative from the shallowest waters up to 33 m and positive in deeper waters. α diversity was also positively correlated with depth itself and depended on the sediment properties and duration of study, but showed no latitudinal trend. β diversity (estimated as the slope of the species accumulation curve) was negatively correlated with latitude and positively correlated with the spatial extent and depth range of sampling. The effect of latitude and extent was mainly pronounced for the intertidal zone, whereas the depth range was the most significant factor in the deep waters. Additionally, β diversity was higher on sands and mixed sediments than on silt or mud. Latitude explained 45% of the β diversity variation in the littoral zone, 18% in the upper sublittoral, and less than 5% in deeper zones. Thus, α and β diversity act as independent and spatially uncorrelated components of overall regional diversity, driven by different mechanisms. Variations in β diversity presumably reflect spatial heterogeneity and form the latitudinal gradient in the shallowest waters. Deeper, trophic conditions play the leading role, and thus α diversity contributes the major proportion of the total diversity variance there and is responsible for the bathymetric gradient.KEY WORDS: Harpacticoida · α diversity · β diversity · Latitude · Depth · Productivity Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherMar Ecol Prog Ser 460: [63][64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71][72][73][74][75][76][77] 2012 the equator has been observed for some groups, e.g. foraminiferans (Culver & Buzas 2000) or marine macrobenthos (Rex et al. 1993, Gray 2002. Nevertheless, comprehensive meta-analysis does not show any consistent differences between hemispheres, despite some variations among the oceans (Hillebrand 2004). The strength of the gradient varies systematically with body mass across organism groups, generally decreasing or even vanishing for the smallest organisms (Hillebrand & Azovsky 2001, Hillebrand 2004. For macrofauna, latitudinal patterns are not identical, however. Some of regional studies have failed to detect this pattern (e.g. peaks in diversity at midlatitude in both Atlantic and Pacific gastropods, Roy et al. 1998); or even showed regionally opposite trends (Renaud et al. 2009 and references therein). It is unclear whether these differences are caused by regional peculiarities or by the restricted geographical range of stations sampled (Renaud et al. 2009). Furthermore, regional diversity shows consistently stronger and steeper latitudinal gradients than local (α) diversity (Clarke & Lidgard 2000, Hillebrand 2004, thus posing the question of systematic varia...

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“…woody plants: Currie & Paquin 1987;birds and butterflies: Cardillo 1999; marine fishes and invertebrates: Rex et al 1993;Macpherson 2002). Although not universal (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental causes for plant biodiversity gradients

Davies

Barraclough

Savolainen

et al. 2004

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B

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One of the most pervasive patterns observed in biodiversity studies is the tendency for species richness to decline towards the poles. One possible explanation is that high levels of environmental energy promote higher species richness nearer the equator. Energy input may set a limit to the number of species that can coexist in an area or alternatively may influence evolutionary rates. Within flowering plants (angiosperms), families exposed to a high energy load tend to be both more species rich and possess faster evolutionary rates, although there is no evidence that one drives the other. Specific environmental effects are likely to vary among lineages, reflecting the interaction between biological traits and environmental conditions in which they are found. One example of this is demonstrated by the high species richness of the iris family (Iridaceae) in the Cape of South Africa, a likely product of biological traits associated with reproductive isolation and the steep ecological and climatic gradients of the region. Within any set of conditions some lineages will tend to be favoured over others; however, the identity of these lineages will fluctuate with a changing environment, explaining the highly labile nature of diversification rates observed among major lineages of flowering plants.

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Global-scale latitudinal patterns of species diversity in the deep-sea benthos

Cited by 378 publications

References 29 publications

Latitudinal gradients of species richness in the deep-sea benthos of the North Atlantic

Latitudinal gradients of species richness in the deep-sea benthos of the North Atlantic

Broad-scale patterns in local diversity of marine benthic harpacticoid copepods (Crustacea)

Environmental causes for plant biodiversity gradients

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