Marine shelf habitat: biogeography and evolution

Abstract

We synthesize the evolutionary implications of recent advances in the fields of phylogeography, biogeography and palaeogeography for shallow-water marine species, focusing on marine speciation and the relationships among the biogeographic regions and provinces of the world. A recent revision of biogeographic provinces has resulted in the recognition of several new provinces and a re-evaluation of provincial relationships. These changes, and the information that led to them, make possible a clarification of distributional dynamics and evolutionary consequences. Most of the new conclusions pertain to biodiversity hotspots in the tropical Atlantic, tropical Indo-West Pacific, cold-temperate North Pacific, and the cold Southern Ocean. The emphasis is on the fish fauna, although comparative information on invertebrates is utilized when possible. Although marine biogeographic provinces are characterized by endemism and thus demonstrate evolutionary innovation, dominant species appear to arise within smaller centres of high species diversity and maximum interspecies competition. Species continually disperse from such centres of origin and are readily accommodated in less diverse areas. Thus, the diversity centres increase or maintain species diversity within their areas of influence, and are part of a global system responsible for the maintenance of biodiversity over much of the marine world.

Globally intertwined evolutionary history of giant barrel sponges

“…Molecular techniques have also helped to reconstruct the distributional patterns of invasive species, which have become major drivers of ecosystem change due to the increase in global shipping (Concepcion et al 2010;Teske et al 2011). Most studies that have focused on the distribution and evolution of marine species cover small spatial scales and become more useful when they are compared to more wide-ranging studies (Briggs and Bowen 2013;Cowman and Bellwood 2013a). A focus on wide-ranging studies within each marine phylum should therefore be a priority for the scientific community.…”

Redescriptions of Pterois radiata and Pterois cincta (Scorpaenidae: Pteroinae) with notes on geographic morphological variations in P. radiata

“…In the Indo-Pacific region, sister species or intraspecific distinct genetic lineages of marine organisms separately distributed in the Indian and Pacific oceans are well known (Randall 1998;Briggs and Bowen 2013;Gaither and Rocha 2013). As a result of invasions of the Pacific fauna into the eastern Indian Ocean, the Cocos Keeling and Christmas islands on the Indo-Pacific biogeographic border are known as regions of faunal overlap and hybridization between fish faunas of the Indian and Pacific oceans (Hobbs et al 2009;Gaither and Rocha 2013).…”

Discordance between nuclear and mitochondrial DNA analyses of population structure in closely related triplefin fishes (Forsterygion lapillum and F. capito, F. Tripterygiidae) supports speciation with gene flow

“…With large effective population sizes and long larval dispersal stages in marine species, together with an environment characterised by its biogeographic connectivity, significant possibilities arise for modes of speciation independent of geographical isolation Gaither et al 2015). A substantial body of recent research has investigated the processes driving population connectivity and diversification in marine reef fishes, including the potential for ecological speciation, such as in the Indo-Pacific and other tropical reef systems (Rocha et al 2005;Crow et al 2010;Briggs and Bowen 2013;Cowman and Bellwood 2013;Bowen et al 2013Bowen et al , 2014Bernardi et al 2014). Population connectivity and diversification in New Zealand reef fishes has been little studied in comparison (Jones 2013).…”