Global patterns and predictors of marine biodiversity across taxa

Abstract

Global patterns of species richness and their structuring forces have fascinated biologists since Darwin and provide critical context for contemporary studies in ecology, evolution and conservation. Anthropogenic impacts and the need for systematic conservation planning have further motivated the analysis of diversity patterns and processes at regional to global scales. Whereas land diversity patterns and their predictors are known for numerous taxa, our understanding of global marine diversity has been more limited, with recent findings revealing some striking contrasts to widely held terrestrial paradigms. Here we examine global patterns and predictors of species richness across 13 major species groups ranging from zooplankton to marine mammals. Two major patterns emerged: coastal species showed maximum diversity in the Western Pacific, whereas oceanic groups consistently peaked across broad mid-latitudinal bands in all oceans. Spatial regression analyses revealed sea surface temperature as the only environmental predictor highly related to diversity across all 13 taxa. Habitat availability and historical factors were also important for coastal species, whereas other predictors had less significance. Areas of high species richness were disproportionately concentrated in regions with medium or higher human impacts. Our findings indicate a fundamental role of temperature or kinetic energy in structuring cross-taxon marine biodiversity, and indicate that changes in ocean temperature, in conjunction with other human impacts, may ultimately rearrange the global distribution of life in the ocean.

A review of nickel toxicity to marine and estuarine tropical biota with particular reference to the South East Asian and Melanesian region

“…A further literature search was undertaken to identify the ecological importance of key taxa to the SEAM region, based on endemism and biodiversity. This was challenging due to the lack of information on biodiversity of marine and estuarine species, particularly for those relevant to SEAM (Tittensor et al 2010). Supplementary data Table 12 summarises information on the diversity and relevance of certain marine taxa to SEAM.…”

DNA Barcoding Indonesian freshwater fishes: challenges and prospects

“…[27][28][29] and that DNA barcodes might help to speed up the pace of species discovery through automated delineation of mitochondrial lineages. This approach is particularly relevant when applied to areas of exceptional diversity facing massive anthropogenic threats and as such, urgently awaiting more comprehensive assessments [1][2][3]185].…”

Latitudinal and taxonomic patterns in the feeding ecologies of fish larvae: A literature synthesis

“…From this work, it appears that there 40 could be inherent latitudinal differences in larval feeding success and the trophic role of fish 41 larvae in planktonic food webs. Such differences could be related to the well-documented 42 latitudinal differences in the magnitude and seasonality of primary production (Cushing, 1990;43 Longhurst and Pauly, 1987), fish and zooplankton diversity (Hillebrand, 2004;Rombouts et al, 44 2009;Tittensor et al, 2010), and fish spawning strategies (Johannes, 1978). There may also be 45 inclusion).…”