| Presentation Detail
Macroecology Keyse, Jude [1], Riginos, Cynthia [1], Treml, Eric [2], Rhodes, Jonathan [3]. Patterns and predictors of multi-species genetic diversity in Indo-Pacific shallow water marine fauna. The shallow waters of the Indo-Pacific contain the highest concentration of tropical marine species on the planet; the region has been the focus of extensive study by biogeographers since the 19thcentury. The Indian and Pacific oceans border over 65 nations, of which 18 are classified by the UN as Least Developed Countries, with burgeoning human populations living along the coastlines. The present rate of biodiversity loss across the globe is alarming, suggesting a need to better understand the conditions favourable for generating biodiversity in such hyperdiverse regions.
The pattern of decreasing species richness of tropical marine taxa with distance from the Coral Triangle is well known and supported by data from numerous studies. A concordant pattern has been suggested in genetic diversity, with support from a few taxa, however this concordance has not been explicitly tested. In fact, little is known of the patterns and drivers of genetic diversity in the region, despite this level of diversity having important implications for the understanding of the evolutionary history and sustainable future of marine species.
Genetic diversity data is often published in studies of the phylogeography or population genetics of a single or few species. These ‘free’ data can be used to answer questions on a larger scale than the scale of their constituent parts, yet use of these data carries certain caveats. Data mining involves extensive searching and data entry, and the disparate sampling strategies of original studies result in patchy coverage. However, this technique allows meta-analytical approaches to answering some of the ‘big questions’ in marine biogeography.
This research uses a literature search to collate studies reporting genetic diversity data for marine fauna in the tropical Indo-Pacific. We combine data from 108 studies for 116 species with publicly available spatial environmental data to consider which factors are associated with patterns of genetic diversity in the region. Preliminary results indicate that multi-species genetic diversity does not show a hotspot in the Coral Triangle, as does species diversity. This suggests that, at broad scales, species and genetic diversity do not show a close positive correlation.
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1 - University of Queensland, School of Biological Sciences, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
2 - University of Melbourne, Department of Zoology, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
3 - University of Queensland, School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
Keywords:
none specified
Presentation Type: Regular Oral Presentation
Session: 159
Location: Peruvian A/Snowbird Center
Date: Tuesday, June 25th, 2013
Time: 3:45 PM
Number: 159002
Abstract ID:634
Candidate for Awards:W.D. Hamilton Award for Outstanding Student Presentation |
