scholarly journals Marine biodiversity in space and time: What tiny fossils tell

Author(s):  
Moriaki Yasuhara

Biodiversity has been changing both in space and time. For example, we have more species in the tropics and less species in the Arctic and Antarctic regions, constituting latitudinal diversity gradient, one of the patterns we can see most consistently in this complex world. We know much less regarding the biodiversity gradients with time. This is because it would require a well designed continuous monitoring program, which seldom persist beyond a few decades. But, luckily, we have remains of ancient organisms, called fossils. These are basically the only direct records of past biodiversity. 

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (12) ◽  
pp. 1447-1458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah L. Owens ◽  
Delano S. Lewis ◽  
Julian R. Dupuis ◽  
Anne-Laure Clamens ◽  
Felix A. H. Sperling ◽  
...  

PLoS Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (8) ◽  
pp. e3001368
Author(s):  
Daniel L. Rabosky

An influential hypothesis proposes that the tempo of evolution is faster in the tropics. Emerging evidence, including a study in this issue of PLOS Biology, challenges this view, raising new questions about the causes of Earth’s iconic latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG).


PLoS Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (8) ◽  
pp. e3001270
Author(s):  
Jonathan P. Drury ◽  
Julien Clavel ◽  
Joseph A. Tobias ◽  
Jonathan Rolland ◽  
Catherine Sheard ◽  
...  

The latitudinal diversity gradient is one of the most striking patterns in nature, yet its implications for morphological evolution are poorly understood. In particular, it has been proposed that an increased intensity of species interactions in tropical biota may either promote or constrain trait evolution, but which of these outcomes predominates remains uncertain. Here, we develop tools for fitting phylogenetic models of phenotypic evolution in which the impact of species interactions—namely, competition—can vary across lineages. Deploying these models on a global avian trait dataset to explore differences in trait divergence between tropical and temperate lineages, we find that the effect of latitude on the mode and tempo of morphological evolution is weak and clade- or trait dependent. Our results indicate that species interactions do not disproportionately impact morphological evolution in tropical bird families and question the validity of previously reported patterns of slower trait evolution in the tropics.


Science ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 314 (5796) ◽  
pp. 102-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Jablonski ◽  
K. Roy ◽  
J. W. Valentine

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 20140101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christy A. Hipsley ◽  
Donald B. Miles ◽  
Johannes Müller

While global variation in taxonomic diversity is strongly linked to latitude, the extent to which morphological disparity follows geographical gradients is less well known. We estimated patterns of lineage diversification, morphological disparity and rates of phenotypic evolution in the Old World lizard family Lacertidae, which displays a nearly inverse latitudinal diversity gradient with decreasing species richness towards the tropics. We found that lacertids exhibit relatively constant rates of lineage accumulation over time, although the majority of morphological variation appears to have originated during recent divergence events, resulting in increased partitioning of disparity within subclades. Among subclades, tropical arboreal taxa exhibited the fastest rates of shape change while temperate European taxa were the slowest, resulting in an inverse relationship between latitudinal diversity and rates of phenotypic evolution. This pattern demonstrates a compelling counterexample to the ecological opportunity theory of diversification, suggesting an uncoupling of the processes generating species diversity and morphological differentiation across spatial scales.


2013 ◽  
Vol 110 (26) ◽  
pp. 10487-10494 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Jablonski ◽  
C. L. Belanger ◽  
S. K. Berke ◽  
S. Huang ◽  
A. Z. Krug ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Virginie Roy ◽  
Lis Lindal Jørgensen ◽  
Philippe Archambault ◽  
Martin Blicher ◽  
Nina Denisenko ◽  
...  

Currently, > 4,000 macro- and megabenthic invertebrate species are known from Arctic seas, representing the majority of marine faunal diversity in this region. This estimate is expected to increase with future studies. Benthic invertebrates are important ecosystem components as food for fishes, marine mammals, seabirds and humans. The Benthos Expert Network of the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program (CBMP) aggregated and reviewed information on the population status and trends of macro- and megabenthic invertebrates across eight Arctic Marine Areas as well as the state of current monitoring efforts for these communities. Drivers are affecting benthic communities on a variety of scales, ranging from pan-Arctic (related to climate change, such as warming, ice decline and acidification) to regional or local scales (such as trawling, river/glacier discharge, and invasive species). Long-term benthic monitoring efforts have largely focused on macro- and megabenthic communities of the Chukchi and Barents Seas. Recently, they are increasing in waters off Greenland and Iceland, as well as in the Canadian Arctic and the Norwegian Sea. All other Arctic Marine Areas are lacking long-term monitoring. The presentation will summarize current level of knowledge and monitoring across the Arctic, drivers of observed trends, and knowledge and monitoring gaps.


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