Large-scale distribution analysis of Antarctic echinoids using ecological niche modelling
- 30 August 2012
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Inter-Research Science Center in Marine Ecology Progress Series
- Vol. 463, 215-230
- https://doi.org/10.3354/meps09842
Abstract
Understanding the factors that determine the distribution of taxa at various spatial scales is a crucial challenge in the context of global climate change. This holds particularly true for polar marine biota that are composed of both highly adapted and vulnerable faunas. We analysed the distribution of 2 Antarctic echinoid species, Sterechinus antarcticus and S. neumayeri, at the scale of the entire Southern Ocean using 2 niche modelling procedures. The performance of distribution models was tested with regard to the known ecology of the species. The respective contributions of environmental parameters are discussed along with the putative roles played by biotic interactions and biogeographic processes. Depth was the parameter that contributed most to both distribution models, whereas sea ice coverage and sea surface temperature had significant contributions for S. neumayeri only. Suitability maps of the 2 species were mostly similar, with a few notable differences. The Campbell Plateau and Tasmania were predicted as suitable areas for S. antarcticus only, while S. neumayeri was restricted to the south of the Ant arctic Polar Front. However, numerous sampling data attest that S. antarcticus is absent from the Campbell Plateau and from Tasmania. Different hypotheses are formulated to explain the mismatch between observed and modelled distribution data. They stress the putative roles played by both oceanographic barriers to dispersal (Antarctic Polar Front), biotic factors (species exclusion patterns) and biogeographic processes (ongoing dispersal).Keywords
This publication has 53 references indexed in Scilit:
- Evolutionary pathways among shallow and deep-sea echinoids of the genus Sterechinus in the Southern OceanDeep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, 2011
- The Mediterranean Sea as a ‘cul‐de‐sac’ for endemic fishes facing climate changeGlobal Change Biology, 2010
- Sedimentary patterns in the late Quaternary Southern OceanDeep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, 2007
- First insights into the biodiversity and biogeography of the Southern Ocean deep seaNature, 2007
- A comparative evaluation of presence‐only methods for modelling species distributionDiversity and Distributions, 2007
- Broad-scale factors influencing the biodiversity of coastal benthic communities of the Ross SeaDeep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, 2006
- Climate-dependent evolution of Antarctic ectotherms: An integrative analysisDeep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, 2006
- Evolutionary versus ecological success in Antarctic benthic invertebratesTrends in Ecology & Evolution, 2002
- Molecular zoogeography of Antarctic euphausiids and notothenioids: from species phylogenies to intraspecific patterns of genetic variationAntarctic Science, 2000
- The GARP modelling system: problems and solutions to automated spatial predictionInternational Journal of Geographical Information Science, 1999