Adult and larval traits as determinants of geographic range size among tropical reef fishes
| Type | Article | ||||||||
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| Date | 2013-10 | ||||||||
| Language | English | ||||||||
| Author(s) | Luiz Osmar J.1, Allen Andrew P.1, Robertson D. Ross2, Floeter Sergio R.3, Kulbicki Michel4, Vigliola Laurent5, Becheler Ronan6, Madin Joshua S.1 | ||||||||
| Affiliation(s) | 1 : Macquarie Univ, Dept Biol Sci, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia. 2 : Smithsonian Trop Res Inst, Balboa, Panama. 3 : Univ Fed Santa Catarina, Dept Ecol & Zool, BR-88040900 Florianopolis, SC, Brazil. 4 : Inst Rech Dev UR227 CoReUs, LABEX Lab Excellence Arago, F-66651 Banyuls Sur Mer, France. 5 : Inst Rech Dev UR227 CoReUs, LABEX Lab Excellence Recifs Coralliens, Noumea 98848, New Caledonia. 6 : IFREMER, Lab Environm Profond, F-29280 Plouzane, France. |
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| Source | Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America (0027-8424) (Natl Acad Sciences), 2013-10 , Vol. 110 , N. 41 , P. 16498-16502 | ||||||||
| DOI | 10.1073/pnas.1304074110 | ||||||||
| WOS© Times Cited | 122 | ||||||||
| Keyword(s) | macroecology, marine dispersal, colonization | ||||||||
| Abstract | Most marine organisms disperse via ocean currents as larvae, so it is often assumed that larval-stage duration is the primary determinant of geographic range size. However, empirical tests of this relationship have yielded mixed results, and alternative hypotheses have rarely been considered. Here we assess the relative influence of adult and larval-traits on geographic range size using a global dataset encompassing 590 species of tropical reef fishes in 47 families, the largest compilation of such data to date for any marine group. We analyze this database using linear mixed-effect models to control for phylogeny and geographical limits on range size. Our analysis indicates that three adult traits likely to affect the capacity of new colonizers to survive and establish reproductive populations (body size, schooling behavior, and nocturnal activity) are equal or better predictors of geographic range size than pelagic larval duration. We conclude that adult life-history traits that affect the postdispersal persistence of new populations are primary determinants of successful range extension and, consequently, of geographic range size among tropical reef fishes. | ||||||||
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