Is the Species Flock Concept Operational? The Antarctic Shelf Case

Type Article
Date 2013-08-02
Language English
Author(s) Lecointre Guillaume1, Ameziane Nadia2, Boisselier Marie-Catherine1, Bonillo Celine3, Busson Frederic2, Causse Romain2, Chenuil Anne4, Couloux Arnaud5, Coutanceau Jean-Pierre1, Cruaud Corinne5, D'Udekem D'Acoz Cedric6, de Ridder Chantal7, Denys Gael2, Dettai Agnes1, Duhamel Guy2, Eleaume Marc2, Feral Jean-Pierre4, Gallut Cyril1, Havermans Charlotte6, Held Christoph8, Hemery Lenaig2, Lautredou Anne-Claire1, Martin Patrick6, Ozouf-Costaz Catherine1, Pierrat Benjamin9, Pruvost Patrice2, Puillandre Nicolas1, Samadi Sarah1, Saucede Thomas9, Schubart Christoph10, David Bruno9
Affiliation(s) 1 : Museum Natl Hist Nat, UMR UPMC MNHN CNRS IRD Systemat Adaptat Evolut 71, Dept Systemat & Evolut, F-75231 Paris, France.
2 : Museum Natl Hist Nat, UMR UPMC MNHN CNRS IRD BOREA 7208, Dept Milieux & Peuplements Aquat, F-75231 Paris, France.
3 : Museum Natl Hist Nat, UMS MNHN CNRS Outils & Methodes Systemat Integrat, F-75231 Paris, France.
4 : Univ Aix Marseille 2, UMR CNRS DIMAR Diversite Evolut & Ecol Fonct Mari, F-13284 Marseille 07, France.
5 : Genoscope, Ctr Natl Sequencage, Evry, France.
6 : Royal Belgian Inst Nat Sci, Brussels, Belgium.
7 : Univ Libre Bruxelles, Biol Marine Lab, Brussels, Belgium.
8 : Alfred Wegener Inst Polar & Marine Res, Bremerhaven, Germany.
9 : Univ Bourgogne, UMR BIOGEOSCI 6282, CNRS, Dijon, France.
10 : Univ Regensburg, Inst Zool, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany.
Source Plos One (1932-6203) (Public Library Science), 2013-08-02 , Vol. 8 , N. 8 , P. 1-10
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0068787
WOS© Times Cited 46
Abstract There has been a significant body of literature on species flock definition but not so much about practical means to appraise them. We here apply the five criteria of Eastman and McCune for detecting species flocks in four taxonomic components of the benthic fauna of the Antarctic shelf: teleost fishes, crinoids (feather stars), echinoids (sea urchins) and crustacean arthropods. Practical limitations led us to prioritize the three historical criteria (endemicity, monophyly, species richness) over the two ecological ones (ecological diversity and habitat dominance). We propose a new protocol which includes an iterative fine-tuning of the monophyly and endemicity criteria in order to discover unsuspected flocks. As a result nine "full" species flocks (fulfilling the five criteria) are briefly described. Eight other flocks fit the three historical criteria but need to be further investigated from the ecological point of view (here called "core flocks"). The approach also shows that some candidate taxonomic components are no species flocks at all. The present study contradicts the paradigm that marine species flocks are rare. The hypothesis according to which the Antarctic shelf acts as a species flocks generator is supported, and the approach indicates paths for further ecological studies and may serve as a starting point to investigate the processes leading to flock-like patterning of biodiversity.
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Lecointre Guillaume, Ameziane Nadia, Boisselier Marie-Catherine, Bonillo Celine, Busson Frederic, Causse Romain, Chenuil Anne, Couloux Arnaud, Coutanceau Jean-Pierre, Cruaud Corinne, D'Udekem D'Acoz Cedric, de Ridder Chantal, Denys Gael, Dettai Agnes, Duhamel Guy, Eleaume Marc, Feral Jean-Pierre, Gallut Cyril, Havermans Charlotte, Held Christoph, Hemery Lenaig, Lautredou Anne-Claire, Martin Patrick, Ozouf-Costaz Catherine, Pierrat Benjamin, Pruvost Patrice, Puillandre Nicolas, Samadi Sarah, Saucede Thomas, Schubart Christoph, David Bruno (2013). Is the Species Flock Concept Operational? The Antarctic Shelf Case. Plos One, 8(8), 1-10. Publisher's official version : https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0068787 , Open Access version : https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00296/40754/