title: Patterns of species range evolution in Indo-Pacific reef assemblages reveal the Coral Triangle as a net source of transoceanic diversity.
abstract: The Coral Triangle in the Indo-Pacific is a region renowned for exceptional marine biodiversity. The area could have acted as a 'centre of origin' where speciation has been prolific or a 'centre of survival' by providing refuge during major environmental shifts such as sea-level changes. The region could also have acted as a 'centre of accumulation' for species with origins outside of the Coral Triangle, owing to it being at a central position between the Indian and Pacific oceans. Here, we investigated support for these hypotheses using population-level DNA sequence-based reconstructions of the range evolution of 45 species (314 populations) of Indo-Pacific reef-associated organisms. Our results show that populations undergoing the most ancient establishment were significantly more likely to be closer to the centre of the Coral Triangle than to peripheral locations. The data are consistent with the Coral Triangle being a net source of coral-reef biodiversity for the Indo-Pacific region, suggesting that the region has acted primarily as a centre of survival, a centre of origin or both. These results provide evidence of how a key location can influence the large-scale distributions of biodiversity over evolutionary timescales.
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK.
authors.forename: Sean M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: McKenna
authors.affiliation: Biosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK.
authors.forename: Stephen D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Simpson
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK Centre for Marine Biodiversity, Exploitation and Conservation (MARBEC), Université de Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Ifremer, Place Eugène Bataillon 34095 Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tournois
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK m.genner@bristol.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Martin J
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-1117-9168
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Genner
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D005075:Biological Evolution; D057231:Climate Change; D003198:Computer Simulation; D057894:Coral Reefs; D005399:Fishes / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D019156:Indian Ocean; D007448:Invertebrates / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D010140:Pacific Ocean; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
keywords: Bayesian skyline plot; biogeography; climate change; coral reef; species distributions