title: Oceanic circulation models help to predict global biogeography of pelagic yellow-bellied sea snake.
abstract: It is well recognized that most marine vertebrates, and especially tetrapods, precisely orient and actively move in apparently homogeneous oceanic environments. Here, we investigate the presumptive role of oceanic currents in biogeographic patterns observed in a secondarily marine tetrapod, the yellow-bellied sea snake (Hydrophis [Pelamis] platurus). State-of-the-art world ocean circulation models show how H. platurus, the only pelagic species of sea snake, can potentially exploit oceanic currents to disperse and maintain population mixing between localities that spread over two-thirds of the Earth's circumference. The very close association of these snakes with surface currents seems to provide a highly efficient dispersal mechanism that allowed this species to range extensively and relatively quickly well beyond the central Indo-Pacific area, the centre of origin, abundance and diversity of sea snakes. Our results further suggest that the pan-oceanic population of this species must be extraordinarily large.
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CEBC-CNRS UMR 7372, 79360 Villiers en Bois, France francois.brischoux@gmail.com.
authors.forename: François
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-5788-1326
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Brischoux
authors.affiliation: LOCEAN Laboratory, Sorbonne Universités (UPMC, Univ Paris 06)-CNRS-IRD-MNHN, 4 place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Cédric
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cotté
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-8525, USA.
authors.forename: Harvey B
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-6410-4832
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Lillywhite
authors.affiliation: South Australian Research and Development Institute (Aquatic Sciences), 2 Hamra Avenue, West Beach, Adelaide, South Australia 5024, Australia.
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bailleul
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Ecosystems, Satellite Oceanography Division, Collecte Localisation Satellites, 31520 Ramonville, France.
authors.forename: Maxime
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lalire
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Ecosystems, Satellite Oceanography Division, Collecte Localisation Satellites, 31520 Ramonville, France.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gaspar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017815:Elapidae; D009792:Oceans and Seas
keywords: Indo-Pacific oceans; biogeography; drifting; oceanic currents; sea snake