title: Community assembly inNothobranchiusannual fishes: Nested patterns, environmental niche and biogeographic history.
abstract: The assembly of local communities from regional species pools is shaped by historical aspects of distribution, environmental conditions, and biotic interactions. We studied local community assembly patterns in African annual killifishes of the genusNothobranchius(Cyprinodontiformes), investigating data from 168 communities across the entire range of regionally co-existing species.Nothobranchiusare small fishes associated with annually desiccating pools. We detected a nested pattern of local communities in one region (Southern Mozambique, withNothobranchius furzerias the core and dominant species), but no nestedness was found in the second region (Central Mozambique, withNothobranchius orthonotusbeing the dominant species). A checkerboard pattern of localNothobranchiuscommunity assembly was demonstrated in both regions. Multivariate environmental niche modeling revealed moderate differences in environmental niche occupancy between three monophyletic clades that largely co-occurred geographically and greater differences between strictly allopatric species within the clades. Most variation among species was observed along an altitudinal gradient;N. furzeriandNothobranchius kadleciwere absent from coastal plains,Nothobranchius pienaari,Nothobranchius rachovii, andNothobranchius krysanoviwere associated with lower altitude andN. orthonotuswas intermediate and geographically most widespread species. We discuss implications for ecological and evolutionary research in this taxon.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Vertebrate Biology Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Brno Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-9306-0074
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reichard
authors.affiliation: Institute of Vertebrate Biology Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Brno Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Michal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Janáč
authors.affiliation: Institute of Vertebrate Biology Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Brno Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Matej
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Polačik
authors.affiliation: Institute of Vertebrate Biology Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Brno Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Radim
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Blažek
authors.affiliation: Institute of Vertebrate Biology Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Brno Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Milan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vrtílek
keywords: Africa; altitudinal gradient; checkerboard pattern; dispersal; ephemeral pools; temporary water body