Numbers of fish species, higher taxa, and phylogenetic similarity decrease with latitude and depth, and deep-sea assemblages are unique.

ABSTRACT: Species richness has been found to increase from the poles to the tropics but with a small dip near the equator over all marine fishes. Phylogenetic diversity measures offer an alternative perspective on biodiversity linked to evolutionary history. If phylogenetic diversity is standardized for species richness, then it may indicate places with relatively high genetic diversity. Latitudes and depths with both high species and phylogenetic diversity would be a priority for conservation. We compared latitudinal and depth gradients of species richness, and three measures of phylogenetic diversity, namely average phylogenetic diversity (AvPD), the sum of the higher taxonomic levels (STL) and the sum of the higher taxonomic levels divided by the number of species (STL/spp) for modelled ranges of

SUBMITTER: Lin HY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10541023 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature