Responses of coral reef fishes to past climate changes are related to life-history traits.

ABSTRACT: Coral reefs and their associated fauna are largely impacted by ongoing climate change. Unravelling species responses to past climatic variations might provide clues on the consequence of ongoing changes. Here, we tested the relationship between changes in sea surface temperature and sea levels during the Quaternary and present-day distributions of coral reef fish species. We investigated whether species-specific responses are associated with life-history traits. We collected a database of coral reef fish distribution together with life-history traits for the Indo-Pacific Ocean. We ran species distribution models (SDMs) on 3,725 tropical reef fish species using contemporary environmental factors together with a variable describing isolation from stable coral reef areas during the Quaternary

SUBMITTER: Ottimofiore E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5355194 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature