Osmoregulatory ability predicts geographical range size in marine amniotes.

ABSTRACT: Species that are distributed over wide geographical ranges are likely to encounter a greater diversity of environmental conditions than do narrowly distributed taxa, and thus we expect a correlation between size of geographical range and breadth of physiological tolerances to abiotic challenges. That correlation could arise either because higher physiological capacity enables range expansion, or because widely distributed taxa experience more intense (but spatially variable) selection on physiological tolerances. The invasion of oceanic habitats by amniotic vertebrates provides an ideal system with which to test the predicted correlation between range size and physiological tolerances, because all three lineages that have secondarily moved into marine habitats (mammals, birds, reptiles) ex

SUBMITTER: Brischoux F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8059505 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature