Zoogeography of the S an A ndreas F ault system: G reat P acific F racture Z ones correspond with spatially concordant phylogeographic boundaries in western N orth A merica

The purpose of this article is to provide an ultimate tectonic explanation for several well‐studied zoogeographic boundaries along the west coast of N orth A merica, specifically, along the boundary of the N orth A merican and P acific plates (the S an A ndreas F ault system). By reviewing 177 references from the plate tectonics and zoogeography literature, I demonstrate that four G reat P acific F racture Z ones ( GPFZs ) in the P acific plate correspond with distributional limits and spatially concordant phylogeographic breaks for a wide variety of marine and terrestrial animals, including invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. These boundaries are: (1) C ape M endocino and the N orth C oast D ivide, (2) P oint C onception and the T ransverse R anges, (3) P unta E ugenia and the V izcaíno D esert, and (4) C abo C orrientes and the S ierra T ransvolcanica. However, discussion of the GPFZs is mostly absent from the zoogeography and phylogeography literature likely due to a disconnect between biologists and geologists. I argue that the four zoogeographic boundaries reviewed here ultimately originated via the same geological process (triple junction evolution). Finally, I suggest how a comparative phylogeographic approach can be used to test the hypothesis presented here.