Premium
Species richness in North Atlantic fish: Process concealed by pattern
Author(s) -
Gislason Henrik,
Collie Jeremy,
MacKenzie Brian R.,
Nielsen Anders,
Borges Maria de Fatima,
Bottari Teresa,
Chaves Corina,
Dolgov Andrey V.,
Dulčić Jakov,
Duplisea Daniel,
Fock Heino O.,
Gascuel Didier,
Gil de Sola Luís,
Hiddink Jan Geert,
Hofstede Remment,
Isajlović Igor,
Jonasson Jónas Páll,
Jørgensen Ole,
Kristinsson Kristján,
Marteinsdottir Gudrun,
Masski Hicham,
MatićSkoko Sanja,
Payne Mark R.,
Peharda Melita,
Reinert Jakup,
Sólmundsson Jón,
Silva Cristina,
Stefansdottir Lilja,
Velasco Francisco,
Vrgoč Nedo
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
global ecology and biogeography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.164
H-Index - 152
eISSN - 1466-8238
pISSN - 1466-822X
DOI - 10.1111/geb.13068
Subject(s) - species richness , latitude , ecology , abundance (ecology) , demersal fish , biology , environmental science , geography , fishing , geodesy
Aim Previous analyses of marine fish species richness based on presence‐absence data have shown changes with latitude and average species size, but little is known about the underlying processes. To elucidate these processes we use metabolic, neutral and descriptive statistical models to analyse how richness responds to maximum species length, fish abundance, temperature, primary production, depth, latitude and longitude, while accounting for differences in species catchability, sampling effort and mesh size. Data Results from 53,382 bottom trawl hauls representing 50 fish assemblages. Location The northern Atlantic from Nova Scotia to Guinea. Time period 1977–2013. Methods A descriptive generalized additive model was used to identify functional relationships between species richness and potential drivers, after which nonlinear estimation techniques were used to parameterize: (a) a ‘best’ fitting model of species richness built on the functional relationships, (b) an environmental model based on latitude, longitude and depth, and mechanistic models based on (c) metabolic and (d) neutral theory. Results In the ‘best’ model the number of species observed is a lognormal function of maximum species length. It increases significantly with temperature, primary production, sampling effort, and abundance, and declines with depth and, for small species, with the mesh size in the trawl. The ‘best’ model explains close to 90% of the deviance and the neutral, metabolic and environmental models 89%. In all four models, maximum species length and either temperature or latitude account for more than half of the deviance explained. Main conclusions The two mechanistic models explain the patterns in demersal fish species richness in the northern Atlantic almost equally well. A better understanding of the underlying drivers is likely to require development of dynamic mechanistic models of richness and size evolution, fit not only to extant distributions, but also to historical environmental conditions and to past speciation and extinction rates.