Global biogeographic structuring of tropical shallow-water brittle stars

Abstract

Aim: Biogeographic barriers emerged in the tropical oceans as continental masses moved with plate tectonics, and as the tropics contracted to lower latitudes from the late Eocene. These barriers have shaped tropical marine biodiversity. We characterize large-scale diversity patterns for tropical brittle stars and investigate the effect of biogeographic barriers on these in space and time. Location: Shallow-water (<200 m) tropical oceans. Taxon: Tropical shallow-water brittle stars (class Ophiuroidea). Methods: We integrate phylogenetic and biogeographic modelling to test and quantify the biogeographic structuring across the major ocean basins for five families of brittle stars. These are wel..