Data from 'Planktivores as trophic drivers of global coral reef fish diversity patterns'

Datasets and scripts generated in the paper 'Planktivores as trophic drivers of global coral reef fish diversity patterns', published in PNAS. More details can be found in the README file.
Abstract [Related Publication]: One of the most prominent features of life on Earth is the uneven number of species across large spatial scales. Despite being inherently linked to energetic constraints, these gradients in species richness distribution have rarely been examined from a trophic perspective. Here we dissect the global diversity of over 3,600 coral reef fishes to reveal patterns across major trophic groups. By analyzing multiple nested spatial scales, we show that planktivores contribute disproportionally to the formation of the Indo-Australian Archipelago (IAA) marine biodiversity hotspot. Besides being “hotter” at the hotspot, planktivorous fishes display the steepest decline in species numbers with distance from the IAA when compared to other trophic groups. Surprisingly, we did not detect differences in diversification, transition, and dispersal rates in extant species phylogenies that would explain this remarkable gradient in planktivorous fish richness. Thus, we identify two potential complementary drivers for this pattern. First, exceptional levels of partitioning among planktivorous coral reef fishes were driven by temporally stable oceanographic conditions and abundant planktonic resources in the IAA. Second, extinctions of planktivores outside the IAA have been particularly pronounced during Quaternary climate fluctuations. Overall, our results highlight trophic ecology as an important component of global species richness gradients.
Software/equipment used to create/collect the data: R scripts
Software/equipment used to manipulate/analyse the data: R scripts

本数据集与代码生成自发表于《美国国家科学院院刊》（PNAS）的论文《浮游食性鱼类作为全球珊瑚礁鱼类多样性格局的营养驱动因子》，更多细节可参见README文件。
【相关论文摘要】：地球上生命最显著的特征之一，便是大型空间尺度下物种数量的不均一分布。尽管物种丰富度分布的这类梯度格局本质上与能量限制存在关联，但此前极少从营养生态学视角对其展开研究。本研究对全球超过3600种珊瑚礁鱼类的多样性进行拆解分析，以揭示主要营养类群的多样性格局。通过对多层嵌套空间尺度的分析，我们发现浮游食性鱼类对印度-澳大利亚群岛（Indo-Australian Archipelago, IAA）这一海洋生物多样性热点区域的形成贡献远超预期。相较于其他营养类群，浮游食性鱼类不仅在该热点区域的物种丰富度更高，且随着与IAA的距离增加，其物种数量的下降幅度最为显著。令人意外的是，我们在现存物种的系统发育树中未检测到能够解释浮游食性鱼类丰富度这一显著梯度的分化、演化过渡以及扩散速率差异。据此，我们提出了该格局的两类潜在互补驱动因子：其一，印度-澳大利亚群岛区域长期稳定的海洋环境条件与充足的浮游生物资源，驱动了浮游食性珊瑚礁鱼类间极高的生态位分化水平；其二，在第四纪气候波动期间，IAA以外区域的浮游食性鱼类灭绝事件尤为剧烈。总体而言，本研究结果表明，营养生态学是全球物种丰富度梯度格局的重要影响因素。
用于创建/收集数据的软件/设备：R脚本
用于处理/分析数据的软件/设备：R脚本