Taxonomic and functional richness of fish in temperate and tropical reefs of the Mexican Pacific

Taxonomic and functional diversity patterns of fish in temperate reefs in the Mexican Pacific have not been analyzed in integrative biodiversity studies. Thus, this study compared the taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity of reef fish in 4 biogeographic provinces: Californian, Cortez, P...

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Main Authors: Rebeca Torres-García, Georgina Ramírez-Ortiz, Estefani De León-Siller, Rodrigo Beas-Luna, Julio Lorda, Luis Malpica-Cruz, Manuel Velasco-Lozano
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universidad Autónoma de Baja California 2025-06-01
Series:Ciencias Marinas
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Online Access:https://cienciasmarinas.com.mx/index.php/cmarinas/article/view/3512
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author Rebeca Torres-García
Georgina Ramírez-Ortiz
Estefani De León-Siller
Rodrigo Beas-Luna
Julio Lorda
Luis Malpica-Cruz
Manuel Velasco-Lozano
author_facet Rebeca Torres-García
Georgina Ramírez-Ortiz
Estefani De León-Siller
Rodrigo Beas-Luna
Julio Lorda
Luis Malpica-Cruz
Manuel Velasco-Lozano
author_sort Rebeca Torres-García
collection DOAJ
description Taxonomic and functional diversity patterns of fish in temperate reefs in the Mexican Pacific have not been analyzed in integrative biodiversity studies. Thus, this study compared the taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity of reef fish in 4 biogeographic provinces: Californian, Cortez, Panamic, and Oceanic Islands. Species checklists were compiled from the literature, museum collections, and monitoring data from 21 sites in marine protected areas (MPAs) and 45 non-protected sites. Based on this data and 6 biological traits (size, mobility, period of activity, gregariousness, position in the water column, and diet), we calculated species richness (S), average taxonomic distinctness (Δ+), number of functional entities (FE), functional redundancy (RED), functional vulnerability (FV), and functional volume (FVol). We registered 1,045 species; the dominant categories were benthic, highly site-attached, diurnal, solitary, medium-sized, and invertivores. The Cortez province showed the highest S and FE values, whereas the Californian province presented the lowest values. Notably, FVol was >70% across the 4 biogeographic provinces, suggesting that the range of ecological functions and processes was maintained across provinces despite their contrasting biodiversity levels, environmental conditions, and evolutionary histories. A “regional backbone” was identified, consisting of 74 species and 58 FE (the fundamental species and shared ecological roles across provinces). At the regional level, low RED (<3 species·FE–1) and high FV (>55% of FEs represented by a single species) were observed. All provinces presented high values of Δ+ (>80%), reflecting the broad range of taxonomic lineages within the region. The MPAs presented higher S and RED than non-protected sites; however, further research is needed to elucidate the positive effects of protection.
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spelling doaj-art-309e34fae2c34272a0a8a2ef099d48b62025-08-20T03:22:42ZengUniversidad Autónoma de Baja CaliforniaCiencias Marinas0185-38802395-90532025-06-01501B10.7773/cm.y2025.3512Taxonomic and functional richness of fish in temperate and tropical reefs of the Mexican PacificRebeca Torres-García0Georgina Ramírez-Ortiz1Estefani De León-Siller2Rodrigo Beas-Luna3Julio Lorda4Luis Malpica-Cruz5Manuel Velasco-Lozano6Facultad de Estudios Superiores Zaragoza, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 09230 Ciudad de México, Mexico & Laboratorio de Ecología Funcional & Conservación Marina, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Unidad Mazatlán, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 82040 Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico.Laboratorio de Ecología Funcional & Conservación Marina, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Unidad Mazatlán, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 82040 Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico.Laboratorio de Ecología Funcional & Conservación Marina, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Unidad Mazatlán, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 82040 Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico & Departamento de Suelos, Universidad Autónoma Chapingo, 56264 Texcoco, Estado de México, Mexico.Facultad de Ciencias Marinas, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, 22860 Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico & Laboratorio Nacional de Biología del Cambio Climático, SECIHTI, 03940 Ciudad de México, Mexico.Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, 22860 Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, 22860 Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.Laboratorio de Ecología Funcional & Conservación Marina, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Unidad Mazatlán, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 82040 Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico. Taxonomic and functional diversity patterns of fish in temperate reefs in the Mexican Pacific have not been analyzed in integrative biodiversity studies. Thus, this study compared the taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity of reef fish in 4 biogeographic provinces: Californian, Cortez, Panamic, and Oceanic Islands. Species checklists were compiled from the literature, museum collections, and monitoring data from 21 sites in marine protected areas (MPAs) and 45 non-protected sites. Based on this data and 6 biological traits (size, mobility, period of activity, gregariousness, position in the water column, and diet), we calculated species richness (S), average taxonomic distinctness (Δ+), number of functional entities (FE), functional redundancy (RED), functional vulnerability (FV), and functional volume (FVol). We registered 1,045 species; the dominant categories were benthic, highly site-attached, diurnal, solitary, medium-sized, and invertivores. The Cortez province showed the highest S and FE values, whereas the Californian province presented the lowest values. Notably, FVol was >70% across the 4 biogeographic provinces, suggesting that the range of ecological functions and processes was maintained across provinces despite their contrasting biodiversity levels, environmental conditions, and evolutionary histories. A “regional backbone” was identified, consisting of 74 species and 58 FE (the fundamental species and shared ecological roles across provinces). At the regional level, low RED (<3 species·FE–1) and high FV (>55% of FEs represented by a single species) were observed. All provinces presented high values of Δ+ (>80%), reflecting the broad range of taxonomic lineages within the region. The MPAs presented higher S and RED than non-protected sites; however, further research is needed to elucidate the positive effects of protection. https://cienciasmarinas.com.mx/index.php/cmarinas/article/view/3512Marine protected areasMarine ecosystemsIchthyofaunaBiogeographic patternsBiological traits
spellingShingle Rebeca Torres-García
Georgina Ramírez-Ortiz
Estefani De León-Siller
Rodrigo Beas-Luna
Julio Lorda
Luis Malpica-Cruz
Manuel Velasco-Lozano
Taxonomic and functional richness of fish in temperate and tropical reefs of the Mexican Pacific
Ciencias Marinas
Marine protected areas
Marine ecosystems
Ichthyofauna
Biogeographic patterns
Biological traits
title Taxonomic and functional richness of fish in temperate and tropical reefs of the Mexican Pacific
title_full Taxonomic and functional richness of fish in temperate and tropical reefs of the Mexican Pacific
title_fullStr Taxonomic and functional richness of fish in temperate and tropical reefs of the Mexican Pacific
title_full_unstemmed Taxonomic and functional richness of fish in temperate and tropical reefs of the Mexican Pacific
title_short Taxonomic and functional richness of fish in temperate and tropical reefs of the Mexican Pacific
title_sort taxonomic and functional richness of fish in temperate and tropical reefs of the mexican pacific
topic Marine protected areas
Marine ecosystems
Ichthyofauna
Biogeographic patterns
Biological traits
url https://cienciasmarinas.com.mx/index.php/cmarinas/article/view/3512
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