Beta diversity facets of Amazonian fishes are explained by dispersal
limitation, environmental filtering and historical contingencies
Céline Jézéquel
Unité Biologie des organismes et écosystèmes aquatiques (BOREA), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Sorbonne Université, Université de Caen Normandie, Université des Antilles, CNRS, IRD, CP 26, 57 rue Cuvier 75005 Paris, France
Author ProfileBernard Hugueny
Unité Biologie des organismes et écosystèmes aquatiques (BOREA), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Sorbonne Université, Université de Caen Normandie, Université des Antilles, CNRS, IRD, CP 26, 57 rue Cuvier 75005 Paris, France
Author ProfileAbstract
Identifying the main taxonomic, phylogenetic and trait dimensions of
beta diversity, and evaluating their prospective drivers, advances our
understanding of patterns and processes involved in the evolution of
biological assemblages. Using comprehensive databases on the
distribution, phylogeny, and morphological traits (later referred as
functional traits) of Amazonian freshwater fishes, we analyzed beta
diversity patterns of these three dimensions to evaluate prospective
historical and contemporary drivers. We mostly focused on the pure
turnover components of these three beta diversity dimensions (Taxoβsim,
Phyloβsim, Traitβsim) and related them to Amazon Basin-wide predictors
using multiple regression on distance matrices. We found mean taxonomic
beta diversity about two times higher than mean phylogenetic and six
times higher than species traits beta diversity, and coincident spatial
patterns in Taxoβsim and Phyloβsim dimensions, whereas Traitβsim seemed
more diffuse and heterogeneous across space. Our models revealed the
prominent influence of sub-basins geographic distances, habitat
harshness and water color types on the taxonomic and phylogenetic
dimensions of beta diversity, together with smaller individual effects
of current temperature and habitat types, historical sub-basins
connections and marine incursions, and sampling effort. By contrast,
Traitβsim was weakly explained only by sampling effort and current
sub-basins hydro-morphological conditions. These results point to
leading effects of dispersal limitation, environmental filtering and
historical contingencies in explaining Amazonian fish assemblages
taxonomic and phylogenetic beta diversity patterns, but not functional
traits turnover.