Abstract
The global distribution patterns of 14918 geo-referenced occurrences from 394 living brachiopod species were mapped in 5° grid cells, which enabled the visualization and delineation of distinct bioregions and biodiversity hotspots. Further investigation using cluster and network analyses allowed us to propose the first systematically and quantitatively recognized global bioregionalization framework for living brachiopods, consisting of five bioregions and thirteen bioprovinces. No single environmental or ecological variable is accountable for the newly proposed global bioregionalization patterns of living brachiopods. Instead, the combined effects of large-scale ocean gyres, climatic zonation as well as some geohistorical factors (e.g., formation of land bridges and geological recent closure of ancient seaways) are considered as the main drivers at the global scale. At the regional scale, however, the faunal composition, diversity and biogeographical differentiation appear to be mainly controlled by seawater temperature variation, regional ocean currents and coastal upwelling systems.
Highlights
As a phylum, brachiopods are a common and important component of the Phanerozoic fossil record; they were the dominant and essential elements in the marine ecosystems throughout the Palaeozoic Era (542~252 million years ago/Ma)
By comparing the recognized global brachiopod bioregionalization patterns with the distribution of world major ocean currents, climatic zones, upwelling systems and land barriers created by recent geological events, we evaluated how each of these factors might have contributed to the present-day distributional patterns of living brachiopods
A database of living brachiopod occurrences was first compiled from available literature, GBIF
Summary
Brachiopods are a common and important component of the Phanerozoic fossil record; they were the dominant and essential elements in the marine ecosystems throughout the Palaeozoic Era (542~252 million years ago/Ma). Their global abundance and ecological role were abruptly diminished by the end-Permian global mass extinction ca 252 Ma, representatives of this phylum persisted through the Mesozoic and Cenozoic till the present time, still with approximately 400 species in approximately 100 genera surviving today.
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