The present-day distribution and demographic patterns of marine fish are largely affected by past geological and climatic changes that occurred either till the Pleistocene or because of human-induced constructions and canals that facilitated species to reach novel environments not conceivable few centuries ago. For example, in the Atlantic the last glacial maxima forced species to move towards the equator or to persist in peri-glacial refugia before recolonizing their current distribution range. Gene flow can be restricted by physical barriers separating fish populations and numerous phylogeographic studies have tried to elucidate the processes shaping species contemporary geographical ranges. Most studies have shown that marine species exhibit a level of population genetic subdivision often better explained by historical, geological, or ecological and oceanographic factors, although genetic patterns are different in taxa with contrasting life histories.
Although sometimes deep phylogeographic breaks can be evidenced within a continuously distributed marine species even when there are no barriers to gene flow, these breaks are usually assumed to be the result of longstanding obstruction to fish dispersal. Phylogeography, i.e., studies aiming to assess the geographic distribution of genetic lineages, has facilitated to identify management units, evolutionary significant units, cryptic species, and areas of endemism. Comparative phylogeography and historical biogeography allow to significantly cluster the phylogeographic breaks and contact zones in regions of interest, and highlight these areas as important natural laboratories for further investigating the speciation process.
Nowadays, fish population genomics is expected to add a new dimension and provide higher resolution to phylogeography, allowing to study the genes that are related to recent and ongoing differentiation, and detect populations that have diverged in an ecological time scale. Furthermore, during a species range expansion marginal populations may become physiologically differentiated from the core populations, and possess adaptations which in the long term may permit them to adapt to and persist under contemporary climate change.
We expect and support original and review papers for marine species from every part of the world that point to marine biogeographic barriers and phylogeographic breaks created by oceanographic conditions (temperature, salinity, currents, gyres etc.), large river plumes, etc that affect gene flow and result in large- or small-scale evolutionary patterns. In the context of conservation planning, we look for comparative approaches to identify biodiversity and evolutionary hotspots, in which intraspecific genetic variation is assessed across multiple species and biogeographic barriers are the main drivers influencing the species’ phylogeographic structure. Furthermore, results from phylogeographic studies are expected to apply not only to questions of evolutionary significance, but to also have management applications and provide valuable advice for future research directions.
Keywords:
Genetics, phylogeography, seascape genomics, biodiversity
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
The present-day distribution and demographic patterns of marine fish are largely affected by past geological and climatic changes that occurred either till the Pleistocene or because of human-induced constructions and canals that facilitated species to reach novel environments not conceivable few centuries ago. For example, in the Atlantic the last glacial maxima forced species to move towards the equator or to persist in peri-glacial refugia before recolonizing their current distribution range. Gene flow can be restricted by physical barriers separating fish populations and numerous phylogeographic studies have tried to elucidate the processes shaping species contemporary geographical ranges. Most studies have shown that marine species exhibit a level of population genetic subdivision often better explained by historical, geological, or ecological and oceanographic factors, although genetic patterns are different in taxa with contrasting life histories.
Although sometimes deep phylogeographic breaks can be evidenced within a continuously distributed marine species even when there are no barriers to gene flow, these breaks are usually assumed to be the result of longstanding obstruction to fish dispersal. Phylogeography, i.e., studies aiming to assess the geographic distribution of genetic lineages, has facilitated to identify management units, evolutionary significant units, cryptic species, and areas of endemism. Comparative phylogeography and historical biogeography allow to significantly cluster the phylogeographic breaks and contact zones in regions of interest, and highlight these areas as important natural laboratories for further investigating the speciation process.
Nowadays, fish population genomics is expected to add a new dimension and provide higher resolution to phylogeography, allowing to study the genes that are related to recent and ongoing differentiation, and detect populations that have diverged in an ecological time scale. Furthermore, during a species range expansion marginal populations may become physiologically differentiated from the core populations, and possess adaptations which in the long term may permit them to adapt to and persist under contemporary climate change.
We expect and support original and review papers for marine species from every part of the world that point to marine biogeographic barriers and phylogeographic breaks created by oceanographic conditions (temperature, salinity, currents, gyres etc.), large river plumes, etc that affect gene flow and result in large- or small-scale evolutionary patterns. In the context of conservation planning, we look for comparative approaches to identify biodiversity and evolutionary hotspots, in which intraspecific genetic variation is assessed across multiple species and biogeographic barriers are the main drivers influencing the species’ phylogeographic structure. Furthermore, results from phylogeographic studies are expected to apply not only to questions of evolutionary significance, but to also have management applications and provide valuable advice for future research directions.
Keywords:
Genetics, phylogeography, seascape genomics, biodiversity
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.