Local and regional controls of phylogenetic structure at the high-latitude range limits of corals.

摘要: Understanding how range-edge populations will respond to climate change is an urgent research priority. Here, we used a phylogenetic community ecology approach examine ecological and evolutionary processes shape biodiversity patterns of scleractinian corals at their high-latitude range limits in eastern Australia. We estimated signal seven ecologically important functional traits conducted tests structure local regional scales using the net relatedness (NRI) nearest taxon indices (NTI) for presence/absence abundance data. Regional showed light clustering, indicating that coral species found this subtropical-to-temperate transition zone are more closely related each other than on nearby, northerly Great Barrier Reef. Local revealed variable clustering overdispersion higher expected turnover among sites. In combination, these results broadly consistent with hierarchical filtering model, whereby pass through climatic filter based tolerances marginal conditions subsequently segregate into assemblages according relative strength habitat interactions. Conservatism tested suggests likely track niches change. Nevertheless, high lineages sites indicates shifts probably vary highlights vulnerability conservation significance reefs.