Assessing the distribution of algal biodiversity across the shelf zones of the Gulf of Mexico and adjacent waters
Gómez-Mendicuti, R.M.; Kao-Chicmul, C.A.; Ojeda-Acosta, V.M.; Pérez-López, D.S.; Leon-Deniz, L.V.; Ahuatzin Hernández, J.M. (2025). Assessing the distribution of algal biodiversity across the shelf zones of the Gulf of Mexico and adjacent waters. Regional Studies in Marine Science 91: 104543. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rsma.2025.104543
In: Regional Studies in Marine Science. Elsevier: Amsterdam. ISSN 2352-4855, meer
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| Trefwoorden |
Aquatic communities > Plankton > Phytoplankton
Endemism
Geography > Biogeography
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| Author keywords |
Regionalization; Beta diversity; Alpha diversity |
| Auteurs | | Top |
- Gómez-Mendicuti, R.M.
- Kao-Chicmul, C.A.
- Ojeda-Acosta, V.M.
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- Pérez-López, D.S.
- Leon-Deniz, L.V.
- Ahuatzin Hernández, J.M.
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| Abstract |
Algae constitute a group of autotrophic organisms that play a critical role in the functional structure of the oceans. However, research on their biodiversity distribution at a community level, considering a biogeographic scale, has been scarce in some regions, such as the Gulf of Mexico. Thus, this study aims to address this gap by analyzing the continental shelf algae of the Gulf of Mexico. Information was compiled from the GBIF, OBIS, and SNIB-CONABIO databases. Biodiversity distribution patterns were assessed by estimating the expected richness using a rarefaction method, corrected weighted endemism index, and recognizing algal assemblages. Bias due to the unequal sampling effort was also assessed. The expected richness and endemism patterns were not influenced by the sampling effort. Expected richness was homogeneous across the study area, except on the Texas-Louisiana shelf, likely due to the accessibility of coastal environments and the exclusion of the historically understudied oceanic component. Otherwise, endemism was low throughout most of the study area, which may reflect the high dispersal rate of planktonic and drifting algae. Identifying distinct assemblages allowed us to recognize a spatially structured algal community, which matched previously proposed ecoregions in the area. Our findings provide valuable information on the distributional patterns of algae in the Gulf of Mexico and contribute to establishing a biogeographic baseline for the region. Future biogeographic perspectives in the Gulf include increasing the sampling effort, addressing algae’s response to environmental variability at a regional scale, and corroborating the assemblages recognized by comparing them with other taxonomic groups. |
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