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February 2003
Ecology: Sources of biodiversity
Indo-West Pacific marine ecosystems support over 16% of the world's estimated 19,000 fish species. Using a database based on information from 70 locations in this region Mora et al. tackle a central question in ecology, the cause of the heterogeneous distribution of biodiversity. They identify a centre of high reef fish diversity in the Indonesian and Philippine region, and show that dispersal from this centre of origination can account for both large-scale gradients in species richness and the structure of local communities. The protection of reef fish in the Indonesian and Philippine region would therefore be an important contribution to maintaining biodiversity throughout the Indian and Pacific oceans.
Patterns and processes in reef fish diversity
CAMILO MORA, PAUL M. CHITTARO, PETER F. SALE, JACOB P. KRITZER
& STUART A. LUDSIN
Nature 421, 933–936 (2003); doi:10.1038/nature01393
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Ecology: The how and why of biodiversity
KEVIN J. GASTON
A study of reef fish in the Indian and
Pacific oceans reveals that the structures of local communities and their regional
context are intricately entwined. New species spread far from an oceanic 'hotspot'
of diversity.
Nature 421, 900–901 (2003); doi:10.1038/421900a
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