Utilization of species checklist data in revealing the spatial distribution of fish diversity |
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Authors: | Qingtian Zhang Guikun Hu |
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Institution: | Tianjin Marine Environmental Protection and Restoration Technology Engineering Center, Tianjin, China |
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Abstract: | Marine fish species checklists from six Chinese coastal waters were combined for the analysis of taxonomic diversity. The Genus-Family index (G-F index) ranged between 0.39 and 0.84, which generally indicated a decreasing trend with increasing latitude, with the exception of the southernmost area. Average taxonomic distinctness showed a slight increasing trend from northern to central study areas, but whether the taxonomic distinctness indices represent a latitudinal gradient of biodiversity requires further study. The multivariate analysis revealed a distinct latitudinal variation in fish assemblages. These results indicate that species checklist data are helpful in understanding the diversity distribution of fish species in the coastal zone. The potential of a species inventory should be exploited to fully understand biodiversity. |
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Keywords: | biodiversity latitudinal gradient species inventory taxonomic distinctness |
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