Biogeography has focused extensively on species identities, yet global patterns in species traits (morphological, physiological, or behavioral features) are not well known, including whether they are shaped by modern environmental conditions or by shared evolutionary history. Our global analysis of nearly 3,000 reef fish species found a consistent variety of traits across ocean basins worldwide, including a backbone of 21 trait combinations common to all oceans. At the regional scale, we found that fish assemblages in similar environments had similar trait compositions despite being separated by up to 100 degrees of latitude and hosting different species with distinct evolutionary histories. Thus, environmental conditions have likely shaped global patterns in reef fish traits regardless of geography, species identity, or evolutionary history.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	Reef Life Survey, coral reef, fish, biodiversity, functional traits, indicators
Research Division:	Biological Sciences
Research Group:	Ecology
Research Field:	Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology)
Objective Division:	Environmental Management
Objective Group:	Marine systems and management
Objective Field:	Marine biodiversity
UTAS Author:	Stuart-Smith, RD (Dr Rick Stuart-Smith)
UTAS Author:	Edgar, GJ (Professor Graham Edgar)
ID Code:	145249
Year Published:	2021
Funding Support:	Australian Research Council (FT190100599)
Web of Science® Times Cited:	3
Deposited By:	Ecology and Biodiversity
Deposited On:	2021-07-13
Last Modified:	2021-09-01
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