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Zoogeography
Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA Tervuren)
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Session 2007
Definition
Zoogeography
= the branch of biogeography that is concerned with
the geographic distribution of animals on earth.
© The Living Earth
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Session 2007
History
© Mary Evans Picture Library
Traveler’s tales about strange creatures to be found
elsewhere in the world are regarded as the origin of
zoogeography.
After the 18th century, exploration expanded and
became more scientific. Since this period
distributional information was regarded as an
important contribution to knowledge.
Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913)
Based on his own expeditions (Amazon River;
Malay Archipel) and his correspondence with
other scientists, he published his book ‘The
geographical distribution of animals’ in 1876.
© Library of Congress
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History
The conclusions of A.R. Wallace (1876)
« the different parts of the world support greatly different assemblages of organisms »
The different organisms are not at random distribute, but:
1.
2.
3.
Continental regions had more or less uniform biotas, but with great
discontinuities.
The biotas of some parts of the world were much more unusual
compared to other parts.
Elements of the biotas of certain continents were related to each other
more closely than they were to elements from the biotas of other
continents.
The continental regions were occupied by TYPICAL arrays of
RELATED organisms, DIFFERENT from other such regions.
Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA Tervuren)
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Session 2007
History
The conclusions of A.R. Wallace (1876)
« the different parts of the world support greatly different assemblages of organisms »
The different organisms are not at random distribute, but:
1.
2.
3.
Continental regions had more or less uniform biotas, but with great
discontinuities.
The biotas of some parts of the world were much more unusual
compared to other parts.
Elements of the biotas of certain continents were related to each other
more closely than they were to elements from the biotas of other
continents.
The continental regions were occupied by TYPICAL arrays of
RELATED organisms, DIFFERENT from other such regions.
= Zoogeographic realms
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The continental drift
Introduction
The earth and all of its contents have a very long history (it is accepted by scientists to be
around 4.5 billion years old). During this period it developed and became altered: life changed
and diversified as it descended through myriad generations since its unique origins in the
remote past, spreading across the globe as circumstances permitted.
= the process of evolutionary change and diversification.
These unique coincidences between lineage originations (branchings) and the particular parts
of the earth where they happen have a profound impact on where the descendants are found
today.
Canis lupus dingo
Placental mammals
Placental mammals
marsupials
marsupials
© Carl Buell
Thylacinus cynocephalus †
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The continental drift
Introduction
The geography of earth is not static, but moving without interruption. It has a long history,
with continents at times widely separated and at other times agglomerated into large lumps.
This process is called: CONTINENTAL DRIFT.
Alfred Wegener (1880-1930)
Alfred Wegener presented data from different
disciplines supporting the theory of
continental drift. It became part of the larger
theory of plate tectonics.
He published the results in 1915 in his book:
“Die Entstehung der Kontinente und Ozeane”
[“The origin of continents and oceans”].
© Charles J. Ammon
© www.geography-site.co.uk
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The continental drift
Plate tectonics
Plate tectonics is characterised by the way the
plates move relative to each other.
Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA Tervuren)
© Jose F. Vigil
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The continental drift
Plate tectonics
1. Divergent boundaries
Divergent boundaries exist between two tectonic plates that are
moving away from each other.
There exists a heat flow which goes from the center
of the earth to its outside. This convection causes a
heat concentration in a zone where the heated
material dilates. The heat concentration leads to a
partial fusion with the earth’s mantle which
produces magma. In the rigid part of the earth’s
mantle (lithosphere), this convection produces
forces of tension which make that two plates
diverge.
© Pierre-André Bourque (modified)
Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA Tervuren)
A part of this magma crystallizes in the lithosphere,
whereas another part is expelled on the oceanic
bottom in the form of lava and forming underwater
volcanos.
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The continental drift
Plate tectonics
2. Convergent boundaries
Convergent boundaries exist between two tectonic plates that are
moving towards one another.
I. A first type of collision is the result of convergence between two oceanic
plates. One plate subducts under the other plate forming a subduction zone.
This leads to the phenomenon of partial fusion of the absorbed plate. The
resulting magma goes up towards the surface; a part remains in the
lithosphere, but another part is expelled on the surface, producing volcanos.
II. A second type of collision is the result of convergence between an
oceanic plate and a continental plate. The denser oceanic plate subducts
under the continental plate with the same phenomenon as the first type as
consequence.
III. A third type of collision implies the convergence of two continental
plates. The force of displacement is not strong enough to subduct one of the
two plates. All the sedimentary material is compressed and raised to form a
mountain range where rocks are folded and faulted.
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The continental drift
Plate tectonics
3. Transform boundaries
Transform boundaries occur when tectonic plates slide and grind
against each other along a transform fault.
Transform boundaries correspond to great fractures which
affect all of the thickness of the lithosphere. They are
often, but not exclusively, in the oceanic lithosphere.
These faults allow to accomodate differences in movement
rate or even opposed movements between plates. A good
example is the famous San Andreas fault in California.
© Pierre-André Bourque
© NASA
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The continental drift
Plate tectonics
The great East African Rift
This is created by the crevice and
separation of the African and Arabic
plate (started about 35 million years
ago) and by the continuous separation
of eastern Africa with the rest of Africa
(started about 15 million years ago).
© USGS
© USGS
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The continental drift
The continental drift
Continental drift is the movement of
continents with respect to one another over
the earth’s surface.
Land masses on earth have been drifting around
almost since they were first formed 4 billion years
ago.
Pangea was the supercontinent during Perm, the
period just before the dinosaurs existed. It was
surrounded by a gigantic ocean, Panthalassa.
200 million years ago, Pangea broke up into 2
continents: Gondwana and Laurasia.
135 million years ago, both continents broke up into
the different continents.
© USGS
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The continental drift
The continental drift
Biological evidence for the existance of continental
drift is the present distribution of lungfishes.
Lepidosirenidae
Protopteridae
Ceratodontidae
Pictures from Kuhn-Schnyder (1953) - modified
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Zoogeographic realms
The zoogeographic regions are defined by Wallace (1876). They are mainly based on the
distribution of mammals. According to Wegener (1915) continental drift is an important factor
in the explanation of the distribution of animals.
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Zoogeographic realms
Palearctic region
The Palearctic region is the largest zoogeographic region. It
includes the terrestrial regions of Europe, Asia – north of the
Himalaya, North Africa and the northern and central parts of
the Arabian peninsula.
- Ailuropoda melanoleuca (Giant panda).
© www.terrambiente.org
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Zoogeographic realms
Oriental region
The Oriental region stretches from Pakistan over the
subcontinent of India to south-east Asia, between central
China in the north to Java, Bali and Borneo in the south. It
includes also the Philippines, Taiwan and the Ryukyu Islands.
- Hylobates muelleri (Müller’s gibbon).
© WWF / Alain Compost
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Zoogeographic realms
Australian region
The Australian region includes Australia, New Guinea the
eastern region of the Indonesian archipel, New Zealand and
the islands in the Pacific Ocean.
- Phascolarctos cinereus (Koala).
© Martin Beebee
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Zoogeographic realms
Nearctic region
The Nearctic region is the major part of North-America,
including Greenland and the mountains of Mexico.
- Antilocapra americana (Pronghorn
antilope).
© www.behav.org
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Zoogeographic realms
Neotropic region
The Neotropic region includes South America, Central
America and the Caribbean islands.
- Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (Capybara).
© Luis Segura
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Zoogeographic realms
Ethiopian region
The Ethiopian region includes Africa south of the Sahara and
the south-west extremity of the Arabian peninsula.
- Hippopotamus amphibius
(Hippopotamus).
© Roy de Haas
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Distribution of freshwater fishes
Berra, T.M. (2001), Freshwater fish distribution.
Academic Press, San Diego. 604 p.
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Distribution of freshwater fishes
Classification of freshwater fishes
1. Primary Division freshwater fish families.
All members have a little salt tolerance and are confined to freshwaters. Their distribution has
not depended on passage through the sea.
2. Secondary Division freshwater fish families.
The members are usually confined to freshwater, but they have some salt tolerance. Their
distribution may reflect dispersal through coastal waters or across short distances of salt
water.
3. Peripheral Division fish families.
Some families have members which are confined to freshwater, others may spend a
considerable portion of their life cycle in freshwater. Both are derived from marine ancestors
who used the oceans as dispersal routes. Other families are basically marine groups, some of
which enter freshwater.
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Distribution of freshwater fishes
Different kinds of distribution
The geographic range of a taxon is determined by the limits of its distribution.
1. Continuous distribution.
Within the range of its distribution, no significant suitable habitats are unoccupied.
2. Discontinuous distribution.
The distribution pattern is characterised by gaps which are greater than transversed by
normal dispersal in one generation.
A. Disperse distribution: There are many small, well-separated demes.
B. Disjunct distribution: There are only few, widely separated populations.
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Distribution of freshwater fishes
Different kinds of distribution
Cosmopolitan
The population is widely distributed, throughout
the world.
- Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758).
Endemic
The population is limited, exclusively to a certain
region.
- Caecobarbus geertsii Boulenger, 1921.
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Distribution of freshwater fishes
Distribution in the zoogeographic regions
Boden, G., T. Musschoot and J. Snoeks
(2004), African fish biodiversity, FishBase
and fishculture. Tropicultura SPE: 37-43.
Region
number of species
Ethiopian region
3100
Palearctic region
1477
Oriental region
2924
Australian region
676
Nearctic region
1103
Neotropic region
4456
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Distribution of freshwater fishes
Distribution of some families
1. Osteoglossidae.
Osteoglossidae is a primary freshwater family with a circumtropical distribution in South
America, Africa, Southeast Asia and Australia. Its distribution pattern reflects a previous
Gondwanian pattern.
The Osteoglossidae is splitted into two
separate families by Ferraris (2003).
A: Arapaimidae
It includes the genera Arapaima (South
America) and Heterotis (Africa).
B: Osteoglossidae
It includes the genera Osteoglossum (South
America) and Scleropages (Southeast Asia
and Australia)
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Distribution of freshwater fishes
Distribution of some families
2. Mormyridae.
Mormyridae is a primary freshwater family which is endemic to Africa. The family is best
known for the diversity of peculiar snouts among its species and the electric signals they can
produce.
Electric fishes live in the oceans, but also in the
freshwaters of Africa and South America.
© Peter Moller
An electric fish can generate an electric field
produced by a specialised structure called an
electric organ. The output of the organ is called
the ‘electric organ discharge’ (EOD).
Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA Tervuren)
© Carl D. Hopkins
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Distribution of freshwater fishes
Distribution of some families
3. Cyprinidae.
Cyprinidae is the most dominant fish family in the world’s freshwaters, only absent in South
America and Australia. The center of origin of this primary freshwater fish family is Orientalis.
© Germano Schüür
Some species, like Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus,
1758 and Carassius auratus (Linnaeus, 1758)
are introduced in the whole world and exist as
wild populations in non-native regions.
© Robert M. McDowall
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Distribution of freshwater fishes
Distribution of some families
4. Alestidae / Characidae.
Alestidae and Characidae are both primary freshwater families, which are closely related.
A – Nelson (1994)
There is only 1 family (Characidae),
with a discontinuous distribution.
B – Buckup (1998) / Géry (1977)
It is splitted into 2 different families:
Characidae (endemic in South
America) and Alestidae (endemic in
Africa).
C – Zanata & Vari (2005)
The South American genus Chalceus
is included in the Alestidae.
© Miguel Landines
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Distribution of freshwater fishes
Distribution of some families
5. Clariidae.
The Clariidae (or air-breathing catfishes) are widely distributed in Africa to Asia Minor and
from southern and southeastern Asia to the Philippines and Java. The range of the genus
Clarias more or less approximates the range of the family.
Some species are able to survive in drying
mud pools. It is also shown for some species
that they can catch their prey on land (Van
Wassenberghe et al., 2006).
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Distribution of freshwater fishes
Distribution of some families
6. Galaxiidae.
Galaxiidae are a peripheral family containing some diadromous species. The family occurs in
cool temperate waters of the southern hemisphere in south America, South Africa and
Australia.
Galaxias maculatus (Jenyns, 1842) has a
widely disjunct distribution for a freshwater
fish. Two hypotheses have been used to
explain it.
A. Dispersal: movement of the marine juvenile
stage through the sea (McDowall, 1970).
B. Vicariance: the present distribution reflects
an ancient Pangaean pattern followed by
continental drift (Rosen, 1974).
Berra et al. (1996) proved the two populations
did not differ genetically, indicating that gene
flow vie dispersal through the sea occurs
today.
© Robert M. McDowall
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Distribution of freshwater fishes
Distribution of some families
7. Mastacembelidae.
Mastacembelidae is a primary freshwater family found in tropical and subtropical Africa, the
Euphrates, the Indian region, southeastern Asia and China. Some Asian species are found in
brackish water.
Travers (1984) separated the Mastacembelidae
into two subfamilies:
a. Mastacembelinae: distributed in Southeast
Asia.
b. Afromastacembelinae: distributed in Africa.
According to Vreven (2005), the use of
subfamilies is rejected. The proposed
characters supporting their monophyly are
refutable. Moreover, all African species are
now placed in the genus Mastacembelus.
© Frank Teigler
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Distribution of freshwater fishes
Distribution of some families
8. Centropomidae.
Centropomidae is a widespread marine family, containing some freshwater species,
especially in Africa.
Recently it is divided into 2 families by Mooi &
Gill (1995):
A: Centropomidae
It includes 6 species distributed in the Pacific
Ocean and 6 species distributed in the
Atlantic Ocean. They all belong to the genus
Centropomus.
B: Latidae
It includes 9 species of the genus Lates,
distributed in Africa, Asia and Australia, and 1
species of the genus Psammoperca,
distributed in the Pacific Ocean and Indian
Ocean.
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Distribution of freshwater fishes
Distribution of some families
9. Cichlidae.
Cichlidae is a secondary freshwater family, belonging to an otherwise marine suborder, the
Labroidei (Perciformes). The distribution includes Central America, the West Indies, South
America, Africa, Madagascar, Middle East, coastal India and Sri Lanka.
The exact number of species is not known,
many are still undescribed.
© Simon Wu
Many cichlid fishes have a fair degree of salt
tolerance (Oreochromis, Tilapia and
Sarotherodon).
Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA Tervuren)
The African lakes are
characterized by the presence of
species flocks of Cichlidae, with
a high degree of endemicity.
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Ichthyofaunal provinces in Africa
Boulenger, G.A. (1905), The distribution of
African fresh-water fishes. Nature
72(1905): 413-421.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
North-western subregion
Western-central subregion
Southern subregion
Eastern subregion
Madagascar
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Ichthyofaunal provinces in Africa
Roberts, T.R. (1976), Geographical
distribution of African freshwater fishes.
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society
57: 249-319.
1. Maghreb
2. Abyssinian highlands
3. Nilo-Sudan
4. Upper-Guinea
5. Lower-Guinea
6. Zaire (Congo)
7. East Coast
8. Zambezi
9. Quanza
10. Cape of Good Hope
11. Madagascar
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Ichthyofaunal provinces in Africa
1. Maghreb.
- Atlas mountains abd coastal rivers draining into the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.
- An extremely poor freshwater fish fauna, with only members of Cyprinidae, Cobitidae,
Cyprinodontidae and Cichlidae.
2. Abyssinian highlands.
- Upper Blue Nile, Lake Tana, Chokai streams, Awash River.
- An ompoverished fish fauna dominated by Cyprinidae. Other species belong to Cobitidae,
Clariidae and Cichlidae.
3. Nilo-Sudan.
- Nile River, Lake Edward, George and Albert, Lake Turkana, Senegal River, Niger River, Volta
basin, Chad basin.
- The fish fauna is remarkably uniformly distributed throughout the main part of its range. A
major break in this range occurs in the mountainous divide separating the Chad and the
middle Nile basins.
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Ichthyofaunal provinces in Africa
4. Upper Guinea.
- Coastal rivers from Senegal to Ghana: Gambia River, Casamance River, Corubal River, Lofa
River, Cavally River, Comoe River.
- Inhabited by a mixture of Nilo-Sudanic and Upper Guinea fishes; rivers in Sierra Leone and
Liberia almost exclusively by Upper Guinean fishes.
5. Lower Guinea.
- Coastal river from Nigeria to Congo DR: Cross River, Sanaga River, Ntem River, Ogowe
River, Kouilou-Niari basin.
- Except for the Cross River, Nilo-Sudanic species are almost entirely excluded: many species
are shared with the Zaire province.
6. Zaire (Congo).
- Congo basin, including Lake Tanganyika.
- All African primary and secondary division fish families are represented except
Denticipitidae, Arapaimidae, Gymnarchidae, Cobitidae, Nandidae and Synbranchidae.
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Ichthyofaunal provinces in Africa
7. East Coast.
- Coastal rivers between the Juba system and the Zambezi River, also Lake Victoria is
included.
- A poor fish fauna, having a strong relationship with the Zambezi province.
8. Zambezi.
- Includes the Cunene basin, Okavango basin, Zambezi basin, Limpopo basin and Lake
Malawi.
- No species are shared with the Nilo-Sudanic province.
9. Quanza.
- Coastal rivers between the Congo River and Cunene River: Quanza River, Catumbela River.
- Most species belong to Cyprinidae and Cichlidae.
10. Cape of Good Hope.
- Rivers of southern Africa, including Orange-Vaal River, and all rivers south of it, and west of
the Pongolo River.
- A high number of localized endemics, with predominance of Cyprinidae.
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Marine fish distribution
FAO Areas.
FAO Areas are defined by
FAO to record fisheries
catches.
01. Africa
02. North America
03. South America
04. Asia
05. Europe / Russia (07)
06. Australia
08. Antarctica
18. Arctic Sea
21. Atlantic Ocean, northwest
27. Atlantic Ocean, northeast
31. Atlantic Ocean, western central
34. Atlantic Ocean, eastern central
37. Mediterranean and Black Sea
41. Atlantic Ocean, southwest
47. Atlantic Ocean, southeast
48. Atlantic Ocean, Antarctic
51. Indian Ocean, western
57. Indian Ocean, eastern
58. Indian Ocean, Antarctic
61. Pacific Ocean, northwest
67. Pacific Ocean, northeast
71. Pacific Ocean, western central
77. Pacific Ocean, eastern central
81. Pacific Ocean, southwest
87. Pacific Ocean, southeast
88. Pacific Ocean, Antarctic
© FAO
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Tragedies of the continental drift
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Zoogeography
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Migration patterns
1. Diadromous.
The fishes are regularly migrating between freshwater and seawater. The migrations should
be cyclidal and predictable, and cover more than 100 km.
a. Anadromous: There is a migration from the sea to
freshwater to spawn. Species are ascending rivers.
© Ernest Keeley
- Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum, 1792).
b. Catadromous: There is a migration from freshwater
to the sea to spawn. Species are entering oceans.
© Gerhard Ott
- Anguilla anguilla (Linnaeus, 1758).
c. Amphidromous: Species are regularly migrating
between freshwater and the sea (in both directions), but
not for the purpose of breeding.
© Shahidul Islam
- Plecoglossus altivelis (Temminck &
Schlegel, 1846).
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Migration patterns
2. Potamodromous.
The fishes are migrating within streams. The migrations should be
cyclidal and predictable, and cover more than 100 km.
© Te-Yu Liao
- Oxyeleotris marmorata (Bleeker, 1852).
3. Limnodromous.
The fishes are migrating within large lakes. The migrations should
be cyclidal and predictable, and cover more than 100 km.
© Nature’s Images
- Perca flavescens (Mitchill, 1814).
4. Oceanodromous.
The fishes are migrating within oceans, typically between spawning
and different feeding areas. The migrations should be cyclidal and
predictable, and cover more than 100 km.
© Kubodera
- Thunnus albacares (Bonnaterre, 1788).
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Climate zones
FishBase
These are the climate zones of the world as used in FishBase
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Aquatic biomes
The aquatic biomes can be broken down into into two basic regions: freshwater region and
marine region.
1. Freshwater region.
© Isabel Ahlgren
The freshwater region is defined as having a low
salt concentration. It includes ponds and lakes,
streams and rivers, and wetlands.
2. Marine region.
© Carol Van Houten
The marine region is characterized by its salt
concentration and covers about ¾ of the earth’s
surface. It includes oceans and coral reefs.
The area where freshwater meets saltwater is
usually called an estuary. This mixture is also
called brackish water.
Diagram from Garrison (1995)
© Lyn Topinka
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Aquatic biomes
Zones of the oceanic region
1. Littoral zone.
The littoral zone are the near-shore waters,
delimited by the tide marks of low and high
water. Its the region most closely to the
coast.
© Floor Anthoni (modified)
2. Sublittoral zone.
The sublittoral zone extends from the lower
edge of the intertidal zone to the outer edge
of the continental shelf.
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Aquatic biomes
Zones of the oceanic region
© FAO
© Floor Anthoni (modified)
3. Neritic zone.
4. Oceanic zone.
The neritic zone is the shallow pelagic zone
over the continental shelf.
The oceanic zone is the open ocean beyond
the continental shelf.
© www.onr.navy.mil
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Aquatic biomes
Zones of the oceanic region
5. Pelagic zone.
The pelagic zone includes those waters
further from the land, basically the open
sea.
a. The epipelagic zone is the uppermost
normally photic layer of the ocean between
the ocean surface and the thermocline (0 –
200m).
b. The mesopelagic zone is a middle layer
of the ocean, characterized by dim light and
steep temperature gradients (200 – 1000m).
c. The bathypelagic zone is a middle layer
of the ocean where only the faintest
blue/green light penetrates (1000 – 4000m).
© Floor Anthoni (modified)
6. Abyssal zone.
a. The abyssopelagic zone is the part of the
oceanic zone between 4000 and 6000m.
b. The hadal zone is the part of the oceanic
zone deeper than 6000m.
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Aquatic biomes
Zones of the oceanic region
7. Benthic zone.
The benthic zone is that part of the ocean
below the pelagic zone, but it does not
include the deepest parts (below 4000m).
© NHPTV
© Floor Anthoni (modified)
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FishBase
Aquatic biomes
Zones of the oceanic region
In FishBase
0
Epipelagic zone
Pelagic: Fishes occurring mainly in the water column between
0 and 200m, and not feeding on benthic organisms.
200
Mesopelagic zone
Bathypelagic: Fishes occurring mainly in open water below
200m, and not feeding on benthic organisms.
1000
Bathypelagic zone
4000
Abyssopelagic zone
6000
Hadal zone
While this classification works well for
marine species, it is often difficult to
apply to freshwater fishes.
Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA Tervuren)
Benthopelagic: Fishes living and/or feeding on or near
the bottom, as well as in midwater, between 0 and
200m.
Demersal: Fishes living and/or feeding on or near the
bottom, between 0 and 200m.
Reef-associated: Fishes living and/of feeding on or
near reefs, between 0 and 200m.
Bathydemersal: Fishes living and/or feeding on or near
the bottom, below 200m.
FishBase and Fish Taxonomy Training
Session 2007
Aquatic biomes
Zones of lakes
1. Littoral zone.
The littoral zone is the zone close to the
shore, and where light reaches to the
bottom.
2. Limnetic zone.
The limnetic zone is the layer of open water
where photosynthesis can occur.
3. Profundal zone.
© www.waterontheweb.org
The profundal zone is a deep zone below
the range of effective light penetration.
4. Benthic zone.
The benthic zone concerns the bottom of
the lake.
Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA Tervuren)
© La Galerie Catus
FishBase and Fish Taxonomy Training
Session 2007
Zoogeography in FishBase
FishBase
‘Species summary page’
(2), (3)
(1)
The ‘Species summary page’ contains information on:
(1) distribution,
(2) environment [aquatic biome, habitat zone, migration pattern, depth],
(3) climate [climate zone, temperatures].
Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA Tervuren)
FishBase and Fish Taxonomy Training
Session 2007
Zoogeography in FishBase
FishBase
FAO areas
© Bernd Ueberschaer
Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA Tervuren)
FishBase and Fish Taxonomy Training
Session 2007
FishBase
Zoogeography in FishBase
Country tables
1. Native.
3. Introduced.
If the species exists in that area in free-living and
self-maintaining populations and has established
itself there independent of men.
If the species is not native in that area, but brought
in through human activities.
2. Endemic.
4. Reintroduced.
If the species is native and restricted to that
particular area.
If the species is brought into that particular area
after initial introductions failed or after the
extinction of the native species.
Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA Tervuren)
FishBase and Fish Taxonomy Training
Session 2007
FishBase
Zoogeography in FishBase
Country tables
5. Extirpated.
7. Misidentification.
If the species is extinct in that particular area, but
surviving in others.
This is for records that are known to be wrong.
6. Questionable.
If the occurrence in that particular area needs
confirmation.
Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA Tervuren)
FishBase and Fish Taxonomy Training
Session 2007
FishBase
Zoogeography in FishBase
Country tables
© Wolfgang Ross
Teugels (1990) assumes there is a relict
population of Pantodon buchholzi in Sierra
Leone, because of its specific characters.
Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA Tervuren)
Jubb (1963) has considered the
occurrence of this species in Zimbabwe as
a misidentification.
FishBase and Fish Taxonomy Training
Session 2007
Zoogeography in FishBase
FishBase
Ecosystem table
© Wolfgang Ross
Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA Tervuren)
FishBase and Fish Taxonomy Training
Session 2007
Zoogeography in FishBase
FishBase
Introductions table
© Philippe Laléyé
Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA Tervuren)
FishBase and Fish Taxonomy Training
Session 2007
Zoogeography in FishBase
FishBase
Country biodiversity
Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA Tervuren)
FishBase and Fish Taxonomy Training
Session 2007
Zoogeography in FishBase
FishBase
Country biodiversity
Example: list of freshwater fishes of Kenya.
Alestes baremoze (Joannis, 1835)
© Cécile Paugy
Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA Tervuren)
FishBase and Fish Taxonomy Training
Session 2007
FishBase
Zoogeography in FishBase
Ecosystem biodiversity
FishBase gives a list with all
fish species distributed in
this ecosystem.
© World Resources Institute
FishBase also gives some general
information about the ecosystem
[locality, depth,…].
Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA Tervuren)
© David Coulson
FishBase and Fish Taxonomy Training
Session 2007
Zoogeography in FishBase
FishBase
Distribution maps
Occurrences.
FishBase contains records and data of
more than 40 fish collections of different
musea all over the world [MRAC, BMNH,
MNHN, AMNH, SAIAB,…].
Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA Tervuren)
FishBase and Fish Taxonomy Training
Session 2007
Zoogeography in FishBase
FishBase
Distribution maps
Occurrences by species.
FishBase contains some possibilities to
reproduce distribution maps.
Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA Tervuren)
FishBase and Fish Taxonomy Training
Session 2007
Zoogeography in FishBase
FishBase
Distribution maps
‘C-square mapper’.
Example: Pantodon buchholzi Peters, 1877
There are different possibilities to reproduce a
distribution map with the ‘C-square mapper’.
With the option
‘landmask on’, only the
marine occurrences of
the species are visible.
It is also possible to
zoom in on a certain
part of the world.
Another possibility with
the ‘C-square mapper’
are the outline maps.
© Wolfgang Ross
Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA Tervuren)
FishBase and Fish Taxonomy Training
Session 2007
Zoogeography in FishBase
FishBase
Distribution maps
‘KGS mapper’ (OBIS).
Example: Sphyraena barracuda (Edwards, 1771)
OBIS (Ocean Biogeographic Information System)
contains different world maps. Because FishBase
contains data of different fish collections of musea,
it is possible to reproduce distribution maps of
species in function of different parameters.
a. bathymetry
b. salinity
c. Average surface temperature
© Robert Patzner
Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA Tervuren)
FishBase and Fish Taxonomy Training
Session 2007
Zoogeography in FishBase
FishBase
Distribution maps
‘KGS mapper’ (OBIS).
Example: Sphyraena barracuda (Edwards, 1771)
It is possible to obtain data for the different
points on the distribution map [coordinates
and other parameters of the area].
© Robert Patzner
Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA Tervuren)
FishBase and Fish Taxonomy Training
Session 2007
FishBase
Zoogeography in FishBase
Distribution maps
‘Google Earth’.
Example: Hepsetus odoe (Bloch, 1794)
With ‘Google Earth’ it is possible to
look at the distribution of freshwater
fishes. The locality can be seen in
detail thanks to the ‘zoom’ option.
© Frank Teigler
Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA Tervuren)
FishBase and Fish Taxonomy Training
Session 2007
FishBase
Zoogeography in FishBase
Distribution maps
‘Google Earth’.
Example: Hepsetus odoe (Bloch, 1794)
Data of the different records can be
obtained by clicking on the respective
points. These data are present in
FishBase.
© Frank Teigler
Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA Tervuren)
FishBase and Fish Taxonomy Training
Session 2007
Zoogeography in FishBase
FishBase
Distribution maps
‘Google Earth’.
Example: Anguilla anguilla (Linnaeus, 1758)
The distribution of the European eel
(Anguilla anguilla) reflects its catadromous
behaviour. This freshwater fish species
migrates to the Sargasso Sea to spawn.
© Gerhard Ott
Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA Tervuren)
FishBase and Fish Taxonomy Training
Session 2007
FishBase
Zoogeography in FishBase
Distribution maps
‘Aquamaps’.
Example: Thunnus alalunga (Bonnaterre, 1788)
‘Aquamaps’ is nearly the same as the ‘C-square mapper’.
- ‘C-square mapper’ shows only those points which are
part of the fish collections data.
- ‘Aquamaps’ shows the probability of the occurrence of
that particular species in a certain area.
With ‘Aquamaps’ it is possible to show all
appropriated habitats for a species.
© Ernst Hofinger
Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA Tervuren)
FishBase and Fish Taxonomy Training
Session 2007
‘c-squares mapper’ (photorealistic)
Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA Tervuren)
FishBase and Fish Taxonomy Training
Session 2007