Abstract
We investigated the current patterns of diversity by country and by class of echinoderms, and analyzed their biogeographical, depth, and habitat or substratum affinities, using the database of the appendix of this book. Traditionally, the area has been divided into five biogeographical Regions and nine Provinces that cover a wide climate range. Currently, the echinoderm fauna of Latin America and Canary islands is constituted by 1,539 species, with 82 species of Crinoidea, 392 species of Asteroidea, 521 species of Ophiuroidea, 242 species of Echinoidea and 302 species of Holothuroidea. Species richness is highly variable among the different countries. The number of species for the countries is highly dependent on its coast length. The echinoderm fauna of the Panamic, Galápagos and the Chilean regions are biogeographically related. Other regions that are closely related are the Caribbean, West Indian, Lusitania and Brazilian. Cosmopolitan species are an important component in all the regions. Affinities between faunas are a consequence of the combination of climatic and trophic factors, connectivity as a function of distance, currents patterns and historical processes. Moreover, different environmental factors would be responsible for the faunal composition and species distribution at different spatial scales. The bathymetrical distribution of the echinoderm classes and the species richness varies according to the depth range and the ocean. Most species occurred at depths between 20 and 200 m. The Caribbean-Atlantic regions are richest in shallow depths, while the Pacific coast has higher values in deeper waters. The domination of each class in each substrate and habitat categories also varies differentially along each coast.
Resumen
Se investigan los patrones actuales de la diversidad por país y por clase de equinodermos, y se analizan sus afinidades biogeográficas, distribución batimétrica, y por tipo de hábitat o sustrato, usando la base de datos del apéndice de este libro. Tradicionalmente, el área ha sido dividida en cinco regiones biogeográficas con nueve provincias que cubren un amplio rango de climas. Actualmente, la fauna de equinodermos de Latinoamérica y las islas Canarias está constituida por 1,539 especies, 82 especies de Crinoidea, 392 especies de Asteroidea, 521 especies de Ophiuroidea, 242 especies de Echinoidea y 302 especies de Holothuroidea. La riqueza de especies es muy variable entre los diferentes países, sin embargo, el número de especies es altamente dependiente de la longitud de costa. Las faunas de equinodermos de las regiones Panámeña, de Galápagos y Chilena están estrechamente relacionadas. Otras regiones altamente relacionadas son la Caribeña, Indias Orientales, Lusitanica y la Brasileña. Las especies cosmopolitas son un componente importante en todas las regiones. Las afinidades entre las faunas son una consecuencia de la combinación de factores climáticos y tróficos, de la conectividad en función de la distancia, de las corrientes marinas y de procesos históricos. Más aún, diferentes factores ambientales pueden ser responsables de la composición de la fauna y la distribución de las especies a diferentes escalas espaciales. La distribución batimétrica de las clases de equinodermos y la riqueza de especies varían de acuerdo con la profundidad y el océano. La mayoría de las especies se encuentran entre los 20 y los 200 m, siendo la región Caribe-Atlántica la más rica en profundidades someras, mientras la región Pacífica presenta una mayor riqueza en aguas más profundas. La dominancia de cada clase en cada tipo de sustrato y hábitat varía también en cada costa.
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Acknowledgments
We are grateful with all the authors that participated on this contribution. We appreciate the help and extensive work of the students from the Laboratorio de Ecología y Taxonomía de Equinodermos, Colección Nacional de Equinodermos Dra. María Elena Caso, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología from the Universidad Autónoma Nacional de México. JJA wants to acknowledge Monica Chavez for preparing all the figures from this chapter and CONACYT and CONICIT for all the economic support during the preparation and analysis of this review.
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Pérez-Ruzafa, A. et al. (2013). Latin America Echinoderm Biodiversity and Biogeography: Patterns and Affinities. In: Alvarado, J., Solis-Marin, F. (eds) Echinoderm Research and Diversity in Latin America. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-20051-9_16
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