Patrones de distribución de las grandes macroalgas en el golfo de México y el Caribe mexicano: una contribución a la biología de la conservación

Abstract

A biogeographic and a species richness analysis were done using the geographic distribution of 118 species of seaweeds (Chlorophyta, Ochrophyta and Rhodophyta) in the Gulf of Mexico and Mexican Caribbean, in order to identify areas for conservation, and to enhance the previously established ones. The parsimony analysis of endemicity (PAE) revealed 9 groups defined by the presence of synapomorphies, and 4 quadrats were recognized based on autapomorphies. Track analysis allowed to define 2 generalized tracks and 1 panbiogeographic node located in the Alacranes Reef, as a result of the complex geological history of the region. This node corresponds to the area with the highest taxonomic complexity in the Gulf of Mexico, the highest species richness, and together with Tamaulipas southern quadrat, shows the highest values of species complementarity. As a product of the integration of the previous analyses, we propose the Alacranes Reef as a site of extreme marine importance for conservation, this been congruent with one of the priority sites already established there. This research constitutes the first biogeographic approach in the study of benthonic marine seaweeds in Mexico and also represents a first step within the framework of evolutionary biogeography.