1. Restructuring of the 'Macaronesia' biogeographic unit: A marine multi-taxon biogeographical approach.
- Author
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Freitas, Rui, Romeiras, Maria, Silva, Luís, Cordeiro, Ricardo, Madeira, Patrícia, González, José Antonio, Wirtz, Peter, Falcón, Jesús M., Brito, Alberto, Floeter, Sergio R., Afonso, Pedro, Porteiro, Filipe, Viera-Rodríguez, María Ascensión, Neto, Ana Isabel, Haroun, Ricardo, Farminhão, João N. M., Rebelo, Ana Cristina, Baptista, Lara, Melo, Carlos S., and Martínez, Alejandro
- Subjects
BIOGEOGRAPHY ,MARINE ecology ,ARCHIPELAGOES ,EVOLUTIONARY theories - Abstract
The Azores, Madeira, Selvagens, Canary Islands and Cabo Verde are commonly united under the term "Macaronesia". This study investigates the coherency and validity of Macaronesia as a biogeographic unit using six marine groups with very different dispersal abilities: coastal fishes, echinoderms, gastropod molluscs, brachyuran decapod crustaceans, polychaete annelids, and macroalgae. We found no support for the current concept of Macaronesia as a coherent marine biogeographic unit. All marine groups studied suggest the exclusion of Cabo Verde from the remaining Macaronesian archipelagos and thus, Cabo Verde should be given the status of a biogeographic subprovince within the West African Transition province. We propose to redefine the Lusitanian biogeographical province, in which we include four ecoregions: the South European Atlantic Shelf, the Saharan Upwelling, the Azores, and a new ecoregion herein named Webbnesia, which comprises the archipelagos of Madeira, Selvagens and the Canary Islands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
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