Biogeographical Patterns and Species Distribution

Biogeographical patterns and species distribution studies investigate how organisms are spatially organised by integrating environmental gradients, historical climate change, tectonic movements and evolutionary relationships. At broad scales, the world’s terrestrial and marine biota are divided into distinct realms and bioregions, each characterised by unique species assemblages and phylogenetic lineages. Analyses employ species distribution models, network-based community detection and phylogenetically informed regionalisation to capture both taxonomic and evolutionary dimensions of biodiversity. Such insights inform conservation planning by identifying hotspots of endemism, forecasting the impacts of climate change on range shifts, and guiding the design of protected area networks. The synthesis of distributional, phylogenetic and environmental data is thus central to advancing biogeography in an era of global change.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have refined the delineation of global floristic realms by combining comprehensive angiosperm distribution data with phylogenetic frameworks. This approach recognised eight major realms and nested sub-realms, revealing the primacy of plate tectonics and geographic isolation over climatic factors in shaping current floristic boundaries. Concurrent work in marine ecosystems applied species distribution models and dated phylogenies to project future shifts in seagrass community composition under climate change scenarios. Predicted range contractions are expected to increase both weighted and phylogenetic endemism, leading to divergent patterns of β-diversity and underscoring the need to expand marine protected areas to safeguard hotspots outside the existing network.

Biogeographical Patterns and Species Distribution publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in biogeographical patterns and species distribution across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Biogeographical realm: A broad region defined by characteristic species or lineages, reflecting shared evolutionary history.

α-diversity: The diversity of species or lineages within a local community or ecosystem.

β-diversity: The variation in species or phylogenetic composition between communities across space.

Endemism: The ecological state of species being native to and restricted within a defined geographic area.

Species turnover: The change in species composition between sites, often measured by dissimilarity indices.

Phylogenetic dissimilarity: A metric combining evolutionary relationships with species distribution to assess compositional differences between regions.

References

1. An updated floristic map of the world. Nature Communications (2023).
2. Reorganization of seagrass communities in a changing climate. Nature Plants (2023).
3. Re‐evaluating the importance of threatened species in maintaining global phytoregions. New Phytologist (2023).
4. Global biogeographical regions reveal a signal of past human impacts. Ecography (2023).