(Comparative phylogeography)^200 Emergent patterns of genetic diversity across the tropical Indo-Pacific Ocean

The tropical Indian and Pacific oceans form the world’s largest and most speciose marine biogeographic region: the Indo-Pacific. Due to its size and political complexity, the Indo-Pacific is rarely studied as a whole, yet... [ view full abstract ]

The tropical Indian and Pacific oceans form the world’s largest and most speciose marine biogeographic region: the Indo-Pacific. Due to its size and political complexity, the Indo-Pacific is rarely studied as a whole, yet comprehensive studies of the region promise to teach us much about marine biogeography. Molecular methods can provide substantial insights into the processes that create and maintain biodiversity in the region. Although many research groups have independently amassed considerable genetic data, there have been few coordinated efforts across the entire region that could reveal general principles regarding spatial patterns of genetic biodiversity or predictable differences among species. The Diversity in the Indo Pacific Network (indopacificnetwork.wikispaces.com) seeks to promote open data exchange and collaboration among genetic researchers working in the Indo-Pacific region; to this end, we have assembled the most extensive database of georeferenced mitochondrial DNA genotypes for any biogeographic region comprising over 30,000 individual genotypes and 200 species. Drawing upon this unprecedented wealth of genetic data, I will describe emergent spatial patterns of genetic diversity, identify locations of high and low connectivity, and show how patterns differ among species.