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<DIV><FONT size=2><STRONG>Journal of Biogeography</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Article first published online: 11 AUG 2011</FONT></DIV>
<DIV id=doi><FONT
size=2>DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2699.2011.02582.x</FONT></DIV></FONT>
<DIV class=articleTitle><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=articleTitle><FONT size=4>Biogeography of tuna and billfish
communities</FONT></DIV>
<DIV id=cr1>Gabriel Reygondeau<SUP>1,*</SUP>, Olivier Maury<SUP>1</SUP>, Gregory
Beaugrand<SUP>2</SUP>, Jean Marc Fromentin<SUP>3</SUP>, Alain
Fonteneau<SUP>1</SUP>, Philippe Cury<SUP>1</SUP></DIV>
<DIV id=publishedOnlineDate> </DIV>
<DIV><SUP>1</SUP> Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), UMR EME
212, Centre de Recherches Halieutiques Méditerranéennes et Tropicales, Av. Jean
Monnet, BP 171, 34203 Sète Cedex, France<SUP>2</SUP> Centre National de la
Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire d’Océanologie et de Géosciences, UMR
LOG CNRS 8187, Station Marine, Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille
– Lille 1, BP 80, 62930 Wimereux, France<SUP>3</SUP> Institut Français de
Recherche pour l’Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER), UMR EME 212, Centre de
Recherches Halieutiques Méditerranéennes et Tropicales, Av. Jean Monnet, BP 171,
34203 Sète Cedex, France. Correspondence: Gabriel Reygondeau, E-mail: <!--TODO: clickthrough URL--><A title="Link to email address"
href="mailto:gabriel.reygondeau@hotmail.fr" shape=rect><FONT
color=#007e8a>gabriel.reygondeau@hotmail.fr</FONT></A></DIV>
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<UL class="" id=footnotes><FONT color=#007e8a></FONT></UL>
<DIV id=publicationHistoryDetails jQuery1313428419649="10">
<H4>Abstract</H4></DIV></DIV></DIV>
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<DIV id=abstract>
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<P><B>Aim </B>The aims of this study were: (1) to identify global communities of
tuna and billfish species through quantitative statistical analyses of global
fisheries data; (2) to describe the spatial distribution, main environmental
drivers and species composition of each community detected; and (3) to determine
whether the spatial distribution of each community could be linked to the
environmental conditions that affect lower trophic levels by comparing the
partitions identified in this study with Longhurst’s biogeochemical
provinces.</P></DIV>
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<P><B>Location </B>The global ocean from 60° S to 65° N.</P></DIV>
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<P><B>Methods </B>We implemented a new numerical procedure based on a
hierarchical clustering method and a nonparametric probabilistic test to divide
the oceanic biosphere into biomes and ecoregions. This procedure was applied to
a database that comprised standardized data on commercial longline catches for
15 different species of tuna and billfish over a period of more than
50 years (i.e. 1953–2007). For each ecoregion identified (i.e.
characteristic tuna and billfish community), we analysed the relationships
between species composition and environmental factors. Finally, we compared the
biogeochemical provinces of Longhurst with the ecoregions that we
identified.</P></DIV>
<DIV class=para>
<P><B>Results </B>Tuna and billfish species form nine well-defined communities
across the global ocean. Each community occurs in regions with specific
environmental conditions and shows a distinctive species composition. High
similarity (68.8% homogeneity) between the spatial distribution of the
communities of tuna and billfish and the biogeochemical provinces suggests a
strong relationship between these species and the physical and chemical
characteristics of the global ocean.</P></DIV>
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<P><B>Main conclusions </B>Despite their high tolerance for a wide range of
environmental conditions, these highly migratory species are partitioned into
clear geographical communities in the ocean at a global scale. The similarity
between biogeochemical and biotic divisions in the ocean suggests that the
global ocean is a mosaic of large biogeographical ecosystems, each characterized
by specific environmental conditions that have a strong effect on the
composition of the trophic
web.</P></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></FONT></DIV><BR>
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