[ report an error in this record ]basket (28): add | show Print this page

one publication added to basket [396772]
Bipolarity and antitropicality in marine taxa: Understanding the complexities of latitudinal distribution
Chen, E.Y.-S.; Trudnowska, E.; Blachowiak-Samolyk, K. (2025). Bipolarity and antitropicality in marine taxa: Understanding the complexities of latitudinal distribution. J. Biogeogr. 52(2): 454-466. https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jbi.15046
In: Journal of Biogeography. Wiley-Blackwell: Oxford. ISSN 0305-0270; e-ISSN 1365-2699, more
Peer reviewed article  

Available in  Authors 

Keywords
    Bipolarity
    Climate change
    Geography > Biogeography
    Marine/Coastal
Author keywords
    antitropicality, disjunct distributions, latitudinal distributions

Authors  Top 
  • Chen, E.Y.-S., more
  • Trudnowska, E.
  • Blachowiak-Samolyk, K.

Abstract

    Aim

    This systematic review aims to analyse the current status of research on marine bipolar and antitropical distribution patterns by exploring temporal trends, studied taxa, inconsistencies in definitions and the extent of molecular evidence in bipolar and antitropical species.

    Location

    Global marine environments, with a special focus on Polar Regions.

    Time Period

    1800s to 2024.

    Major Taxa Studied

    Marine taxa across all phyla, ranging from algae and zooplankton groups to fish and cetaceans.

    Methods

    A systematic literature search was conducted using Scopus, PubMed and Google Scholar databases. Studies were screened for relevant publications of marine taxa displaying bipolar or antitropical distributions, and data were extracted in order to perform a numerical summary of aspects including temporal trends, taxa representation and agreement with this article's standardised definitions. Additional data were gathered from The Arctic Register of Marine Species (ARMS) and The Register of Antarctic Marine Species (RAMS) databases. Distribution data were then extracted to verify the potential bipolarity of species present in both databases.

    Results

    From 221 articles, 665 marine taxa records were extracted, of which 517 records were categorised as antitropical and 148 as bipolar. Molecular evidence existed for 25% of non-paleontological records. A considerable amount of records (44%) did not match the definitions used in this review. The data taken from ARMS and RAMS revealed 408 shared species, of which 41 species were listed as bipolar by the literature collected in this study.

    Main Conclusions

    Marine bipolarity and antitropicality have been topics of interest since the 1800s, especially between 2008 and 2017. However, the discrepancy between the number of potentially bipolar species in publicly available species databases and literature-based estimates underscores the need for further research of neglected taxa. Future research should prioritise including molecular evidence, transparent terminology and interdisciplinary approaches to address the complexities of marine disjunct distributions.

All data in the Integrated Marine Information System (IMIS) is subject to the VLIZ privacy policy Top | Authors