Cenozoic history of the tropical marine biodiversity hotspot

The Coral Triangle, also known as the Indo-Australian Archipelago (IAA), is the region on Earth with the richest marine biodiversity. The extensive biodiversity of IAA has long captured the interest of many biologists; however, our understanding of the evolutionary history of this biodiversity hotspot remains limited. SKLMP Member Prof. Moriaki Yasuhara and his international research team have reconstructed the history of biodiversity in the Cenozoic era by inferring speciation–extinction dynamics using a comprehensive fossil dataset. Their research findings have been published in the journal Nature.

The study reveals that around 25 million years ago, the IAA exhibited a unidirectional diversification trend, following a roughly logistic increase until a diversity plateau beginning about 2.6 million years ago. This growth was primarily influenced by species diversity dependency and habitat size, while the alleviation of thermal stress also promoted the survival of marine organisms. Researchers indicate that the IAA's distinction as the richest marine biodiversity hotspot on Earth can predominantly be attributed to the absence of major extinctions and the cooling trend of the Cenozoic era.

More information: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07617-4