Phylogeography of California examines the evolution of a variety of taxaÑancient and recent, native and migratoryÑto elucidate evolutionary events both major and minor that shaped the distribution, radiation, and speciation of the biota of California. The book also interprets evolutionary history in a geological context and reviews new and emerging phylogeographic patterns. Focusing on a region that is defined by physical and political boundaries, Kristina A. Schierenbeck provides a phylogeographic survey of CaliforniaÕs diverse flora and fauna according to their major organismal groups. Life history and ecological characteristics, which play prominent roles in the various outcomes for respective clades, are also considered throughout the work. Supporting scholars and researchers who study evolutionary diversification, the book analyzes research that helps assess one of the major challenges in phylogeographic studies: understanding changes in population structures shaped by geological and geographical processes. California is one of only twenty-five acknowledged biological hotspots worldwide, and the phylogeographic history of the state can be extrapolated to study other regions in western North America. Further consideration is given to implications for conservation, recommendations concerning the biogeographic provinces that roughly define the state of California, and predictions related to climate change.

The overarching theme of my thesis is to explore patterns of larval dispersal as they relate to management of fished marine species. I employed a case study of two species: Megastraea undosa and Parastichopus parvimensis to investigate patterns of phylogeography and assess relative scales of dispersal for these two species which are fished in both California, USA and Baja California, MEX. To examine how some generalities for many species can be made for a specific geographic area, I reviewed all existing phylogeographic studies around Cape Mendocino, CA. Dispersal at a snail's pace: Strong genetic structure in the fisheries gastropod Megastaea undosa. Information about larval dispersal is necessary for effective management of fisheries. Population genetics are often employed to assess dispersal, but these data also carry artifacts from the evolutionary history of a species. I assessed historical and modern demography of the wavy top snail, Megastraea undosa, a marine snail that is fished in California, USA and Baja California, Mexico. Genetic structure at the COI mtDNA locus is strikingly high, with large shifts in haplotype frequencies between southern Baja and southern California. Coalescent-based modeling of genetic data suggests that the population has limited dispersal throughout the range and underwent a northward range expansion after the last glacial maximum. I conclude that both historical and contemporary processes affect observed patterns of phylogeography in M. undosa. Consideration of the evolutionary history of target species allows for a more accurate interpretation of genetic data for management. iv Subtle genetic structure in the commercially fished warty sea cucumber, Parastichopus parvimensis. The warty sea cucumber, P. parvimensis, is fished commercially in both California, USA and Baja California, Mexico but little is known about the status of the fisheries or if separate stocks exist. P. parvimensis has a long pelagic larval duration of 50-90 days, which may translate to high connectivity throughout the species range (Monterey, CA, USA to Bahía Asuncion, BCS, Mexico). I examined phylogeographic patterns at the COI mtDNA locus and five microsatellite loci throughout the range of P. parvimensis and was particularly interested in patterns associated with the potential phylogeographic barriers of Point Conception, CA, USA and Punta Eugenia, BCS, MEX. I found no structure associated with Point Conception, but subtle genetic structure at both types of loci for Punta Eugenia, which may be mechanistically explained by oceanographic patterns. These data have important implications for management of the sea cucumber fishery and indicate that populations south of Punta Eugenia likely do not receive biologically meaningful input of larvae from northern populations to supplement the local fishery. Concordant phylogeographic patterns associated with the major headland of Cape Mendocino in northern California. Most coastlines are non-linear and headlands such as Cape Mendocino may interact with oceanographic processes to create barriers to dispersal. Though Cape Mendocino is a prominent headland, it has been largely ignored in the phylogeographic literature, which focuses instead on Point Conception in southern California. I reviewed and synthesized phylogeographic studies that include sampling sites north and south of Cape Mendocino and discuss the v oceanography and topography of the cape as potential mechanistic drivers of larval dispersal patterns. Slightly more than half (24 out of 46) of the surveyed species that showed significant genetic structure around this headland, which suggests that this headland may be an important barrier to dispersal and may limit connectivity between northern and central California. If populations north of Cape Mendocino have higher connectivity with populations in Oregon than with those in central California, marine spatial planning must occur at a multi-state scale to reach marine conservation goals.

Phylogeography is a discipline concerned with various relationships between gene genealogies—phylogenetics—and geography. This book captures the conceptual and empirical richness of the field, and also the sense of genuine innovation that phylogeographic perspectives have brought to evolutionary studies.

Phylogeography of California examines the evolution of a variety of taxa—ancient and recent, native and migratory—to elucidate evolutionary events both major and minor that shaped the distribution, radiation, and speciation of the biota of California. The book also interprets evolutionary history in a geological context and reviews new and emerging phylogeographic patterns. Focusing on a region that is defined by physical and political boundaries, Kristina A. Schierenbeck provides a phylogeographic survey of California’s diverse flora and fauna according to their major organismal groups. Life history and ecological characteristics, which play prominent roles in the various outcomes for respective clades, are also considered throughout the work. Supporting scholars and researchers who study evolutionary diversification, the book analyzes research that helps assess one of the major challenges in phylogeographic studies: understanding changes in population structures shaped by geological and geographical processes. California is one of only twenty-five acknowledged biological hotspots worldwide, and the phylogeographic history of the state can be extrapolated to study other regions in western North America. Further consideration is given to implications for conservation, recommendations concerning the biogeographic provinces that roughly define the state of California, and predictions related to climate change.

One of the most important hotspots of herpetological biodiversity in the United States, California is home to many endemic amphibians and reptiles found nowhere else on earth. Many of these taxa have unique ecological and morphological specializations, and their management is an important conservation challenge. Increasing climate change impacts, human development, and extreme drought mean many of these species face an ever-greater risk of extinction. California Amphibian and Reptile Species of Special Concern provides an up-to-date synthesis of the current state of knowledge regarding the biology and conservation risks faced by 45 of California’s most sensitive amphibian and reptile species. With the goal of enhancing management based on the best available science, the authors developed a novel set of risk metrics to identify special concern species and the threats they face, including population declines, range size and restrictions, and ecological specializations and niche restrictions. In addition to detailed species accounts, this book provides a quantitative analysis of the conservation status and pressing management issues facing individual species and the state’s amphibian and reptile fauna as a whole. The volume focuses on identifying threats, concrete recommendations for management and recovery, and future research needs. The text is complemented by detailed distribution maps, color photos, and graphs. Written in nontechnical language, California Amphibian and Reptile Species of Special Concern will be a valuable resource to a broad range of users from resource managers, field biologists, and academic herpetologists to students and recreational naturalists. Published in association with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Recently, technological progress and the rise of DNA barcoding efforts have led to a significant increase in the availability of molecular datasets on intraspecific variability. Carcinologists and other organismal biologists, who want to use molecular tools to investigate patterns on the scale of populations, face a bewildering variety of genetic m

The book provides an overview of research on the remarkable diversity, adaptive genetic differentiation, and evolutionary complexity of intertidal macroalgae species. Through incorporating molecular data, ecological niche and model-based phylogeographic inference, this book presents the latest findings and hypotheses on the spatial distribution and evolution of seaweeds in the context of historical climate change (e.g. the Quaternary ice ages), contemporary global warming, and increased anthropogenic influences. The chapters in this book highlight past and current research on seaweed phylogeography and predict the future trends and directions. This book frames a number of research cases to review how biogeographic processes and interactive eco-genetic dynamics shaped the demographic histories of seaweeds, which furthermore enhances our understanding of speciation and diversification in the sea. Dr. Zi-Min Hu is an associate professor at Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China. Dr. Ceridwen Fraser is a senior lecturer at Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.

Biogeography represents one of the most complex and challenging aspects of macroevolutionary research, requiring input from both the earth and life sciences. Palaeogeographic reconstruction is frequently carried out by researchers with backgrounds in geology and palaeontology, who are less likely to be familiar with the latest biogeographic techniques: conversely, biogeographic methods are often devised by neontologists who may be less familiar with the fossil record, stratigraphy, and palaeogeography. Palaeogeography and Palaeobiogeography: Biodiversity in Space and Time bridges the gap between these two communities of researchers, who work on the same issues but typically use different types of data. The book covers a range of topics, and reflects some of the major overall questions in the field such as: Which approaches are best suited to reconstructing biogeographic histories under a range of circumstances? How do we maximize the use of organismal and earth sciences data to improve our understanding of events in earth history? How well do analytical techniques devised for researching the biogeography of extant organisms perform in the fossil record? Can alternative biodiversity metrics, particularly those based on morphological measurements, enhance our understanding of biogeographic patterns and processes? This book approaches palaeobiogeography with coverage of technological applications and detailed case studies. It spans a wide selection of overlapping and integrative disciplines, including evolutionary theory, vicariance biogeography, extinctions, and the philosophical aspects of palaeogeography. It also highlights new technological innovations and applications for research. Presenting a unique discussion of both palaeogeography and palaeobiogeography in one volume, this book focuses both historically and philosophically on the interface between geology, climate, and organismal distribution.

Why do some animals migrate? How does migration affect the gene pool? This book discusses these questions and more, in light of the high evolutionary costs and risks of mass movement. The editor presents a collection of topics explaining the migration of organisms through many examples of different groups of marine and non-marine organisms, from micro-invertebrates to large mammals.