Polynesian Seaweeds Biodiversity, Biogeography and Evolution

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of Biology focuses on seaweeds from Polynesia, an important yet still largely overlooked ecological group in the Pacific Islands. The Polynesian region contains over 10,000 islands, covering an area larger than the size of Europe. The island system characterizing Pacific Islands, with remote archipelagoes, far distant from any continent, has offered an interesting setting for diversification of land and aquatic organisms (e.g., by long distance dispersal, followed by isolation, and divergence). Nevertheless, our knowledge of seaweed species diversity, distribution patterns and diversification in this region is still fragmentary. The objectives of this Special Issue are to improve our knowledge of seaweed biodiversity, biogeography, and evolution in the Pacific Islands, focusing on the Polynesian region. More specifically, the aims are three-fold: (1) complement our knowledge of seaweed species diversity primarily based on molecular data for the main Polynesian archipelagoes, (2) investigate species distribution patterns within and between Polynesian archipelagoes, and with other Oceans, and (3) investigate spatial and temporal diversification processes across Polynesian islands. Authors are invited to contribute to the three axes, i.e., (1) diversity, (2) biogeography, and (3) evolution, of this Special Issue by focusing primarily on their study area and/or on specific taxonomic groups at the scale of Polynesia. For the diversity axis, contributors are encouraged to provide an updated species checklist at the scale of their archipelago (e.g., French Polynesia, Hawaiian Islands, New Zealand, etc.), updated based on molecular data. For the biogeography axis, fine- (e.g., intra-archipelago) and broad-scale (inter-archipelagoes) studies are desired. A collaboration among contributors would be looked for to examine distribution and diversification patterns across Polynesia (inter-archipelago level).

Dr. Christophe Vieira
Prof. Dr. Alison Sherwood
Guest Editors

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• biodiversity
• biogeography
• diversification
• evolution
• macroalgae
• seaweeds
• Polynesia