Seeks explanations for world patterns in fish distribution. Two major zones recognized in freshwater and in marine distributions relating to the major physiological problem of ionosmoregulation. A second major factor affecting fish distributions is continental drift. A third is glaciation.
ZOOGEOGRAPHY OF FRESHWATER FISH
Classification of zoogeographical types is arbitrary. It is intended to apply largely at the family level, and paint a broad brush picture:
Obligate freshwater fish.
Freshwater dispersants.
Euryhaline marine fish.
Saltwater dispersants.
Diadromous
Anadromous
Catadromous
Freshwater representatives of marine groups.
Pangea, mixture of chondrostean fishes (represented today by paddlefish and sturgeon), early neopterygian fishes (rep today by Amia and gars), lungfishes and crossopterygians.
Pangea split into Laurasia - future North America and Eurasia, and Gondwanaland - future South America, Africa, Antarctica, India and Australia.. Pangean fauna probably remained dominant until the Cretaceous period.
105 million years before present; Early- to Mid-Cretaceous period.
Antarctica, Australia, India and Madegascar separated from Gondwanaland soon after the Laurasia-Gondwanaland split. Modern groups of fish began to develop in both Laurasia and Gondwanaland. Laurasia - Esocidae, Umbridae, and Salmonidae, and the exclusively North American Percopsidae (trout-perch), Aphredoderidae (pirate perch), and Amblyopsidae (cave fishes).- future North America and Eurasia. Gondwanaland - Ostariophysi (minnows, catfishes etc) seem to have developed first in Gondwanaland in early cretaceous. Most ancestor-like ostariophysians known from South America.
South American island continent - ostariophysian characoids and catfishes diversified. Africa, Eurasian contact - ostariophysian fishes enter Laurasia and swamp the earlier non-ostariophysian stock.
Africa separates from Eurasian portion of Laurasia. Cyprinids evolved in North Africa or Europe. These and catfishes radiated through Laurasia and most of Africa. Advanced characins among the previously dominant ostariophysians in Africa remain. Cyprinidae, Catastomidae, and Percidae evolved and radiated.
Continents - North America separates from rest of Laurasia- Centrarchidae, Ictaluridae, and Etheostomines (Percidae) evolved. Oriental region becomes separated from rest of Asia as Himalayas rise, in late Eocene subfamilies of Cyprinidae develop, and Cobitidae (loaches), and Siluridae, and many ostariophysian families with limited modern distributions. Large radiation of FW dispersants in Oriental region, which subsequently entered India. Some exchange of fauna with Africa. South America, Antarctica, Australia and New Zealand separate.
FW dispersant fish in Indonesia - islands were once the uplands of a large river system during a glaciation period. Paucity of western US fauna and Europe partly due to lack of refuges for fish to escape glaciation. Richness of fauna in Midwest and Eastern US due to ease of colonization from Mississippi and other refugia.
Freshwater Zoogeographic Regions
1) African Region - African continent.
2) Neotropical Region - South and Central America subregions.
3) Oriental Region - Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, most of Indonesia, and the Phillipines.
4) Palaearctic Region - Europe, and Asia north of the Himalayas and Yantze River.
5) Nearctic Region - North America to Central Mexico.
6) Australian Region - Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea and other local small islands.
Oceanographic features; physical chemistry and topography of ocean floor.
1) Continental shelves.
Tropical Regions.
Indo-Pacific Region.
Eastern Pacific Region.
Western Atlantic Region.
Eastern Atlantic Region.
North Temperate Regions.
Mediterranean-Atlantic Region.
North American Atlantic Region.
North American Pacific Region.
Asian-Pacific Region.
Arctic Region.
South Temperate Regions.
South American Region.
South African Region.
Australian Region.
Antarctic Region.
2) Pelagic Regions.
Arctic Region.
Subarctic Region.
North Temperate Region.
North Subtropical Region.
Tropical Region.
South Subtropical Region.
South Temperate Region.
Antarctic Region.
3) Deepsea Regions.
4) Antitropical Distribution.
Historical Origins of Michigan Fish Fauna
Greatest FW reservoir on the planet. Each of the five principle lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, Ontario) ranked in the top 9 largest FW lakes. Geologically very young. Covered by the Wisconsin Glaciation which began receding about 14,000 years BP (before present). Exposure of the southern part of the system dates from about 14,000 BP, but northern region only from about 9,000 BP.
The Michigan fish fauna is young. First, fishes are mainly immigrants arriving along open water channels, especially with the Mississippi drainage system. Second, fishes radiated from ice refugia, again often with the Mississippi drainages. Third, species have been introduced by man. Fourth, there are some endemic species.