Biogeography of Corals, Seagrasses, and Mangroves: An Alternative to the Center of Origin Concept

Abstract

<it>McCoy, E. D., and K. L. Heck, Jr. (Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306) 1976. Biogeography of corals, seagrasses, and mangroves: an alternative to the center of origin concept. Syst. Zool. 25:201–210</it>.—A “center of origin” explanation for the distribution and diversity patterns of the organisms comprising the principal shallow-water habitats in the tropics—hermatypic corals, mangroves, and sea-grasses—is highly unlikely, based on fossil data and the dispersal capabilities of the organisms. Instead, these biogeographic patterns are better explained by the existence of a previously widely-distributed biota which has since been modified by tectonic events, speciation, and extinction, in accordance with modern geological and biogeographical theory.