Author Identifier (ORCID)
Abstract
Aim: Understanding how body size and geographic range size influence species abundance is central to macroecology. Here, we characterized these relationships for reef fishes, the world's most diverse vertebrate group, across global and regional scales. Location: Global tropical and subtropical reefs. Time Period: Current. Major Taxa Studied: Reef-associated fishes. Methods: We compiled a comprehensive dataset on abundance, body size and geographic range size for 828 reef fish species. Abundance was measured as density (ind/m2) using transect-based observational data. To analyse global-scale patterns, we applied Bayesian quantile regressions and Bayesian phylogenetic regressions to account for phylogenetic relatedness. We also used Bayesian phylogenetic regressions at the regional scale, considering body size, geographic range size and sampled transect area as marginal effects. Results: The relationship between geographic range size and body size exhibited a slightly triangular pattern, where large-bodied species tended to have broad range sizes, whereas small-bodied species varied in range sizes. We found a negative relationship between species abundance and body size, and a dual relationship (i.e., both negative and positive) between species abundance and geographic range size: species with restricted ranges were either rare or abundant, whereas widely distributed species had intermediate abundance. Similar patterns were observed across marine realms, with abundance decreasing with body size and presenting a dual relationship with geographic range size. Main Conclusions: Our findings reveal that body size and geographic range size are important correlates of reef fish abundance, but their effects vary across spatial scales. These results provide new insight into macroecological processes influencing reef fish diversity and distribution.
Keywords
abundance, body size, density, geographic range size, macroecology, reef fish patterns, reefs
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
6-1-2026
Article Number
e70259
ISSN
03050270
Volume
53
Issue
6
Publication Title
Journal of Biogeography
Publisher
Wiley
School
Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research / School of Science
Funding Information
This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brasil (CAPES) - Finance Code 001, through Ph.D. scholarship to M.F.M. A.C.S. is supported by the Vice Chancellor's Research Fellowship at Edith Cowan University. M.G.B. would like to acknowledge the Research Productivity Fellowship granted by the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq; #311934/2025-0).
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Maxwell, M. F., Barneche, D. R., Divieso, R., Floeter, S. R., Luiz, O. J., Luza, A. L., Pie, M. R., Siqueira, A. C., & Bender, M. G. (2026). Geographic range and body size influence abundance patterns in reef fishes. Journal of Biogeography, 53(6), Article e70259. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.70259