Predicting the potential distribution of species and possible dispersal corridors at a global scale can contribute to better understanding the availability of suitable habitat to move between, and the potential connectivity between regional distributions. Such information increases knowledge of ecological and biogeographic processes, but also has management applications at a global scale, for example, for estimating the restocking ability of exploited regional subpopulations. As a case study, we tested the utility of environmental niche modeling to investigate the potential global distribution of a highly mobile temperate marine coastal species, the broadnose sevengill shark (Notorynchus cepedianus). First, we characterized and compared three model variants using global data and regional data from two geographically distant and genetically diverging subpopulations in the Southwest Atlantic and southern Australia. The best performing model was then transferred to the rest of the world to obtain a final global prediction for the species. Predictions revealed broad suitable areas across temperate regions of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. As a final step, we overlaid underwater seamount data on suitability maps to simulate possible dispersal corridors and regional connectivity. Global subpopulation connectivity and dispersal are discussed in the light of recent genetic evidence, to help explain why unoccupied suitable areas are not currently accessed by the species. This study highlights the potential use of global and regional data for the assessment of habitat suitability of species at a global scale, and provides considerations when applying these models to other highly mobile species.

中文翻译：

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温带海洋沿海捕食者的潜在全球分布：屏障和扩散走廊对亚种群连通性的作用

在全球范围内预测物种的潜在分布和可能的扩散走廊有助于更好地了解适宜栖息地之间移动的可用性，以及区域分布之间的潜在连通性。这些信息增加了对生态和生物地理过程的了解，而且在全球范围内也有管理应用，例如，用于估计已开发区域亚种群的补充能力。作为案例研究，我们测试了环境生态位模型的效用，以调查高度流动的温带海洋沿海物种——阔鼻七鳃鲨 ( Notorynchus cepedianus ) 的潜在全球分布。）。首先，我们使用来自西南大西洋和澳大利亚南部两个地理上遥远且遗传上不同的亚群的全球数据和区域数据来表征和比较三个模型变体。然后将表现最好的模型转移到世界其他地方，以获得对该物种的最终全球预测。预测揭示了北半球和南半球温带地区的广泛适宜区域。作为最后一步，我们将水下海山数据叠加在适宜性地图上，以模拟可能的扩散走廊和区域连通性。根据最近的遗传证据讨论了全球亚种群的连通性和扩散，以帮助解释为什么该物种目前没有进入空置的合适区域。