Giant clams are common across a broad geographic range and contribute important ecological functions within coral reef environments. However, giant clams are subject to considerable harvest pressure and require careful management that is underpinned by accurate data collection. The taxonomy of giant clams has undergone many changes, and recently, Tridacna noae (Röding 1798) has been resurrected as a valid species, distinct fro...

Aim Climate change is driving biogeographic change globally, including poleward range shifts of species and the increasing abundance of rare species. We examine spatiotemporal patterns in the occurrences of tropical, subtropical and rare marine fishes in Aotearoa New Zealand to determine whether biodiversity change is occurring in this temperate region and to set a baseline for future monitoring of climate change impacts. Loca...

Aim Lineages colonizing subtropical oceanic islands often have to overcome geographical isolation and novel climate stressors to found new populations. Historical and ecological factors influence the success of colonization and subsequent diversification, leaving a signal in the genetic constitution of the diverged, range‐restricted taxa. Here, we examined the historical biogeography of endemic marine fishes to quantify the ro...

Genetic diversity within species represents a fundamental yet underappreciated level of biodiversity. Because genetic diversity can indicate species resilience to changing climate, its measurement is relevant to many national and global conservation policy targets. Many studies produce large amounts of genome‐scale genetic diversity data for wild populations, but most (87%) do not include the associated spatial and temporal me...

Aim We consider the opportunities and challenges comparative phylogeography (CP) faces in the genomic age to determine: (1) how we can maximise the potential of big CP analyses to advance biogeographic and macroevolutionary theory; and (2) what we can, and will struggle, to achieve using CP approaches in this era of genomics. Location World‐wide. Taxon All. Methods We review the literature to discuss the future of CP ‐ particu...

The delineation of species and their evolutionary relationships informs our understanding of biogeography and how regional faunas are assembled. The peripheral geography and local environment of reefs in the subtropical South Pacific likely promotes the allopatric and adaptive divergence of taxa colonising from the tropics; however, the fauna of this region has been relatively understudied. Here, we address the taxonomic and e...

The genetic diversity of populations plays a crucial role in ensuring species and ecosystem resilience to threats such as climate change and habitat degradation. Despite this recognized importance of genetic diversity, and its relevance to the Convention on Biological Diversity and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, it remains difficult to observe and synthesize genetic data at a national scale. The “Ira Moana—G...

Interactions among selection, gene flow, and drift affect the trajectory of adaptive evolution. In natural populations, the direction and magnitude of these processes can be variable across different spatial, temporal, or ontogenetic scales. Consequently, variability in evolutionary processes affects the predictability or stochasticity of microevolutionary outcomes. We studied an intertidal fish, Bathygobius cocosensis (Bleeke...

A correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-021-01376-9

A recent Molecular Ecology editorial made a proactive statement of support for the “Nagoya Protocol” and the principle of benefit‐sharing by requiring authors to provide a “Data Accessibility and Benefit‐Sharing Statement” in their articles. Here, we encourage another step that enables Indigenous communities to provide their own definitions and aspirations for access and benefit‐sharing alongside the author's “Statement”. We i...

Aim Phylogenies are increasingly used in community ecology, biogeography and macroecology. However, sourcing a phylogeny comprising the entire species pool for a focal region can be difficult. Typically, a bespoke phylogeny must be created requiring considerable data manipulation and the use of many standalone software packages. Here we present a suite of methodological tools within the popular R environment that help to build...

Aim To test hypothesized biogeographic partitions of the tropical Indo‐Pacific Ocean with phylogeographic data from 56 taxa, and to evaluate the strength and nature of barriers emerging from this test. Location The Indo‐Pacific Ocean. Time period Pliocene through the Holocene. Major taxa studied Fifty‐six marine species. Methods We tested eight biogeographic hypotheses for partitioning of the Indo‐Pacific using a novel modific...

Aim To determine which seascape features have shaped the spatial genetic patterns of coral reef fishes, and to identify common patterns among species related to dispersal traits [egg type and pelagic larval duration ( PLD )]. Location Indian and Pacific Oceans, including the Indo‐Australian Archipelago. Methods We sampled coral reef fishes with differing dispersal traits ( Pomacentrus coelestis , Dascyllus trimaculatus , Hailc...

Genetic data are being generated at unprecedented rates. Policies of many journals, institutions and funding bodies aim to ensure that these data are publicly archived so that published results are reproducible. Additionally, publicly archived data can be ‘repurposed’ to address new questions in the future. In 2011, along with other leading journals in ecology and evolution, Molecular Ecology implemented mandatory public data...

New Zealand has experienced a complex climatic and geological history since the Pliocene. Thus, identifying the processes most important in having driven the evolution of New Zealand's biota has proven difficult. Here we examine the phylogeography of the New Zealand common skink ( Oligosoma nigriplantare polychroma ) which is distributed throughout much of New Zealand and crosses many putative biogeographical boundaries. Using...

Island ecosystems provide an opportunity to examine a range of evolutionary and ecological processes. The Chatham Islands are an isolated archipelago situated approximately 800 km east of New Zealand. Geological evidence indicates that the Chatham Islands re‐emerged within the last 1–4 million years, following a prolonged period of marine inundation, and therefore the resident flora and fauna is the result of long‐distance ove...