Sea Snake Diversification: Why Are Certain Taxa And Regions Species-Rich?

通过产生具有生态和医学重要性的澳大拉西亚生物的新知识，该项目将有利于生物多样性管理、蛇咬伤治疗和药物研究。海蛇在印度-澳大利亚热点地区达到多样性的顶峰，受到栖息地退化、渔业兼捕和海洋温度上升的威胁。海蛇保护和海洋保护区管理战略将直接受益于更好地了解当地特有现象、物种边界和可能的神秘物种。海蛇剧毒，对渔民的健康构成重大威胁；毒液变异具有很强的系统发育成分，在抗蛇毒制剂和生物勘探中至关重要。

By generating new knowledge of ecologically and medically important Australasian organisms, this project will benefit biodiversity management, snakebite therapy and pharmaceutical research. Sea snakes reach peak diversity in the Indo-Australian hotspot and are threatened by habitat degradation, fisheries bycatch and rising sea temperatures. Sea snake conservation and marine reserve management strategies will directly benefit from a better understanding of local endemism, species boundaries and possible cryptic species. Sea snakes are highly venomous and pose a significant health risk in fishing communities; venom variation has a strong phylogenetic component and is of vital importance in antivenom preparation and bioprospecting.