The negative part of this axis is represented by the families Solasteridae,
Echinometridae, Sclerodactylidae and the order Cassiduloida. All of them are
present in the Caribbean, West Indian and Brazilian provinces, and even in the
warm Pacific coasts. But they are not present in the Canary Islands or the Eastern
South America region. It indicates a common tropical origin, after the separation
Fig. 16.21 Multivariate analysis nMDS plot of distance-related echinoderm species assemblage
structure from the a the Pacific taxonomic list and b the Caribbean and Atlantic taxonomic list,
based on species presence/absence matrix by habitat category using Bray-Curtis similarity
measure
16 Latin America Echinoderm Biodiversity and Biogeography
537
Echinometridae, Sclerodactylidae and the order Cassiduloida. All of them are
present in the Caribbean, West Indian and Brazilian provinces, and even in the
warm Pacific coasts. But they are not present in the Canary Islands or the Eastern
South America region. It indicates a common tropical origin, after the separation
Fig. 16.21 Multivariate analysis nMDS plot of distance-related echinoderm species assemblage
structure from the a the Pacific taxonomic list and b the Caribbean and Atlantic taxonomic list,
based on species presence/absence matrix by habitat category using Bray-Curtis similarity
measure
16 Latin America Echinoderm Biodiversity and Biogeography
537