印度－西太平洋熱帶海域具有全球最高的物種多樣性，此特性不僅使其在全球海洋生物多樣性、生物地理學、生態學與演化學，甚至是醫學研究上，都扮演著非常重要的角色，而且其豐富的生物資源也廣為人們利用。位於此生物地理區的中心位置的南海及其鄰近海域 “珊瑚大三角”(Coral Triangle)（涵蓋部分東南亞國家北至臺灣，西南至峇里島，東南至西太平洋上島嶼的一塊地理區域）其物種多樣性達到頂峰 。舉例來說，這裡有至少五百種的造礁珊瑚; 而珊瑚礁魚類被發現的紀錄也超過兩千種，約佔全世界的37%。

然而，此區域也有著超過1.5億的人口在此居住並依賴此海洋生態系及其衍生的產品和服務; 造就了周邊國家的生產總值（GDP）總貢獻達1.2兆美元，以及價值約一百億美元的漁業產值，佔全球市場的10.5%。不過，人們在利用海洋資源的同時也對其生態系統造成嚴重的衝擊，包括：過漁、海洋污染、棲地破壞、海洋酸化和氣候變遷等，都威脅著此區域海生態系統的健全發展及生物多樣性；如何促進海洋生物資源的永續利用是非常重要且迫切的議題。而此議題的關鍵在於全盤了解此區域的海洋生物多樣性、物種演化、族群遺傳結構和生態系現況、自然與人為活動的衝擊，以及研擬妥適的保育策略。一長期的研究計畫的研擬，針對上述議題進行探討是必要的；預期獲得的研究結果將可提出具體可行方案，做為設立海洋保護區及相關保育工作的基礎，促進海洋生物資源的永續利用與生態系健全發展。

有鑑於此，本校海洋研所陳韋仁教授從2009年任職至今，研究主題除其專長的高階真骨魚類之演化及親緣關係研究外，近年亦專注於印度－西太平洋區海洋生物多樣性探勘及生物地理學之研究 (主要與法國自然歷史博物館 [MNHN] 和法國發展研究院 [IRD] 研究團隊合作)。

圖一：台法熱帶海洋底棲動物多樣性探勘計畫 (Tropical Deep-Sea Benthos) 團隊; 拍攝於海研1號南海中沙海域

圖二：海洋底棲動物樣本採集活動

目前的研究成果除了對其多樣性現況進行了解外 (如新種 and/or 新記錄的發表, e.g., Bakar et al., 2018; Borsa et al., 2013; Ho & Chen, 2013; Fricke et al., 2014, 2017, 2019; Chen et al., 2016, 2017; Okamoto et al., 2018; Tongboonkua et al., 2018; Wang et al., 2018)

圖三:印度－西太平洋區海洋生物多樣性探勘發現之新種; 三個白鱲新種, 分別為 Gymnocranius obesus Chen, Miki & Borsa 2017; Gymnocranius superciliosus Borsa, Béarez, Paijo & Chen 2013; and Gymnocranius satoi Borsa, Béarez, Paijo & Chen 2013 (A-C); 新幾內亞長頜鮃 Chascanopsetta novaeguineae Tongboonkua, Lee & Chen 2018 (D); 巴布亞新幾內亞深海喉盤魚 Protogobiesox asymmetricus Fricke, Chen & Chen 2016 (E).

也透過系統性的採集 (主要為魚類樣本; 採集區域包括台灣; 南海; 東南亞國家如馬來西亞; 西太平洋之巴布亞紐幾內亞及新喀里多尼亞周邊海域; 西印度洋之馬達加斯加周邊海域、塞昔爾、杜拜及安曼) 與資料分析，探討海洋生物物種的多樣性模式，並透過親緣關係學的研究方法，檢驗生物演化與適應假說，解決長期存在的生物學課題：如珊瑚大三角地區及南海的高度生物多樣性是否為生物本身的演化及該地理區複雜的地質歷史、海洋環境或生態因子所造成 (e.g., Liu et al., 2014; Lo et al., 2015; Borsa et al., 2016; Hung et al., 2017; Lo et al., 2017, Bertrand et al. 2017)

圖四:Lo et al. (2015) 的研究指出, 目前廣泛分佈且主要居住於海水域的石首魚科魚類演化起源且早期分化於漸新世晚期至中新世早期的熱帶美洲, 而約在一千七百萬年前, 經一次的遷移事件進入印度-西太平洋, 並快速種化, 使得該區域目前有著比起其它海域高的物種多樣性, 約100種的石首魚在此分佈

圖五:Hung et al. (2017) 的研究指出, 目前分佈於印度-西太平洋的金線魚科魚類其物種分化及分佈與已存在或潛在的海洋生物地埋屏障(組灰線)及地區性複雜的洋流系統(藍色箭頭線)有關

這些研究工作亦是未來十年的研究重點。此外, 陳韋仁教授的研究團隊亦進行海洋生物演化基因體學的研究，主要聚焦於基因多倍化與多樣性的關係，近期也有論文報告發表 (e.g., J-C. Chen et al., 2016 [珊瑚生殖相關 dmrt 基因研究]; J-N. Chen et al., 2015 & 2018 [鰻魚基因體學研究])。

詳細研究請參照：

1. Bakar, A.A., Adamson, E.A.S., Juliana, L.H., Nor Mohd S.A., Chen, W.-J., Man, A., et al. (2018) DNA barcoding of Malaysian commercial snapper reveals an unrecognized species of the yellow-lined Lutjanus (Pisces:Lutjanidae). PLoS ONE, 13(9): e0202945.

2. Bertrand, J.A.M., Borsa, P., & Chen, W.-J. (2017) Phylogeography of the sergeants Abudefduf sexfasciatus and A. vaigiensis reveals complex introgression patterns between two widespread and sympatric Indo-West Pacific reef fishes. Molecular Ecology 26, 2527–2542.

3. Borsa, P., Béarez, P., Paijo, S., & Chen, W.-J. (2013) Gymnocranius superciliosus and Gymnocranius satoi, two new large-eye breams (Sparoidea: Lethrinidae) from the Coral Sea and adjacent regions. Comptes Rendus Biologies 336, 233-240.

4. Borsa, P., Durand, J.-D., Chen, W.-J., Nicolas, H., Muths, D., Mou-Tham, G., Kulbicki, M (2016) Comparative phylogeography of the western Indian Ocean reef fauna. Acta Oecologica 72, 72-86. 5. Chen, C.-J., Shikina, S., Chen, W.-J., Chung, Y.-J., Chiu, Y.-L., Bertrand, J.A.M., Lee, Y-.H.,& Chang, C.-F. (2016) A novel female-specific and sexual reproduction-associated Dmrt gene discovered in the stony coral, Euphyllia ancora. Biology of Reproduction 94(2) 40, 1-13.

6. Chen, J.-N., Samadi, S. & Chen, W.-J. (2015) Elopomorpha (Teleostei) as a new model fish group for evolutionary biology and comparative genomics. In Evolutionary biology: Biodiversification from genotype to phenotype. (Pontarotti, P. ed.). pp. 329-344. Switzerland: Springer-Verlag.

7. Chen, J.-N., Samadi, S., & Chen, W.-J. (2018) Rhodopsin gene evolution in early teleost fishes. PLoS ONE, 13(11): e0206918.

8. Chen, W.-J., Chen, J.-N., Pernet, E.-J., & Olu, K.(2016) First record of the coloured righteye flounder, Poecilopsetta colorata (Teleostei: Poecilopsettidae) from the Sakalaves seamounts in the Mozambique Channel. Marine Biodiversity Records 9, 83 (BioMed Central, Open access).

9. Chen, W.-J., Ho, H.-C. & Borsa, P. (2016) Taiwanese records of oblong large-eye seabream Gymnocranius oblongus (Teleostei: Lethrinidae) and other rare or undetermined large-eye seabreams. Frontiers in Marine Science 3, 107 (Open access).

10. Chen, W.-J., Miki, R., & Borsa, P. (2017) Gymnocranius obesus, a new large-eye seabream from the Coral Triangle. Comptes Rendus Biologies 340, 520-530.

11. Fricke, R., Allen, G.R., Amon, D., Andrefouet, S., Chen, W.-J., Kinch, J., Mana, R., Russell, B.C., Tully, D., & White, W.T. (2019) Checklist of the marine and estuarine fishes of New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea, western Pacific Ocean, with 810 new records. Zootaxa, 4588(1): 1–360.

12. Fricke, R., Allen, G.R., Andréfouët, S., Chen, W.-J., Hamel, M.A., Laboute, P., Mana, R., Hui, T.H., & Uyeno, D. (2014) Checklist of the marine and estuarine fishes of Madang District, Papua New Guinea, western Pacific Ocean, with 820 new records. Zootaxa 3832, 001–247.

13. Fricke, R., Chen, J.-N., & Chen, W.-J. (2017) New case of lateral asymmetry in fishes: a new subfamily, genus and species of deep water clingfishes from Papua New Guinea, western Pacific Ocean. Comptes Rendus Biologies 340, 47–62.

14. Ho, H-C., & Chen, W.-J. (2013). DNA sequences and morphological variation in Lophiodes iwamotoi Ho, Serét & Shao, 2011 based on new material from New Caledonia. Zootaxa 3682, 594-598.

15. Hung, K.-W., Russell, B.C., & Chen, W.-J. (2017) Molecular systematics of threadfin breams and relatives (Teleostei, Nemipteridae). Zoologica Scripta 46, 536-551.

16. Liu, S.-Y.V., Chang, F.-T., Borsa, P., Chen, W.-J., & Dai, C.-F. (2014) Phylogeography of the humbug damselfish, Dascyllus aruanus (Linnaeus, 1758): evidence of Indo-Pacific vicariance and genetic differentiation of peripheral populations. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 113, 931–942.

17. Lo, P.-C., Liu, S.-H., Chao, N.L., Nunoo, F.K.E, Mok, H.-K. & Chen, W.-J. (2015) A multi-gene dataset reveals a tropical New World origin and Early Miocene diversification of croakers (Perciformes: Sciaenidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 88, 132–143.

18. Lo, P.-C., Liu, S.-H.,. Mohd Nor, S.A., & Chen, W.-J. (2017) Molecular exploration of hidden diversity in the Indo-West Pacific sciaenid clade. PLoS ONE 12(4): e0176623.

19. Okamoto, M., Chen, W.-J., & Shinohara, G. (2018) Epigonus okamotoi (Perciformes: Epigonidae), a junior synonym of E. draco, with new distributional records for E. atherinoides and E. lifouensis in the West Pacific. Zootaxa, 4476 (1): 141–150.

20. Tongboonkua, T., Lee, M.-Y., & Chen, W.-J. (2018) A new species of sinistral flatfish of the genus Chascanopsetta (Teleostei: Bothidae) from off Papua New Guinea, western Pacific Ocean. Zootaxa, 4476 (1): 168–181.

21. Wang, S.-Y., Chen, J.-N., Russell, B.C., & Chen, W.-J. (2018) First record of Gauguin’s blunt-nose lizardfish, Trachinocephalus gauguini Polanco, Acero & Betancur 2016 (Teleostei: Synodontidae) outside the Marquesas Archipelago. Zootaxa, 4476 (1): 151–156.