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Understanding the underlying drivers of biodiversity is essential for conservation planning of large, connected seascapes. We tested how patterns in α and β components of species and functional diversity of coral reef fish (214, species, 23 families) varied along the extensive Chagos-Lakshadweep oceanic ridge (the largest chain of mid-oceanic atolls in the Indian Ocean) and evaluated geomorphological, environmental, and anthropogenic predictors of diversity patterns. α and β diversity (species and functional) showed contrasting patterns along the ridge; richness and α diversity decreased towards the north and were influenced by anthropogenic pressures, while β diversity increased towards the north, along environmental gradients and with geographic distance. Species β diversity was dominated by turnover (> 80%), while functional β diversity was dominated by nestedness (> 60%). Geographically distant …