The megaherbivore gap after the non-avian dinosaur extinctions modified trait evolution and diversification of tropical palms

Onstein, Renske E.; Kissling, W. Daniel; Linder, H. Peter

doi:10.1098/rspb.2021.2633

Cited by 13 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 77 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This includes diversity in floral traits, fruits, wood anatomy and leaves (Chartier et al, 2021; Lim et al, 2020; Onstein et al, 2019; Swenson et al 2012). This functional diversity may have resulted, at least in part, from major climatic and geological events during earth history that influenced trait evolution and diversification (Ackerly, 2004; Benton et al, 2022; Blonder et al, 2014; Carvalho et al, 2021; Onstein et al, 2022). Conversely, the evolution of novel traits may also have predisposed lineages to colonize and establish in new environments, if those traits provided a fitness advantage in the new environment (‘pre‐adaptation’ or ‘exaptation’, Gould & Vrba, 1982).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Pre‐adaptation and adaptation shape trait‐environment matching in the Neotropics

Velásquez-Puentes

Torke

Barratt

et al. 2023

Global Ecol Biogeogr

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

AimFunctional traits shape the distribution of taxa across environments. However, it remains unclear whether trait and environmental niche evolution are correlated, and what happened first: trait change facilitating environment shifts (pre‐adaptation) or environmental change leading to trait change (adaptation). We focus on a species‐rich Neotropical legume radiation to shed light on this enigma.LocationNeotropics.Time PeriodCenozoic.Major Taxa StudiedFabaceae: Papilionoidae: Swartzia.MethodsWe assembled leaflet, fruit and petal size data from monographs and herbarium collections for 86 to 96% of the c. 180 Swartzia species, inferred a dated Swartzia phylogenetic tree from existing DNA sequences covering 38% of the species and integrated these with distribution, soil and climate data. We used phylogenetic linear regression to quantify trait–environment relationships and applied comparative methods to evaluate modes of correlated evolution between traits and environments.ResultsLeaflet and petal size were strongly linked to climate, while fruit size was not associated with climate or soil characteristics. Evolutionary transitions to relatively low rainfall and low temperature environments were conditional on the evolution of small leaflets, whereas transitions to wet and warm environments were preceded by the evolution of larger leaflets. In contrast, transitions to the warmest or coldest environments were followed, rather than preceded, by petal loss.Main ConclusionOur results show that the macroevolution of functional traits has influenced the broad‐scale distribution of Swartzia across Neotropical rainforest, seasonally dry, montane and inundated habitats. We suggest that trait evolution is conditional on environmental change but both pre‐adaptive and adaptive processes may occur. These processes are important to understand the distribution of diversity at both regional (e.g. Amazonia) and global biogeographical scales.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is thus expected that the evolution of plant traits has been shaped by environmental changes and potential shifts to new environmental conditions (e.g. Blonder et al, 2014; Onstein et al, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pre‐adaptation and adaptation shape trait‐environment matching in the Neotropics

Velásquez-Puentes

Torke

Barratt

et al. 2023

Global Ecol Biogeogr

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Furthermore, fruits (and seeds) represent important functional traits for plants as they influence fitness and survival via effects on dispersal, reproduction and regeneration (Eriksson, 2008; Alzate & Onstein, 2022). Interactions with megafauna have therefore shaped the evolution of interaction‐relevant plant traits, such as fruit size (Eriksson, 2008; Dantas & Pausas, 2020; Onstein et al ., 2022). Consequently, the theoretical prediction is that vertebrate‐dispersed fruits have evolved to be largest in places where megafauna have been abundant throughout geological time, such as in mainland Africa (Mack, 1993).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Africa as an evolutionary arena for large fruits

Wölke,

Cabral,

Lim

et al. 2023

New Phytologist

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Summary Strong paleoclimatic change and few Late Quaternary megafauna extinctions make mainland Africa unique among continents. Here, we hypothesize that, compared with elsewhere, these conditions created the ecological opportunity for the macroevolution and geographic distribution of large fruits. We assembled global phylogenetic, distribution and fruit size data for palms (Arecaceae), a pantropical, vertebrate‐dispersed family with > 2600 species, and integrated these with data on extinction‐driven body size reduction in mammalian frugivore assemblages since the Late Quaternary. We applied evolutionary trait, linear and null models to identify the selective pressures that have shaped fruit sizes. We show that African palm lineages have evolved towards larger fruit sizes and exhibited faster trait evolutionary rates than lineages elsewhere. Furthermore, the global distribution of the largest palm fruits across species assemblages was explained by occurrence in Africa, especially under low canopies, and extant megafauna, but not by mammalian downsizing. These patterns strongly deviated from expectations under a null model of stochastic (Brownian motion) evolution. Our results suggest that Africa provided a distinct evolutionary arena for palm fruit size evolution. We argue that megafaunal abundance and the expansion of savanna habitat since the Miocene provided selective advantages for the persistence of African plants with large fruits.

show abstract

“…Establishing an accurate timeline for the diversification of life on Earth is integral to understanding major events in evolutionary history and linking these to the history of the planet. Phylogenies scaled to absolute time underpin our understanding of the interplay between biology and geology (Mills et al 2022, Palazessi et al 2022, the interactions between lineages across deep time (Strassert et al 2021, Asar et al 2022, Onstein et al 2022, the movement of clades across the globe (O'Hara et al 2019, Landis et al 2022, and the tempo and mode by which ecological, molecular and morphological novelties have emerged (Jabłońska & Tawfik 2021, Coombs et al 2022, Mongiardino Koch et al 2022, Suissa & Friedman 2022. Two distinct sources of information are used to infer divergence times: character datasets for the species under study, which reflect their relative degrees of divergence; and temporal constraints that help translate these into absolute times (Donoghue & Benton 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inaccurate fossil placement does not compromise tip-dated divergence times

Koch

Garwood

2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Time-scaled phylogenies underpin the interrogation of evolutionary processes across deep timescales, as well as attempts to link these to Earth's history. By inferring the placement of fossils and using their ages as temporal constraints, tip dating under the fossilised-birth death (FBD) process provides a coherent prior on divergence times. At the same time, it also links topological and temporal accuracy, as incorrectly placed fossil terminals should misinform divergence times. This could pose serious issues for obtaining accurate node ages, yet the interaction between topological and temporal error has not been thoroughly explored. We simulate phylogenies and associated morphological datasets using methodologies that incorporate evolution under selection, and are benchmarked against empirical datasets. We find that datasets of moderate sizes (300 characters) and realistic levels of missing data generally succeed in inferring the correct placement of fossils on a constrained extant backbone topology, and that true node ages are usually contained within Bayesian posterior distributions. While increased fossil sampling improves the accuracy of inferred ages, topological and temporal errors do not seem to be linked: analyses in which fossils resolve less accurately do not exhibit elevated errors in node age estimates. At the same time, divergence times are systematically biased, a pattern that stems from a mismatch between the FBD prior and the shape of our simulated trees. While these results are encouraging, suggesting even fossils with uncertain affinities can provide useful temporal information, they also emphasise that paleontological information cannot overturn discrepancies between model priors and the true diversification history.

show abstract

The megaherbivore gap after the non-avian dinosaur extinctions modified trait evolution and diversification of tropical palms

Cited by 13 publications

References 77 publications

Pre‐adaptation and adaptation shape trait‐environment matching in the Neotropics

Pre‐adaptation and adaptation shape trait‐environment matching in the Neotropics

Africa as an evolutionary arena for large fruits

Inaccurate fossil placement does not compromise tip-dated divergence times

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About