Global Biogeography and Diversification History of Palms

TY - ABST

T1 - Global Biogeography and Diversification History of Palms

AU - Baker, William J.

AU - Eiserhardt, Wolf L.

AU - Kissling, W. Daniel

AU - Svenning, J.-C.

AU - Couvreur, Thomas L.P.

N1 - Conference code: 5th

PY - 2013

Y1 - 2013

N2 - Recent biogeographic and ecoinformatic studies of palms provide a global context for the spatio-temporal evolution of palms and the tropical rain forests that they inhabit. Palms display high rain forest niche conservatism, with >90% of species occurring in this biome. The global distribution of clades and species richness is highly structured, suggestive of complex, differentiated patterns of evolutionary drivers. Macroecological studies show that palm species richness is globally contingent on climatic variables typical of the humid tropics, while island palm floras are also influenced by area and habitat heterogeneity variables. Incorporation of phylogenetic evidence reveals strong imprints of in situ diversification in the Neotropics and on islands, of biotic interchange, and of forest loss in Africa. We inferred an origin for palms in the mid-Cretaceous of Laurasia, which is significant for our understanding of rain forests because fossil evidence for this biome prior to the Palaeocene is weak. Lineage diversification in palms has proceeded in a constant manner from 100 Ma at least until the Miocene, conforming to the museum model of diversification. Since the Miocene, diversification rates of species-rich lineages have increased, consistent with ecoinformatic evidence for the role of in situ radiations on islands and the Neotropics identified above. Species-level phylogenetic studies and ecoinformatic analyses of the impact of past climate change, geological processes and sea level change on palm diversity are now required to add essential detail to the broad global picture given here.

AB - Recent biogeographic and ecoinformatic studies of palms provide a global context for the spatio-temporal evolution of palms and the tropical rain forests that they inhabit. Palms display high rain forest niche conservatism, with >90% of species occurring in this biome. The global distribution of clades and species richness is highly structured, suggestive of complex, differentiated patterns of evolutionary drivers. Macroecological studies show that palm species richness is globally contingent on climatic variables typical of the humid tropics, while island palm floras are also influenced by area and habitat heterogeneity variables. Incorporation of phylogenetic evidence reveals strong imprints of in situ diversification in the Neotropics and on islands, of biotic interchange, and of forest loss in Africa. We inferred an origin for palms in the mid-Cretaceous of Laurasia, which is significant for our understanding of rain forests because fossil evidence for this biome prior to the Palaeocene is weak. Lineage diversification in palms has proceeded in a constant manner from 100 Ma at least until the Miocene, conforming to the museum model of diversification. Since the Miocene, diversification rates of species-rich lineages have increased, consistent with ecoinformatic evidence for the role of in situ radiations on islands and the Neotropics identified above. Species-level phylogenetic studies and ecoinformatic analyses of the impact of past climate change, geological processes and sea level change on palm diversity are now required to add essential detail to the broad global picture given here.

M3 - Conference abstract for conference

T2 - International Conference on Comarative Biology of Monocotyledons

Y2 - 7 July 2013 through 13 July 2013

ER -