TY - JOUR
T1 - Modern Quaternary plant lineages promote diversity through facilitation of ancient Tertiary lineages
AU - Valiente-Banuet, Alfonso
AU - Rumebe, Adolfo Vital
AU - Verdú, Miguel
AU - Callaway, Ragan M.
PY - 2006/11/7
Y1 - 2006/11/7
N2 - One of the most important floristic sorting periods to affect modern plant communities occurred during the shift from the wet Tertiary period to the unusually dry Quaternary, when most global deserts developed. During this time, a wave of new plant species emerged, presumably in response to the new climate. Interestingly, most Tertiary species that have been tracked through the fossil record did not disappear but remained relatively abundant despite the development of a much more unfavorable climate for species adapted to moist conditions. Here we find, by integrating paleobotanical, ecological, and phylogenetic analyses, that a large number of ancient Tertiary species in Mediterranean-climate ecosystems appear to have been preserved by the facilitative or "nurse" effects of modern Quaternary species. Our results indicate that these interdependent relationships among plants have played a central role in the preservation of the global biodiversity and provided a mechanism for stabilizing selection and the conservation of ecological traits over evolutionary time scales.
AB - One of the most important floristic sorting periods to affect modern plant communities occurred during the shift from the wet Tertiary period to the unusually dry Quaternary, when most global deserts developed. During this time, a wave of new plant species emerged, presumably in response to the new climate. Interestingly, most Tertiary species that have been tracked through the fossil record did not disappear but remained relatively abundant despite the development of a much more unfavorable climate for species adapted to moist conditions. Here we find, by integrating paleobotanical, ecological, and phylogenetic analyses, that a large number of ancient Tertiary species in Mediterranean-climate ecosystems appear to have been preserved by the facilitative or "nurse" effects of modern Quaternary species. Our results indicate that these interdependent relationships among plants have played a central role in the preservation of the global biodiversity and provided a mechanism for stabilizing selection and the conservation of ecological traits over evolutionary time scales.
KW - Conservatism
KW - Mediterranean-type ecosystems
KW - Mexical shrubland
KW - Phylogenetic niche
KW - Plant facilitation
KW - Stabilizing selection
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33750961251&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1073/pnas.0604933103
DO - 10.1073/pnas.0604933103
M3 - Article
C2 - 17068126
AN - SCOPUS:33750961251
SN - 0027-8424
VL - 103
SP - 16812
EP - 16817
JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
IS - 45
ER -