Authors
Nora Mitchell, Jane E Carlson, Kent E Holsinger
Publication date
2018/2
Journal
Ecology and Evolution
Volume
8
Issue
3
Pages
1853-1866
Description
Evolutionary radiations are responsible for much of Earth's diversity, yet the causes of these radiations are often elusive. Determining the relative roles of adaptation and geographic isolation in diversification is vital to understanding the causes of any radiation, and whether a radiation may be labeled as “adaptive” or not. Across many groups of plants, trait–climate relationships suggest that traits are an important indicator of how plants adapt to different climates. In particular, analyses of plant functional traits in global databases suggest that there is an “economics spectrum” along which combinations of functional traits covary along a fast–slow continuum. We examine evolutionary associations among traits and between trait and climate variables on a strongly supported phylogeny in the iconic plant genus Protea to identify correlated evolution of functional traits and the climatic‐niches that species occupy. Results …
Scholar articles
N Mitchell, JE Carlson, KE Holsinger - Ecology and Evolution, 2018