Phylogenetic diversity sheds light on the evolution of the unique fern flora of Mount Kinabalu, Borneo.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

Mount Kinabalu is an isolated, geologically young mountain (Pliocene and early Pleistocene) in northern Borneo harbouring a highly diverse flora with a high level of endemism. It is one of the global centres of fern diversity, but how this diversity has evolved has not been studied to date. We assess patterns of evolutionary legacies in the fern flora of Mount Kinabalu, with an emphasis on testing the tropical niche conservatism hypothesis.

Methods

We used several metrics of phylogenetic structure, including phylogenetic diversity (PD), mean nearest taxon distance (MNTD), mean pairwise distance (MPD), and their respective standardized effect sizes (PDses, MNTDses and MPDses), which represent different depths of evolutionary history, to investigate pattern

SUBMITTER: Qian H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12064423 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature