Pollen morphology, deep learning, phylogenetics, and the evolution of environmental adaptations in Podocarpus.

ABSTRACT: Podocarpus pollen morphology is shaped by both phylogenetic history and the environment. We analyzed the relationship between pollen traits quantified using deep learning and environmental factors within a comparative phylogenetic framework. We investigated the influence of mean annual temperature, annual precipitation, altitude, and solar radiation in driving morphological change. We used trait-environment regression models to infer the temperature tolerances of 31 Neotropical Podocarpidites fossils. Ancestral state reconstructions were applied to the Podocarpus phylogeny with and without the inclusion of fossils. Our results show that temperature and solar radiation influence pollen morphology, with thermal stress driving an increase in pollen size and higher ultraviolet B radiation sele

SUBMITTER: Adaime ME 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12222922 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature