Older Lineages of Vascular Plants in Wetlands Dominate in Habitats That Are More Ubiquitous Across the Region: A Case Study in Southern Africa.

ABSTRACT: Vascular plants that presently grow and often dominate wetland habitats are mostly derived from ancestors adapted to dry terrestrial environments. We hypothesize that recently evolved wetland lineages dominate more challenging or novel wetland environments, whereas older lineages tend to dominate widespread and more stable wetland types, likely due to greater dispersal capabilities, as wetland habitats are geologically transient. The regional wetland flora of southern Africa is investigated by listing all species that are flood-tolerant without specific adaptations, mesophytic, helophytic, and aquatic. The age in which species moved from one state to another was calculated by projecting the traits onto the phylogenetic tree of all vascular plants. Diversification rates were calculated for

SUBMITTER: Sieben EJJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12270638 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature