Herbarium specimens reveal a constrained seasonal climate niche despite diverged annual climates across a wildflower clade.

ABSTRACT: Quantifying species' niches across a clade reveals how environmental tolerances evolve, and offers insights into present and future distributions. We use herbarium specimens to explore climate niche evolution across 14 annual species of the Streptanthus (s.l.) clade (Brassicaceae), which originated in deserts and diversified into cooler, moister areas. To understand how climate niches evolved, we used historical climate records to estimate each species' 1) classic annual climate niche, averaged over specimen collection sites; 2) growing season niche, from estimated specimen germination date to collection date, averaged across specimens (specimen-specific niche); and 3) standardized seasonal niche based on average growing seasons of all species (clade-seasonal niche). In addit

SUBMITTER: Bontrager M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12280893 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature