Global Diversification Rates of Ferns Across Spatial and Climatic Gradients.

ABSTRACT: Geographic patterns of diversity in any group of plants are the result of the interplay of environmental conditions and the evolutionary dynamics of the respective plant group. Here, the geographic distribution of current mean diversification rates (MDR) is explored at the genus level for ferns and relate it to climatic conditions and regional species richness. It is found that MDR is highest at tropical latitudes and in humid and hot environments, and is influenced primarily by current climate (rather than historical climate change), by precipitation-related variables (rather than temperature-related ones), and roughly equally by climate extremes and seasonality. Furthermore, a positive relationship between MDR and fern species density is found, with the latter being more strongly directl

SUBMITTER: Qian H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12806278 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature