Occupation of bare habitats, an evolutionary precursor to soil specialization in plants.

ABSTRACT: Plant soil specialists contribute greatly to global diversity; however, the ecoevolutionary forces responsible for generating this diversity are poorly understood. We integrate molecular phylogenies with descriptive and experimental ecological data, creating a powerful framework with which to elucidate forces driving soil specialization. Hypotheses explaining edaphic specialization have historically focused on costs of adaptation to elements (e.g., nickel, calcium/magnesium) and accompanying tradeoffs in competitive ability in benign soils. We combine in situ microhabitat data for 37 streptanthoid species (Brassicaceae), soil analyses, and competition experiments with their phylogeny to reconstruct selective forces generating serpentine soil endemism, which has four to five independent ori

SUBMITTER: Cacho NI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4210328 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature