Evolutionary diversity in tropical tree communities peaks at intermediate precipitation.

ABSTRACT: Global patterns of species and evolutionary diversity in plants are primarily determined by a temperature gradient, but precipitation gradients may be more important within the tropics, where plant species richness is positively associated with the amount of rainfall. The impact of precipitation on the distribution of evolutionary diversity, however, is largely unexplored. Here we detail how evolutionary diversity varies along precipitation gradients by bringing together a comprehensive database on the composition of angiosperm tree communities across lowland tropical South America (2,025 inventories from wet to arid biomes), and a new, large-scale phylogenetic hypothesis for the genera that occur in these ecosystems. We find a marked reduction in the evolutionary diversity of communities

SUBMITTER: Neves DM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6981197 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature