Global patterns and a latitudinal gradient of flower disparity: perspectives from the angiosperm order Ericales
- Author(s)
- Marion Chartier, Anna Maria Louise von Balthazar-Schönenberger, Susanne Sontag, Stefan Löfstrand, Thomas Palme, Florian Jabbour, Hervé Sauquet, Jürg Schönenberger
- Abstract
Morphological diversity (disparity) is an essential but often neglected aspect of biodiversity. Hence, it seems timely and promising to re-emphasize morphology in modern evolutionary studies. Disparity is a good proxy for the diversity of functions and interactions with the environment of a group of taxa. In addition, geographical and ecological patterns of disparity are crucial to understand organismal evolution and to guide biodiversity conservation efforts.
Here, we analyse floral disparity across latitudinal intervals, growth forms, climate types, types of habitats, and regions for a large and representative sample of the angiosperm order Ericales.
We find a latitudinal gradient of floral disparity and a decoupling of disparity from species richness. Other factors investigated are intercorrelated, and we find the highest disparity for tropical trees growing in African and South American forests.
Explanations for the latitudinal gradient of floral disparity may involve the release of abiotic constraints and the increase of biotic interactions towards tropical latitudes, allowing tropical lineages to explore a broader area of the floral morphospace. Our study confirms the relevance of biodiversity parameters other than species richness and is consistent with the importance of species interactions in the tropics, in particular with respect to angiosperm flowers and their pollinators.- Organisation(s)
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research
- External organisation(s)
- Museum national d'Histoire Naturelle, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust Sydney, University of New South Wales
- Journal
- New Phytologist
- Volume
- 230
- Pages
- 821-831
- No. of pages
- 11
- ISSN
- 0028-646X
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.17195
- Publication date
- 04-2021
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 106008 Botany, 106012 Evolutionary research, 106042 Systematic botany
- Keywords
- ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Physiology, Plant Science
- Portal url
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/161b1e08-6633-416b-9905-cf6c28144c1c