Open AccessTime and tempo of diversification in the flora of N ew C aledonia
Author(s) -
Pillon Yohan
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
botanical journal of the linnean society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.872
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1095-8339
pISSN - 0024-4074
DOI - 10.1111/j.1095-8339.2012.01274.x
Subject(s) - biology , diversification (marketing strategy) , ecology , lineage (genetic) , colonization , clade , rainforest , phylogenetic tree , ecosystem , cenozoic , endemism , flora (microbiology) , paleontology , biochemistry , structural basin , gene , business , marketing , bacteria
N ew C aledonia is well known for its rich and unique flora. Many studies have focused on the biogeographical origins of N ew C aledonian plants but rates of diversification on the island have scarcely been investigated. Here, dated phylogenetic trees from selected published studies were used to evaluate the time and tempo of diversification in N ew C aledonia. The 12 plant lineages investigated all appear to have colonized the island < 37 M ya, when N ew C aledonia re‐emerged after a period of inundation, and the timing of these arrivals is spread across the second half of the C enozoic. Diversification rates are not particularly high and are negatively correlated with lineage age. The palms have the fastest diversification rates and also the most recent arrival times. The lineage ages of rainforest plants suggest that this ecosystem has been present for at least 6.9 M yr. The N ew C aledonian flora is apparently a relatively old community that may have reached a dynamic equilibrium. Colonization by new immigrants has been possible until relatively recently and diversity‐dependent processes may still be affecting the diversification rates of the earlier colonizers. Further studies on the diversification of large plant clades with exhaustive sampling should help to clarify this. © 2012 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2012, 170 , 288–298.