Open AccessPhylogenetic niche conservatism and variations in species diversity–climate relationships
Author(s) -
Wang Qinggang,
Li Yaoqi,
Zou Dongting,
Su Xiangyan,
Cai Hongyu,
Luo Ao,
Jiang Ke,
Zhang Xiaoling,
Xu Xiaoting,
Shrestha Nawal,
Wang Zhiheng
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
ecography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.973
H-Index - 128
eISSN - 1600-0587
pISSN - 0906-7590
DOI - 10.1111/ecog.05759
Subject(s) - ecological niche , ecology , biology , clade , niche , phylogenetic tree , phylogenetic diversity , species diversity , habitat , biochemistry , gene
Although contemporary climate has been identified as one of the major determinants of large‐scale species diversity patterns, its effect on species diversity greatly varies among clades. Understanding the drivers of the variation in species diversity–climate relationships (DCRs) across clades, which is critical for developing general mechanisms underlying the effects of climate on species diversity patterns, remains a current challenge. Using newly compiled distribution data of 914 Rosaceae species in China and a dated genus‐level phylogeny, we first assessed the DCRs for the entire family, the two major growth forms (woody versus herbaceous), and each genus separately, and then explored the drivers underlying the variation in DCRs across different clades. We found that the DCRs significantly differed between woody and herbaceous plants and among different genera in this family. Closely related genera had more similar species diversity patterns and DCRs than expected. Both the ancestral climate niches of different genera and the discrepancy between contemporary and ancestral climate niches explained the variations in DCR slopes across genera with high explanatory power, indicating the effect of niche conservatism on DCRs. Our study suggests that niche conservatism is a major driver of DCR variations between clades, which enhances our understanding of the mechanisms underlying large‐scale species diversity patterns.