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Late Quaternary climate legacies in contemporary plant functional composition
Author(s) -
Blonder Benjamin,
Enquist Brian J.,
Graae Bente J.,
Kattge Jens,
Maitner Brian S.,
MoruetaHolme Naia,
Ordonez Alejandro,
Šímová Irena,
Singarayer Joy,
Svenning JensChristian,
Valdes Paul J.,
Violle Cyrille
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
global change biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.146
H-Index - 255
eISSN - 1365-2486
pISSN - 1354-1013
DOI - 10.1111/gcb.14375
Subject(s) - quaternary , climate change , composition (language) , ecology , environmental science , earth science , geography , physical geography , geology , paleontology , biology , art , literature
The functional composition of plant communities is commonly thought to be determined by contemporary climate. However, if rates of climate‐driven immigration and/or exclusion of species are slow, then contemporary functional composition may be explained by paleoclimate as well as by contemporary climate. We tested this idea by coupling contemporary maps of plant functional trait composition across North and South America to paleoclimate means and temporal variation in temperature and precipitation from the Last Interglacial (120 ka) to the present. Paleoclimate predictors strongly improved prediction of contemporary functional composition compared to contemporary climate predictors, with a stronger influence of temperature in North America (especially during periods of ice melting) and of precipitation in South America (across all times). Thus, climate from tens of thousands of years ago influences contemporary functional composition via slow assemblage dynamics.