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Inferring differential evolutionary processes of plant persistence traits in Northern Hemisphere Mediterranean fire‐prone ecosystems
Author(s) -
PAUSAS J. G.,
KEELEY J. E.,
VERDÚ M.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.452
H-Index - 181
eISSN - 1365-2745
pISSN - 0022-0477
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2745.2005.01092.x
Subject(s) - mediterranean basin , mediterranean climate , ecology , biology , ecosystem , persistence (discontinuity) , trait , structural basin , propagule , propagule pressure , phylogenetic tree , biological dispersal , demography , geology , paleontology , population , geotechnical engineering , sociology , programming language , biochemistry , gene , computer science
Summary1 Resprouting capacity (R) and propagule‐persistence (P) are traits that are often considered to have evolved where there are predictable crown fires. Because several indicators suggest a stronger selective pressure for such traits in California than in the Mediterranean Basin, we hypothesize that plant species should have evolved to become R+ and P+ more frequently in California than in the Mediterranean Basin. 2 To test this hypothesis we studied the phylogenetic association between R and P states in both California and the Mediterranean Basin using published molecular phylogenies. 3 The results suggest that R and P evolved differently in the two regions. The occurrence of the states differs significantly between regions for trait P, but not for trait R. The different patterns (towards R+ and P+ in California and towards R+ and P– in the Mediterranean Basin) are reflected in the higher abundance and the wider taxonomic distribution of species with both persistence traits (R+P+ species) in California. 4 The differential acquisition of fire persistence mechanisms at the propagule level (P+) supports the idea that fire selective pressures has been higher in California than in the Mediterranean Basin. 5 Our comparative phylogenetic‐informed analysis contributes to an understanding of the differential role of the Quaternary climate in determining fire persistence traits in different Mediterranean‐type ecosystems and, thus, to the debate on the evolutionary convergence of traits.