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Did trees grow up to the light, up to the wind, or down to the water? How modern high productivity colors perception of early plant evolution
Author(s) -
Boyce C. Kevin,
Fan Ying,
Zwieniecki Maciej A.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
new phytologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.742
H-Index - 244
eISSN - 1469-8137
pISSN - 0028-646X
DOI - 10.1111/nph.14387
Subject(s) - productivity , plant evolution , biology , photosynthesis , biological dispersal , propagule , competition (biology) , ecology , evergreen , ecosystem , devonian , botany , paleontology , population , biochemistry , demography , macroeconomics , genome , sociology , economics , gene
ContentsSummary 552 I. Introduction 552 II. Productivity before the angiosperm radiation 553 III. Reaching for the light? 554 IV. Why trees? 555 V. Conclusions 555Acknowledgements 556References 556Summary Flowering plants can be far more productive than other living land plants. Evidence is reviewed that productivity would have been uniformly lower and less CO 2 ‐responsive before angiosperm evolution, particularly during the early evolution of vascular plants and forests in the Devonian and Carboniferous. This introduces important challenges because paleoecological interpretations have been rooted in understanding of modern angiosperm‐dominated ecosystems. One key example is tree evolution: although often thought to reflect competition for light, light limitation is unlikely for plants with such low photosynthetic potential. Instead, during this early evolution, the capacities of trees for enhanced propagule dispersal, greater leaf area, and deep‐rooting access to nutrients and the water table are all deemed more fundamental potential drivers than light.