The distribution of species diversity across a flora's component lineages: dating the Cape's 'relicts'

Warren, B. H. and Hawkins, J. A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9048-8016 (2006) The distribution of species diversity across a flora's component lineages: dating the Cape's 'relicts'. Proceedings of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences, 273 (1598). pp. 2149-2158. ISSN 0962-8452 doi: 10.1098/rspb.2006.3560

Abstract/Summary

The Cape Floristic Region is exceptionally species-rich both for its area and latitude, and this diversity is highly unevenly distributed among genera. The modern flora is hypothesized to result largely from recent (post-Oligocene) speciation, and it has long been speculated that particular species-poor lineages pre-date this burst of speciation. Here, we employ molecular phylogenetic data in combination with fossil calibrations to estimate the minimum duration of Cape occupation by 14 unrelated putative relicts. Estimates vary widely between lineages (7-101 Myr ago), and when compared with the estimated timing of onset of the modern flora's radiation, it is clear that many, but possibly not all, of these lineages pre-date its establishment. Statistical comparisons of diversities with lineage age show that low species diversity of many of the putative relicts results from a lower rate of diversification than in dated Cape radiations. In other putative relicts, however, we cannot reject the possibility that they diversify at the same underlying rate as the radiations, but have been present in the Cape for insufficient time to accumulate higher diversity. Although the extremes in diversity of currently dated Cape lineages fall outside expectations under a underlying diversification rate, sampling of all Cape lineages would be required to reject this null hypothesis.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/10252
Item Type	Article
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Life Sciences > School of Biological Sciences
Uncontrolled Keywords	Cape flora, palaeoendemics, relict lineages, phylogeny, divergence times, SOUTHERN-AFRICA, PLANT DIVERSITY, DIVERGENCE TIME, RADIATION, EVOLUTION, PHYLOGENY, SPECIATION, REGIONS, ORIGIN, GENERA
Download/View statistics	View download statistics for this item