On the origin of northern and southern hemisphere grasslands

Bredenkamp, G.J.; Spada, Francesco; Kaźmierczak, Ewa

doi:10.1023/a:1020957807971

Cited by 131 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 88 publications

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“…AM fungal community richness was consistently higher in grasslands than in forests (Fig. 3E), whereas the converse was true of the local taxon SCIENCE sciencemag.org 28 turnover rate (beta diversity) (Fig. 3F), and the total richness (gamma diversity) recorded in the two habitats was similar (Fig.…”

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confidence: 94%

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Global assessment of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus diversity reveals very low endemism

Davison

Moora

Öpik

et al. 2015

Science

681

578

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The global biogeography of microorganisms remains largely unknown, in contrast to the well-studied diversity patterns of macroorganisms. We used arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus DNA from 1014 plant-root samples collected worldwide to determine the global distribution of these plant symbionts. We found that AM fungal communities reflected local environmental conditions and the spatial distance between sites. However, despite AM fungi apparently possessing limited dispersal ability, we found 93% of taxa on multiple continents and 34% on all six continents surveyed. This contrasts with the high spatial turnover of other fungal taxa and with the endemism displayed by plants at the global scale. We suggest that the biogeography of AM fungi is driven by unexpectedly efficient dispersal, probably via both abiotic and biotic vectors, including humans.

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confidence: 94%

“…1B). Thus, despite grassland biomes having originated during the Eocene (making them an order of magnitude younger than the first AM fungi) (28), they have become a favorable habitat for AM fungi. Vascular plants exhibit a similar pattern: Higher small-scale richness is observed in grasslands (29), but total richness is higher in forests (30).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Global assessment of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus diversity reveals very low endemism

Davison

Moora

Öpik

et al. 2015

Science

681

578

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“…The current climatic conditions and the depth of the soils in the Brazilian Pampa have been considered favorable for the development of forests, although no extensive expansion of tree populations is observed in this biome (Bredekamp et al 2002, Pillar 2003, Roesch et al 2009). Consequently, the question remains: which features are determinants in precluding the expansion of the tree populations over the grassland in the Pampa Biome?…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling distribution of Schinus molle L. in the Brazilian Pampa: insights on vegetation dynamics and conservation of the biome

et al. 2014

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Abstract. Natural establishment of forests in the Brazilian Pampa biome should occur due to soil, hydrology and climate conditions, although no significant forest expansion over grassland has been noticed, precluded mainly by human interference and lack of environmental management. In this study, we used niche-modeling distribution of the tree species Schinus molle L. based on climatic variables to access the vegetation dynamics of the Brazilian Pampa and to develop strategies that assure the conservation of this biome, concerning both grassland and forest formations. Here we show that a large area of the Brazilian Pampa is suitable for expansion of S. molle populations, supporting the forest expansion over grassland as a natural process in this biome. We propose that the current absence of tree species expansion over the grassland in these areas is a result of the resilience of the grassland and of human interferences through expansion of agriculture, ranching and forestry with exotic species. Therefore, conservationist actions should focus on establishing preservation unities that include forest populations and grassland, while environmental management should be applied just in farming areas with historical human interference. Such actions will respect the ecological dynamics of the Pampa and value the forest formations in this grassland-dominated environment.

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“…These woody lineages are adapted to the unique ecological and abiotic features of the grassland biome, which include particular rainfall regimes, nutrient availability and generally low competition for light (Parr, Lehmann, Bond, Hoffmann, & Andersen, 2014), and they thus allow us to define the biome even though they do not represent the dominant life-forms within it. Palaeoecological evidence indicates that grasses evolved ~70-55 Ma (Kellogg, 2001) and gradually extended their distribution into tropical woodland (Bredenkamp, Spada, & Kazmierczak, 2002), but that the rapid spread of grasses came only later ~45-30 Ma triggered by increases in global aridity (Zachos, Pagani, Sloan, Thomas, & Billups, 2001) and mediated by frequent disturbances such as fire and animal grazing (Bond, Midgley, & Woodward, 2003;Woodward, Lomas, & Kelly, 2004). Flammable C 4 grasses appeared ~30-25 Ma in the tropical and arid regions of Africa when atmospheric CO 2 was low, and climatic conditions were hot and dry (Kellogg, 2001), and are then thought to have spread rapidly into other plant biomes ~8-4 Ma (Woodward et al, 2004).…”

Section: Phyloregions and The Origins Of The Vegetation Types Of Somentioning

confidence: 99%

Unravelling the evolutionary origins of biogeographic assemblages

Daru

Bank

Davies

2017

Diversity and Distributions

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Aim Floristic and faunal diversity fall within species assemblages that can be grouped into distinct biomes or ecoregions. Understanding the origins of such biogeographic assemblages helps illuminate the processes shaping present‐day diversity patterns and identifies regions with unique or distinct histories. While the fossil record is often sparse, dated phylogenies can provide a window into the evolutionary past of these regions. Here, we present a novel phylogenetic approach to investigate the evolutionary origins of present‐day biogeographic assemblages and highlight their conservation value. Location Southern Africa. Methods We evaluate the evolutionary turnover separating species clusters in space at different time slices to determine the phylogenetic depth at which the signal for their present‐day structure emerges. We suggest present‐day assemblages with distinct evolutionary histories might represent important units for conservation. We apply our method to the vegetation of southern Africa using a dated phylogeny of the woody flora of the region and explore how the evolutionary history of vegetation types compares to common conservation currencies, including species richness, endemism and threat. Results We show the differentiation of most present‐day vegetation types can be traced back to evolutionary splits in the Miocene. The woody flora of the Fynbos is the most evolutionarily distinct, and thus has deeper evolutionary roots, whereas the Savanna and Miombo Woodland show close phylogenetic affinities and likely represent a more recent separation. However, evolutionarily distinct phyloregions do not necessarily capture the most unique phylogenetic diversity, nor are they the most species‐rich or threatened. Main conclusions Our approach complements analyses of the fossil record and serves as a link to the history of diversification, migration and extinction of lineages within biogeographic assemblages that is separate from patterns of species richness and endemism. Our analysis reveals how phyloregions capture conservation value not represented by traditional biodiversity metrics.

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On the origin of northern and southern hemisphere grasslands

Cited by 131 publications

References 88 publications

Global assessment of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus diversity reveals very low endemism

Global assessment of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus diversity reveals very low endemism

Modeling distribution of Schinus molle L. in the Brazilian Pampa: insights on vegetation dynamics and conservation of the biome

Unravelling the evolutionary origins of biogeographic assemblages

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