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Factors that shape seed mass evolution.

Angela T Moles1, David D Ackerly, Campbell O Webb

  • 1National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, 735 State Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101-5304, USA. amoles@bio.mq.edu.au

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|July 21, 2005
PubMed
Summary
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Seed mass evolution is strongly linked to plant growth form, more so than environmental factors. This study reveals growth form as a key driver of seed mass changes throughout plant history.

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Paleobotany
  • Plant Ecology

Background:

  • Seed mass is a crucial plant trait influencing dispersal, establishment, and survival.
  • Understanding the evolutionary drivers of seed mass variation is key to reconstructing plant history.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify factors most closely associated with evolutionary changes in seed mass.
  • To compare the influence of plant traits versus environmental variables on seed mass evolution.

Main Methods:

  • Correlated divergence analysis was employed to examine evolutionary associations.
  • Seed mass evolution was analyzed in the context of growth form, dispersal syndrome, and environmental factors.

Main Results:

  • Divergences in seed mass were most consistently associated with divergences in plant growth form.

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  • Environmental variables like temperature and precipitation showed weaker associations with seed mass evolution.
  • Plant traits, particularly growth form and seed dispersal syndrome, explained more variation in seed mass changes.

    • Conclusions:

    • Plant growth form is a primary factor shaping seed mass evolution in seed plants.
    • Evolutionary trajectories of seed mass are more strongly influenced by intrinsic plant characteristics than by extrinsic environmental pressures.