Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Evolution of diversity: the Cape flora.

H Peter Linder1

  • 1Institute for Systematic Botany, University of Zurich, Zollikerstrasse 107, Zurich CH-8008, Switzerland. plinder@systbot.unizh.ch

Trends in Plant Science
|October 11, 2005
PubMed
Summary

Modern plant diversity arises from ancient lineage recruitment and long-term diversification within diverse environments. This study explores the origins of species richness using the Cape flora as a model system.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

The megaherbivore gap after the non-avian dinosaur extinctions modified trait evolution and diversification of tropical palms.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2022
Same author

NOTHOFAGUS AND PACIFIC BIOGEOGRAPHY.

Cladistics : the international journal of the Willi Hennig Society·2021
Same author

The evolution of flowering phenology: an example from the wind-pollinated African Restionaceae.

Annals of botany·2020
Same author

Diversification in evolutionary arenas-Assessment and synthesis.

Ecology and evolution·2020
Same author

The genetics of evolutionary radiations.

Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·2020
Same author

Unexpected diversity and evolutionary lability in root architectural ecomorphs in the rushes of the hyperdiverse Cape flora.

The New phytologist·2020

Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Phylogenetics

Background:

  • Environmental factors influencing plant species richness are well-studied.
  • The evolutionary origins and diversification processes driving species richness remain less understood.
  • Advances in molecular dating and phylogenetic inference enable new investigations into diversity genesis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the historical processes contributing to the high plant species richness in the Cape flora.
  • To determine the relative importance of lineage recruitment versus in situ diversification in generating current diversity.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized molecular dating techniques to establish phylogenetic timelines.
  • Inferred robust phylogenetic hypotheses for the Cape flora.
  • Analyzed the Cape flora as a model system for evolutionary diversification.

Main Results:

  • The Cape flora's modern diversity is significantly shaped by the recruitment of diverse lineages throughout the Cenozoic era.
  • Substantial in situ diversification of these recruited lineages occurred over extended periods.
  • Environmental heterogeneity within the Cape region facilitated long-term diversification.

Conclusions:

  • The genesis of plant species richness involves both the long-term accretion of lineages and subsequent in situ evolutionary diversification.
  • The Cape flora exemplifies how historical lineage recruitment and sustained diversification in heterogeneous environments drive species richness.

Related Experiment Videos