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Non-radioactive in situ Hybridization Protocol Applicable for Norway Spruce and a Range of Plant Species

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Plant species radiations: where, when, why?

Hans Peter Linder¹

¹Institute of Systematic Botany, University of Zurich, Zollikerstrasse 107, Zurich 8008, Switzerland. peter.linder@systbot.u.uzh.ch

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences

|June 27, 2008

Summary

Plant species radiations reveal high speciation and extinction rates. Mature radiations in stable regions like Australia contrast with rapid radiations in dynamic areas like New Zealand, shaping plant diversity.

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Area of Science:

Ecology
Evolutionary Biology
Biogeography

Background:

Understanding plant species radiations, including their spatial and temporal patterns, remains a significant knowledge gap.
Species richness can arise from prolonged periods of low extinction (mature radiation) or rapid speciation events (recent and rapid radiation).

Purpose of the Study:

To estimate speciation and extinction rates across various plant clades using nonlinear regression.
To investigate the influence of regional environmental stability and dynamism on plant radiation types.

Main Methods:

Employed nonlinear regression analysis to infer speciation and extinction rates from dated clades.
Compared radiation patterns across diverse geographical regions including the Andes, New Zealand, Australia, southwest Africa, tropics, and Eurasia.

Main Results:

Speciation and extinction rates were found to be unexpectedly high across the studied clades.
Australia's plant diversity is largely attributed to mature radiations, contrasting with New Zealand's recent and rapid radiations.
Stable Neogene environments favor mature radiations, while younger Pliocene environments are linked to recent and rapid radiations.

Conclusions:

Plant diversity evolution is intrinsically linked to local environmental conditions, encompassing both stable and dynamic landscapes.
Hyperdiverse floras, such as those in the Cape and Neotropics, result from a combination of mature and recent/rapid radiation processes.
Regional climatic and geological stability influences the type of plant radiation observed.