Spatial distribution patterns and formation of global spermatophytes

Area of Science:

• Botany
• Evolutionary Biology
• Biogeography

Background:

• The evolutionary history of seed plants (spermatophytes) is well-documented temporally, but their spatial evolution remains understudied.
• A taxon-based approach to spatial evolution is critical for understanding global plant distribution patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To construct a Spermatophyte Spatial Evolutionary System (SSES) classifying global spermatophytes.
• To analyze the spatial evolutionary patterns and drivers of spermatophyte distribution.

Main Methods:

• Integrated geographic distributions and origin locations of 429 spermatophyte families.
• Applied unsupervised machine learning to classify distribution types and supertypes.
• Analyzed floristic elements (cosmopolitan, tropical, temperate) based on origin and formation.

Main Results:

• Classified global spermatophytes into 18 distribution types and six supertypes within three floristic elements.
• Found primary origin from Gondwana, with temperate elements being oldest and cosmopolitan youngest.
• Identified Tertiary period (Eocene-Miocene) as key formation time, driven by climate, dispersal, and tectonics.

Conclusions:

• Spatial evolution of spermatophytes is influenced by comparable formation processes and mechanisms.
• Similar distribution patterns arise from shared evolutionary drivers across floristic elements, supertypes, and types.
• Novel insights into global spermatophyte spatial evolution and distribution drivers were provided.