Abstract Detail

Biogeography

Dexter, Kyle [1], Oliveira-Filho, Ary [2], Baker, Timothy [3], Phillips, Oliver [4], Pennington, Richard [5].

Biome Shifts and Niche Evolution in South American Woody Legumes.

Several authors have suggested that at the level of major biomes, the environmental niches of plants are evolutionarily conserved, yet there are counterexamples of recent biome switching in multiple plant lineages. Determining the frequency and directionality of biome switching is critical to understanding biome history and the role of biome switching in plant speciation. Here, we present a new project aimed at unravelling the history of biome switching in South American trees, using the Leguminosae as a model system. We are using data from >1000 tree community surveys scattered across the 3 major biomes of lowland tropical South America (rain forest, savanna, and seasonally dry tropical forest) to quantify the environmental niches of woody legume species, while simultaneously assembling a phylogenetic dataset for the same species. We will quantify biome switches and the rate of evolution for climatic and edaphic niches across different legume lineages. The purpose of this presentation is to engage the legume community and potential collaborators with respect to our efforts.

Broader Impacts:

1 - Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 20a Inverleith Row, Edinburgh, EH35LR, UK
2 - Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, 31270-217, Brasil
3 - University of Leeds, School of Geography, Room 3.66c, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
4 - University of Leeds, School of Geography, Room 3.66e, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
5 - Royal Botanic Gardens, 20A INVERLEITH ROW, EDINBURGH, N/A, EH3 5LR, United Kingdom

Keywords:
Leguminosae
neotropics
Historical Biogeography
Biome Switching.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Topics
Session: 2
Location: Franklin B/Hyatt
Date: Monday, July 9th, 2012
Time: 9:30 AM
Number: 2005
Abstract ID:1005