Frugivory-related traits promote speciation of tropical palms

• Published in: Nature ecology & evolution Vol. 1; no. 12; pp. 1903 - 1911
• Main Authors: Onstein, Renske E., Baker, William J., Couvreur, Thomas L. P., Faurby, Søren, Svenning, Jens-Christian, Kissling, W. Daniel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01-12-2017; Nature Publishing Group; Nature
• Subjects: 631/158/2450; 631/158/670; 631/158/851; 631/158/852; 631/181/757; Animals; Arecaceae - anatomy & histology; Arecaceae - genetics; Arecaceae - physiology; Biodiversity; Biological and Physical Anthropology; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Birds - physiology; Botanics; Dispersion; Divergence; Ecology; Evolutionary Biology; Evolutionsbiologi; Frugivores; Frugivory; Fruits; Gene flow; Genetic Speciation; Geography; Herbivory; Life Sciences; Mammals - physiology; Paleontology; Phylogeny; Plant populations; Plant species; Population genetics; Populations and Evolution; Rainforests; Seed dispersal; Seeds - anatomy & histology; Seeds - physiology; Speciation; Species; Understory; Vegetal Biology; Zoology; Family characteristics; Geography; Fruit; Spastic paraparesis; Arecaceae; Tropical; Mammals; Gene flow; Muscle; Seed dispersal; Genetic Drift and Selection; Trait; Tropical rainforest
• ISSN: 2397-334X; 2397-334X
• DOI: 10.1038/s41559-017-0348-7

Animal-mediated seed dispersal by frugivorous birds and mammals is central to the ecology and functioning of ecosystems, but whether and how frugivory-related traits have affected plant speciation remains little explored. Fruit size is directly linked to plant dispersal capacity and therefore influences gene flow and genetic divergence of plant populations. Using a global species-level phylogeny with comprehensive data on fruit sizes and plant species distributions, we test whether fruit size has affected speciation rates of palms (Arecaceae), a plant family characteristic of tropical rainforests. Globally, the results reveal that palms with small fruit sizes have increased speciation rates compared with those with large (megafaunal) fruits. Speciation of small-fruited palms is particularly high in the understory of tropical rainforests in the New World, and on islands in the Old World. This suggests that frugivory-related traits in combination with geography and the movement behaviour of frugivores can influence the speciation of fleshy-fruited plants.
A global species-level phylogeny of palm fruit size and species distributions reveals that frugivory-related traits in combination with geography and the movement behaviour of frugivores can influence the speciation of fleshy-fruited plants.