Phylogenetic composition and structure of tree communities shed light on historical processes influencing tropical rainforest diversity |
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Authors: | Marcos B Carlucci Guilherme D S Seger Douglas Sheil Iêda L Amaral George B Chuyong Leandro V Ferreira Ulisses Galatti Johanna Hurtado David Kenfack Darley C Leal Simon L Lewis Jon C Lovett Andrew R Marshall Emanuel Martin Badru Mugerwa Pantaleo Munishi Átila Cristina A Oliveira Jean Claude Razafimahaimodison Francesco Rovero Moses N Sainge Duncan Thomas Valério D Pillar Leandro D S Duarte |
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Institution: | 1. Programa de Pós‐Gradua??o em Ecologia, Univ. Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil;2. Programa de Pós‐Gradua??o em Ecologia e Evolu??o, Inst. de Ciências Biológicas, Univ. Federal de Goiás, Goiania, Brazil;3. Dept of Ecology and Natural Resource Management (INA), Norwegian Univ. of Life Sciences (NMBU), No‐1432 ?s, Norway;4. Inst. of Tropical Forest Conservation, Mbarara Univ. of Science and Technology, Kabale, Uganda;5. Inst. Nacional de Pesquisas da Amaz?nia (INPA), Manaus, Brazil;6. Dept of Botany and Plant Physiology, Univ. of Buea, SWP Cameroon;7. Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, Brazil;8. Organization for Tropical Studies, La Selva Biological Station, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica;9. Smithsonian Tropical Research Inst., Botany Dept NMNH‐MRC 166, Washington, USA;10. School of Geography, Univ. of Leeds, Leeds, UK;11. Dept of Geography, Univ. College London, London, UK;12. Environment Dept, Univ. of York, York, UK;13. College of African Wildlife Management Mweka, Dept of Wildlife Management, PO Box 3031 Moshi, Tanzania;14. Sokoine Univ. of Agriculture (SUA), Faculty of Forestry and Nature Conservation, Dept of Forest Biology, Morogoro, Tanzania;15. Centre ValBio, BP 33 Ranomafana Ifanadiana, 312 Fianarantsoa, Madagascar;16. Tropical Biodiversity Section, MUSE – Museo delle Scienze, Corso del Lavoro e della Scienza 3, Trento, Italy;17. WWF‐CFP Cameroon/Korup Forest Dynamics Plot (KFDP), Tropical Plant Exploration Group (TroPEG), Ndian, South West Region, Cameroon;18. Dept of Biological Sciences, Washington State Univ., Vancouver, USA |
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Abstract: | The Neotropics, Afrotropics and Madagascar have different histories which have influenced their respective patterns of diversity. Based on current knowledge of these histories, we developed the following predictions about the phylogenetic structure and composition of rainforest tree communities: (Hypothesis 1) isolation of Gondwanan biotas generated differences in phylogenetic composition among biogeographical regions; (H2) major Cenozoic extinction events led to lack of phylogenetic structure in Afrotropical and Malagasy communities; (H3) greater angiosperm diversification in the Neotropics led to greater phylogenetic clustering there than elsewhere; (H4) phylogenetic overdispersion is expected near the Andes due to the co‐occurrence of magnoliids tracking conserved habitat preferences and recently diversified eudicot lineages. Using abundance data of tropical rainforest tree species from 94 communities in the Neotropics, Afrotropics and Madagascar, we computed net relatedness index (NRI) to assess local phylogenetic structure, i.e. phylogenetic clustering vs. overdispersion relative to regional species pools, and principal coordinates of phylogenetic structure (PCPS) to assess variation in phylogenetic composition across communities. We observed significant differences in phylogenetic composition among biogeographical regions (agreement with H1). Overall phylogenetic structure did not differ among biogeographical regions, but results indicated variation from Andes to Amazon. We found widespread phylogenetic randomness in most Afrotropical and all Malagasy communities (agreement with H2). Most of central Amazonian communities were phylogenetically random, although some communities presented phylogenetic clustering (partial agreement with H3). We observed phylogenetic overdispersion near the Andes (agreement with H4). We were able to identify how differences in lineage composition are related to local phylogenetic co‐occurrences across biogeographical regions that have been undergoing different climatic and orographic histories during the past 100 Myr. We observed imprints of the history following Gondwana breakup on phylobetadiversity and local phylogenetic structure of rainforest tree communities in the Neotropics, Afrotropics and Madagascar. |
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