New Zealand Journal of Botany abstracts
Ecological correlates of diversification in New Zealand angiosperm
lineages
Linley K. Jesson
School of Biological Sciences
Victoria University of Wellington
PO Box 600
Wellington, New Zealand
Present address: Department of Biology, University of New
Brunswick, PO Bag Service 45111, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada E3B
6E1.
Abstract To examine whether ecological traits
associated with the New Zealand flora might influence species richness,
I used published molecular phylogenies to compare traits associated
with species richness of monophyletic groups in New Zealand and the
relative species richness of New Zealand and their sister lineages.
Species richness in New Zealand lineages tended to be lower than but
not significantly different from their sister lineages. New Zealand
lineages with fleshy fruits have lower numbers of species than their
sister lineages, suggesting that regional differences in community
processes can influence speciation or extinction. Lineages with sister
taxa found exclusively on islands are characterised by low species
richness both in New Zealand and elsewhere. In addition, species number
was higher in insect-pollinated New Zealand lineages than in wind- or
bird-pollinated lineages. There was no association with other
correlates of mating system, including plant woodiness, gender
dimorphism, and floral display. These results suggest that
long-distance dispersal, dependence on a biotic disperser or
pollinator, and time since diversification all contribute to the
species richness of a lineage.
Keywords species radiation; mating systems;
fleshy fruits; dioecy; pollination mode; sister-clade analysis; New
Zealand
B06012; Online publication date 27 February 2007; Received 3 April
2006; accepted 22 November 2006
New Zealand Journal of Botany, 2007, Vol. 45: 35-51
0028-825X/07/4501-0035 © The Royal Society of New Zealand
2007
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