Ants sow the seeds of global diversification in flowering plants
Background: The extraordinary diversification of angiosperm plants in the Cretaceous and Tertiary periods has produced an estimated 250,000–300,000 living angiosperm species and has fundamentally altered terrestrial ecosystems. Interactions with animals as pollinators or seed dispersers have long be...
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ftmtak:oai:real.mtak.hu:7184 2024-06-09T07:38:42+00:00 Ants sow the seeds of global diversification in flowering plants Lengyel, Szabolcs Gove, A. D. Latimer, A. M. 2009 text https://real.mtak.hu/7184/ https://real.mtak.hu/7184/1/1202728.pdf http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0005480 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0005480 en eng Public Library of Science https://real.mtak.hu/7184/1/1202728.pdf Lengyel, Szabolcs and Gove, A. D. and Latimer, A. M. (2009) Ants sow the seeds of global diversification in flowering plants. PLOS ONE, 4 (5). e5480. ISSN 1932-6203 QH540 Ecology / ökológia Article PeerReviewed info:eu-repo/semantics/article 2009 ftmtak https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0005480 2024-05-15T13:44:04Z Background: The extraordinary diversification of angiosperm plants in the Cretaceous and Tertiary periods has produced an estimated 250,000–300,000 living angiosperm species and has fundamentally altered terrestrial ecosystems. Interactions with animals as pollinators or seed dispersers have long been suspected as drivers of angiosperm diversification, yet empirical examples remain sparse or inconclusive. Seed dispersal by ants (myrmecochory) may drive diversification as it can reduce extinction by providing selective advantages to plants and can increase speciation by enhancing geographical isolation by extremely limited dispersal distances. Methodology/Principal Findings: Using the most comprehensive sister-group comparison to date, we tested the hypothesis that myrmecochory leads to higher diversification rates in angiosperm plants. As predicted, diversification rates were substantially higher in ant-dispersed plants than in their non-myrmecochorous relatives. Data from 101 angiosperm lineages in 241 genera from all continents except Antarctica revealed that ant-dispersed lineages contained on average more than twice as many species as did their non-myrmecochorous sister groups. Contrasts in species diversity between sister groups demonstrated that diversification rates did not depend on seed dispersal mode in the sister group and were higher in myrmecochorous lineages in most biogeographic regions. Conclusions/Significance: Myrmecochory, which has evolved independently at least 100 times in angiosperms and is estimated to be present in at least 77 families and 11 000 species, is a key evolutionary innovation and a globally important driver of plant diversity. Myrmecochory provides the best example to date for a consistent effect of any mutualism on largescale diversification. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctica MTAK: REAL (Library and Information Centre of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences PLoS ONE 4 5 e5480 |
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Open Polar |
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MTAK: REAL (Library and Information Centre of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences |
op_collection_id |
ftmtak |
language |
English |
topic |
QH540 Ecology / ökológia |
spellingShingle |
QH540 Ecology / ökológia Lengyel, Szabolcs Gove, A. D. Latimer, A. M. Ants sow the seeds of global diversification in flowering plants |
topic_facet |
QH540 Ecology / ökológia |
description |
Background: The extraordinary diversification of angiosperm plants in the Cretaceous and Tertiary periods has produced an estimated 250,000–300,000 living angiosperm species and has fundamentally altered terrestrial ecosystems. Interactions with animals as pollinators or seed dispersers have long been suspected as drivers of angiosperm diversification, yet empirical examples remain sparse or inconclusive. Seed dispersal by ants (myrmecochory) may drive diversification as it can reduce extinction by providing selective advantages to plants and can increase speciation by enhancing geographical isolation by extremely limited dispersal distances. Methodology/Principal Findings: Using the most comprehensive sister-group comparison to date, we tested the hypothesis that myrmecochory leads to higher diversification rates in angiosperm plants. As predicted, diversification rates were substantially higher in ant-dispersed plants than in their non-myrmecochorous relatives. Data from 101 angiosperm lineages in 241 genera from all continents except Antarctica revealed that ant-dispersed lineages contained on average more than twice as many species as did their non-myrmecochorous sister groups. Contrasts in species diversity between sister groups demonstrated that diversification rates did not depend on seed dispersal mode in the sister group and were higher in myrmecochorous lineages in most biogeographic regions. Conclusions/Significance: Myrmecochory, which has evolved independently at least 100 times in angiosperms and is estimated to be present in at least 77 families and 11 000 species, is a key evolutionary innovation and a globally important driver of plant diversity. Myrmecochory provides the best example to date for a consistent effect of any mutualism on largescale diversification. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Lengyel, Szabolcs Gove, A. D. Latimer, A. M. |
author_facet |
Lengyel, Szabolcs Gove, A. D. Latimer, A. M. |
author_sort |
Lengyel, Szabolcs |
title |
Ants sow the seeds of global diversification in flowering plants |
title_short |
Ants sow the seeds of global diversification in flowering plants |
title_full |
Ants sow the seeds of global diversification in flowering plants |
title_fullStr |
Ants sow the seeds of global diversification in flowering plants |
title_full_unstemmed |
Ants sow the seeds of global diversification in flowering plants |
title_sort |
ants sow the seeds of global diversification in flowering plants |
publisher |
Public Library of Science |
publishDate |
2009 |
url |
https://real.mtak.hu/7184/ https://real.mtak.hu/7184/1/1202728.pdf http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0005480 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0005480 |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctica |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctica |
op_relation |
https://real.mtak.hu/7184/1/1202728.pdf Lengyel, Szabolcs and Gove, A. D. and Latimer, A. M. (2009) Ants sow the seeds of global diversification in flowering plants. PLOS ONE, 4 (5). e5480. ISSN 1932-6203 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0005480 |
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PLoS ONE |
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4 |
container_issue |
5 |
container_start_page |
e5480 |
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1801374824268824576 |