Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, PO Box 94248, Amsterdam, 1090 GE, The Netherlands.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3AE, UK.
Nat Ecol Evol. 2017 Dec;1(12):1903-1911. doi: 10.1038/s41559-017-0348-7. Epub 2017 Oct 23.
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.
动物介导的鸟类和哺乳动物的果实传播对于生态系统的生态和功能至关重要，但果实传播相关特征是否以及如何影响植物的物种形成仍知之甚少。果实大小与植物的扩散能力直接相关，因此影响植物种群的基因流和遗传分化。利用具有全面果实大小和植物物种分布数据的全球种级系统发育，我们检验了果实大小是否影响了具有热带雨林特征的棕榈科（Arecaceae）植物的物种形成率。在全球范围内，结果表明，与具有大果实（巨型动物）的棕榈科相比，小果实的棕榈科的物种形成率增加。新世界热带雨林底层和旧世界岛屿上小果实棕榈科的物种形成率特别高。这表明，与果实传播相关的特征与地理以及果实传播者的运动行为相结合，可以影响肉质果实植物的物种形成。
