A Cretaceous origin for fire adaptations in the Cape flora
Fire has had a profound effect on the evolution of worldwide biotas. The Cape Floristic Region is one of the world's most species-rich regions, yet it is highly prone to recurrent fires and fire-adapted species contribute strongly to the overall flora. It is hypothesized that the current fire r...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Published: |
Nature Publishing Group
2016
|
| Online Access: | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP130103029 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/15672 |
| _version_ | 1848748957356785664 |
|---|---|
| author | He, Tianhua Lamont, Byron Manning, J. |
| author_facet | He, Tianhua Lamont, Byron Manning, J. |
| author_sort | He, Tianhua |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Fire has had a profound effect on the evolution of worldwide biotas. The Cape Floristic Region is one of the world's most species-rich regions, yet it is highly prone to recurrent fires and fire-adapted species contribute strongly to the overall flora. It is hypothesized that the current fire regimes in the Cape could be as old as 6-8 million years (My), while indirect evidence indicates that the onset of fire could have reached 18 million years ago (Ma). Here, we trace the origin of fire-dependent traits in two monocot families that are significant elements in the fire-prone Cape flora. Our analysis shows that fire-stimulated flowering originated in the Cape Haemodoraceae 81 Ma, while fire-stimulated germination arose in the African Restionaceae at least 70 Ma, implying that wildfires have been a significant force in the evolution of the Cape flora at least 60 My earlier than previous estimates. Our results provide strong evidence for the presence of fire adaptations in the Cape from the Cretaceous, leading to the extraordinary persistence of a fire-adapted flora in this biodiversity hotspot, and giving support to the hypothesis that Cretaceous fire was a global phenomenon that shaped the evolution of terrestrial floras. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T07:13:18Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-15672 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T07:13:18Z |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| publisher | Nature Publishing Group |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-156722022-10-12T02:06:30Z A Cretaceous origin for fire adaptations in the Cape flora He, Tianhua Lamont, Byron Manning, J. Fire has had a profound effect on the evolution of worldwide biotas. The Cape Floristic Region is one of the world's most species-rich regions, yet it is highly prone to recurrent fires and fire-adapted species contribute strongly to the overall flora. It is hypothesized that the current fire regimes in the Cape could be as old as 6-8 million years (My), while indirect evidence indicates that the onset of fire could have reached 18 million years ago (Ma). Here, we trace the origin of fire-dependent traits in two monocot families that are significant elements in the fire-prone Cape flora. Our analysis shows that fire-stimulated flowering originated in the Cape Haemodoraceae 81 Ma, while fire-stimulated germination arose in the African Restionaceae at least 70 Ma, implying that wildfires have been a significant force in the evolution of the Cape flora at least 60 My earlier than previous estimates. Our results provide strong evidence for the presence of fire adaptations in the Cape from the Cretaceous, leading to the extraordinary persistence of a fire-adapted flora in this biodiversity hotspot, and giving support to the hypothesis that Cretaceous fire was a global phenomenon that shaped the evolution of terrestrial floras. 2016 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/15672 10.1038/srep34880 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP130103029 Nature Publishing Group fulltext |
| spellingShingle | He, Tianhua Lamont, Byron Manning, J. A Cretaceous origin for fire adaptations in the Cape flora |
| title | A Cretaceous origin for fire adaptations in the Cape flora |
| title_full | A Cretaceous origin for fire adaptations in the Cape flora |
| title_fullStr | A Cretaceous origin for fire adaptations in the Cape flora |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Cretaceous origin for fire adaptations in the Cape flora |
| title_short | A Cretaceous origin for fire adaptations in the Cape flora |
| title_sort | cretaceous origin for fire adaptations in the cape flora |
| url | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP130103029 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/15672 |