African geoxyles evolved in response to fire; frost came later
It has been proposed in separate studies that fire or frost were the critical selective agents in the evolution of subshrub geoxyles (SGs) in African subtropical grasslands. We attempt to resolve this controversy by examining the evolution of SGs among the entire genus Protea that is widespread thro...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
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Springer Netherlands
2017
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/54604 |
| _version_ | 1848759414268362752 |
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| author | Lamont, Byron He, Tianhua Pausas, J. |
| author_facet | Lamont, Byron He, Tianhua Pausas, J. |
| author_sort | Lamont, Byron |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | It has been proposed in separate studies that fire or frost were the critical selective agents in the evolution of subshrub geoxyles (SGs) in African subtropical grasslands. We attempt to resolve this controversy by examining the evolution of SGs among the entire genus Protea that is widespread throughout southern/central Africa. We show that SGs are not confined to grasslands but occur in a wide range of non-forest vegetation types, including mediterranean shrublands. SG proteas arose 1–11 million years ago but their multiple origins among other geoxyles, confounded by strong intraspecific variability among grassland species, makes it impossible to identify the ancestral growth form. We conclude that the evolutionary history of SG proteas has occurred under lightning-prone conditions that promoted fire and were essentially frost-free; exposure to frost has been limited to certain elevated locations in more recent times. This is supported by many SGs having pyrogenic flowering and lack of seed storage among grassland species. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T09:59:30Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-54604 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T09:59:30Z |
| publishDate | 2017 |
| publisher | Springer Netherlands |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-546042018-05-29T07:01:16Z African geoxyles evolved in response to fire; frost came later Lamont, Byron He, Tianhua Pausas, J. It has been proposed in separate studies that fire or frost were the critical selective agents in the evolution of subshrub geoxyles (SGs) in African subtropical grasslands. We attempt to resolve this controversy by examining the evolution of SGs among the entire genus Protea that is widespread throughout southern/central Africa. We show that SGs are not confined to grasslands but occur in a wide range of non-forest vegetation types, including mediterranean shrublands. SG proteas arose 1–11 million years ago but their multiple origins among other geoxyles, confounded by strong intraspecific variability among grassland species, makes it impossible to identify the ancestral growth form. We conclude that the evolutionary history of SG proteas has occurred under lightning-prone conditions that promoted fire and were essentially frost-free; exposure to frost has been limited to certain elevated locations in more recent times. This is supported by many SGs having pyrogenic flowering and lack of seed storage among grassland species. 2017 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/54604 10.1007/s10682-017-9905-4 Springer Netherlands fulltext |
| spellingShingle | Lamont, Byron He, Tianhua Pausas, J. African geoxyles evolved in response to fire; frost came later |
| title | African geoxyles evolved in response to fire; frost came later |
| title_full | African geoxyles evolved in response to fire; frost came later |
| title_fullStr | African geoxyles evolved in response to fire; frost came later |
| title_full_unstemmed | African geoxyles evolved in response to fire; frost came later |
| title_short | African geoxyles evolved in response to fire; frost came later |
| title_sort | african geoxyles evolved in response to fire; frost came later |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/54604 |