Global beta-diversity of angiosperm trees is shaped by Quaternary climate change

Wu Bing Xu, Wen Yong Guo, Josep M. Serra-Diaz, Franziska Schrodt, Wolf L. Eiserhardt, Brian J. Enquist, Brian S. Maitner, Cory Merow, Cyrille Violle, Madhur Anand, Michaël Belluau, Hans Henrik Bruun, Chaeho Byun, Jane A. Catford, Bruno E.L. Cerabolini, Eduardo Chacón-Madrigal, Daniela Ciccarelli, J. Hans C. Cornelissen, Anh Tuan Dang-Le, Angel de FrutosArildo S. Dias, Aelton B. Giroldo, Alvaro G. Gutiérrez, Wesley Hattingh, Tianhua He, Peter Hietz, Nate Hough-Snee, Steven Jansen, Jens Kattge, Benjamin Komac, Nathan J.B. Kraft, Koen Kramer, Sandra Lavorel, Christopher H. Lusk, Adam R. Martin, Ke Ping Ma, Maurizio Mencuccini, Sean T. Michaletz, Vanessa Minden, Akira S. Mori, Ülo Niinemets, Yusuke Onoda, Renske E. Onstein, Josep Peñuelas, Valério D. Pillar, Jan Pisek, Matthew J. Pound, Bjorn J.M. Robroek, Brandon Schamp, Martijn Slot, Miao Sun, Ênio E. Sosinski, Nadejda A. Soudzilovskaia, Nelson Thiffault, Peter M. van Bodegom, Fons van der Plas, Jingming Zheng, Jens Christian Svenning, Alejandro Ordonez

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Abstract

As Earth's climate has varied strongly through geological time, studying the impacts of past climate change on biodiversity helps to understand the risks from future climate change. However, it remains unclear how paleoclimate shapes spatial variation in biodiversity. Here, we assessed the influence of Quaternary climate change on spatial dissimilarity in taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional composition among neighboring 200-kilometer cells (beta-diversity) for angiosperm trees worldwide. We found that larger glacial-interglacial temperature change was strongly associated with lower spatial turnover (species replacements) and higher nestedness (richness changes) components of beta-diversity across all three biodiversity facets. Moreover, phylogenetic and functional turnover was lower and nestedness higher than random expectations based on taxonomic beta-diversity in regions that experienced large temperature change, reflecting phylogenetically and functionally selective processes in species replacement, extinction, and colonization during glacial-interglacial oscillations. Our results suggest that future human-driven climate change could cause local homogenization and reduction in taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity of angiosperm trees worldwide.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbereadd8553
JournalScience Advances
Volume9
Issue number14
Number of pages19
ISSN2375-2548
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2023

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