How constrained is the ecology of a species by its phylogenetic history? The authors assess the extent of biome conservatism — the tendency of a species to occupy the same niche as its ancestors — in over 11,000 Southern Hemisphere plants, 15% of the total flora of the Southern Hemisphere continents. They show that only 3.6% of the evolutionary divergences in their study involved a shift of biome, demonstrating the strong influence of biome conservatism.
- Michael D. Crisp
- Mary T. K. Arroyo
- H. Peter Linder