Late Quaternary climate legacies in contemporary plant functional composition. (29th July 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Blonder, Benjamin; Enquist, Brian J.; Graae, Bente J.; Kattge, Jens; Maitner, Brian S.; Morueta‐Holme, Naia; Ordonez, Alejandro; Šímová, Irena; Singarayer, Joy; Svenning, Jens‐Christian; Valdes, Paul J.; Violle, Cyrille
• Is Part Of: Global change biology. Volume 24:Number 10(2018)
• Page Start: 4827
• Page End: 4840
• Publication Date: 2018-07-29
• Subjects: climate change -- disequilibrium -- exclusion -- functional diversity -- functional trait -- Holocene -- immigration -- lag -- legacy -- Pleistocene; Climatic changes -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; Troposphere -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; Biodiversity conservation -- Periodicals; Eutrophication -- Periodicals; 551.5
• DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14375
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1354-1013

Abstract

Abstract: The functional composition of plant communities is commonly thought to be determined by contemporary climate. However, if rates of climate‐driven immigration and/or exclusion of species are slow, then contemporary functional composition may be explained by paleoclimate as well as by contemporary climate. We tested this idea by coupling contemporary maps of plant functional trait composition across North and South America to paleoclimate means and temporal variation in temperature and precipitation from the Last Interglacial (120 ka) to the present. Paleoclimate predictors strongly improved prediction of contemporary functional composition compared to contemporary climate predictors, with a stronger influence of temperature in North America (especially during periods of ice melting) and of precipitation in South America (across all times). Thus, climate from tens of thousands of years ago influences contemporary functional composition via slow assemblage dynamics. Abstract : Climate may determine functional composition if there is variation in the rates of immigration and exclusion linked to functional traits. We show strong Pleistocene legacies on the contemporary functional composition in the New World plant assemblages consistent with slow community assembly processes.