Rooting depth and xylem vulnerability are independent woody plant traits jointly selected by aridity, seasonality, and water table depth.

Evolutionary radiations of woody taxa within arid environments were made possible by multiple trait innovations including deep roots and embolism-resistant xylem, but little is known about how these traits have coevolved across the phylogeny of woody plants or how they jointly influence the distribution of species. We synthesized global trait and vegetation plot datasets to examine how rooting depth and xylem vulnerability across 188 woody plant species interact with aridity, precipitation seasonality, and water table depth to influence species occurrence probabilities across all biomes. Xylem resistance to embolism and rooting depth are independent woody plant traits that do not exhibit an interspecific trade-off.

Underestimated diversity in high elevations of a global biodiversity hotspot: two new endemic species of (Brassicaceae) from the alpine zone of Iran.

Although the mountains in South-West Asia are a global biodiversity hotspot, our understanding of their biodiversity, especially in the commonly remote alpine and subnival zones, is still limited. This is well exemplified here by (Brassicaceae), a species considered to have a wide yet disjoint distribution in the Zagros and Yazd-Kerman mountains of western and central Iran. Morphological and molecular phylogenetic data (based on plastid L-F and nuclear ITS sequences) show that is restricted to a single mountain range in southwestern Iran (Dena Mts.

Endemics determine bioregionalization in the alpine zone of the Irano-Anatolian biodiversity hotspot (South-West Asia).

Unlabelled: Alpine habitats are characterized by a high rate of range restricted species compared to those of lower elevations. This is also the case for the Irano-Anatolian global biodiversity hotspot in South-West Asia, which is a mountainous area harbouring a high amount of endemic species. Using two quantitative approaches, Endemicity Analysis and Network-Clustering, we want to identify areas of concordant species distribution patterns in the alpine zone of this region as well as to test the hypothesis that, given the high proportion of endemics among alpine species, delimitation of these areas is determined mainly by endemic alpine species, i.

The new locally endemic genus (Caryophyllaceae) and patterns of endemism highlight the high conservation priority of the poorly studied Shirkuh Mountains (central Iran).

Although mountain ranges are often recognized as global biodiversity hotspots with a high level of endemism, diversity and biogeographic connections of isolated and weakly explored mountains remain poorly understood. This is also the case for Shirkuh Mts. in central Iran.

Endemic diversity and distribution of the Iranian vascular flora across phytogeographical regions, biodiversity hotspots and areas of endemism.

Endemism is one of the most important concepts in biogeography and is of high relevance for conservation biology. Nevertheless, our understanding of patterns of endemism is still limited in many regions of high biodiversity. This is also the case for Iran, which is rich in biodiversity and endemism, but there is no up-to-date account of diversity and distribution of its endemic species.

Hotspots within a global biodiversity hotspot - areas of endemism are associated with high mountain ranges.

Conservation biology aims at identifying areas of rich biodiversity. Currently recognized global biodiversity hotspots are spatially too coarse for conservation management and identification of hotspots at a finer scale is needed. This might be achieved by identification of areas of endemism.

A bioclimatic characterization of high elevation habitats in the Alborz mountains of Iran.

The Alborz mountains in N-Iran at 36° N rise from the Caspian Sea to 5671 m a.s.l.

The effects of foundation species on community assembly: a global study on alpine cushion plant communities.

Foundation species can change plant community structure by modulating important ecological processes such as community assembly, yet this topic is poorly understood. In alpine systems, cushion plants commonly act as foundation species by ameliorating local conditions. Here, we analyze diversity patterns of species' assembly within cushions and in adjacent surrounding open substrates (83 sites across five continents) calculating floristic dissimilarity between replicate plots, and using linear models to analyze relationships between microhabitats and species diversity.